Leading the Way

by Mattie Hjelseth

The United States Armed Forces believe that leadership doesn’t have a particular race, color, national origin, or gender. The first female to be named deputy adjutant general in the North Dakota National Guard is an example of that.

“When it deals with military and doing a job, it’s not about gender. It’s about doing the right thing for the people that you’re serving and holding on to the army values,” said the first female deputy adjutant general for the North Dakota National Guard, Jackie (Hoge) Huber, ’93.

Lieutenant Colonel Jason Murphy, a military science professor at UND, agrees with Brigadier General Huber. “It’s your leadership that makes the difference not those other characteristics.”

Brig. Gen. Huber never imagined she’d be the first female deputy adjutant general for the North Dakota National Guard when she enlisted in the military in 1989. A year after serving with the ROTC program at UND, she deployed as a sergeant to Saudi Arabia for Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

“I always knew that if I was going to put in the time and effort, I wanted to be an officer and serve in that capacity,” said Brig. Gen. Huber.

To this day, she cherishes the friendships and comrades she met while in the UND ROTC program. “You have this tight-knit community that can reflect back on UND days,” reminisces Brig. Gen. Huber.

“We offer lifelong learning, leadership development, just everything you can build from. We don’t make a complete officer in our ROTC. What we do is build the foundation of an officer,” said LTC Murphy.

Huber’s journey didn’t stop there; she moved up the ranks, once again, to General. Before the promotion, there were requirements Huber needed to complete. That included education requirements both for the military and being a civilian, as well as requirements for command level assignments. She finished these requirements, allowing her to be named deputy adjutant general.

Huber didn’t get here alone though; she’s had support through it all. “It’s because of the people I’ve worked with, who’ve worked for me, that have supported me, and that have embraced my command philosophies and my command ideas. I’ve also been very fortunate with a supportive family,” Brig. Gen. Huber said with a smile on her face.

In the new role, she’s looking forward to the growing opportunities that come with this position, while focusing on two major things. “My priorities are with readiness and taking care of our people to the best of our ability,” said Brig. Gen. Huber.

With over 30 years of military experience under her belt, she hopes “to use those experiences and knowledge to serve the North Dakota National Guard, our airmen and soldiers to the best of my capacity,” said Brig. Gen. Huber. ///

The UND ROTC Program recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary. “The building has stood the test of time and it’s a testament to army officers as we continue to go forth,” said LTC Jason Murphy, a professor of military science at UND.