Contact: Maridith Geuder
Col. Leonette W. Slay
A senior Army Reserve officer who helped mobilize U.S. troops for duty in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan speaks Nov. 19 at Mississippi State.
Col. Leonette W. Slay of Birmingham, Ala., will discuss women's leadership in the military during a noon public program at the Mitchell Memorial Library auditorium. Her visit is sponsored by the university's Faculty and Professional Women's Association.
Slay, a West Point native and Millsaps College graduate, has served since 2001 as assistant chief of staff for the Birmingham-based 87th Division (Training Support) that mobilized more than 15,000 troops for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Slay received a direct Army commission in 1976 after completing a master's degree from the University of Texas' Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. In 1997, she was appointed to command the 324th Replacement Battalion in Starkville. From 1999 until assuming her current position in 2001, she led the newly activated 310th Personnel Group in Fort Jackson, S.C.
During a nearly three-decade military career, Slay has held a variety of other assignments, including military intelligence posts at Ft. Knox, Ky., and administrative positions at installations in Germany and the Pentagon. Her awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service and Joint Staff Commendation medals, among others. She also received the Horatio Gates Bronze Medal for service to the Adjutant General's Corps.
For more information on the program, telephone Maridith W. Geuder at (662) 325-3442.
WEST POINT/COLUMBUS/TUPELO EDITORS Col. Slay is the daughter of Mary Walker and the late L.W. Walker of West Point.