loretta reynolds
Retired Lt. General; Corporate Board Member | Pasadena, Maryland
Loretta Reynolds serves on key advisory boards for major organizations and corporations, including the American Public University System, U.S. Bancorp, and Lynk Global, Inc. Her resume, however, is unlike her colleagues’ on these or any other boards.
During her illustrious 35-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, Reynolds became only the third woman to achieve the rank of Lieutenant General and was, for a time, the highest-ranking woman in the entire Corps. Her military service included roles as Marine Corps Forces Strategic Command, Marine Corps Cyberspace Command, and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.
Reynolds was the first woman to command Parris Island, a distinction that resonates with many Marines. However, in an interview with the Marine Corps Association, Reynolds was quick to point out that the Marines were not seeking out a woman for the post.
“It’s not that the Marine Corps was deliberate about it. It just happened. And finally, we had gotten to the point where it just happened.”
Her outstanding record, including commanding 9th Communications Battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq from February 2004 to March 2005, was the reason it “just happened.”
“And to me that’s a first for the Marine Corps, not for me. It wasn’t a result of anything else but the Marine Corps evolving.”
The youngest of five children and a graduate of an all-girls Catholic high school, Reynolds enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982 and was one of only two women from her class to join the Marine Corps.
“My granddad was a Vietnam Marine,” she said. “He was an explosive ordnance technician. He had stories about meeting John Wayne at the runway in Da Nang.”
Her family would visit her grandfather in North Carolina where he lived after he retired from Camp Lejeune. “That’s how I came to understand what the Marine Corps was all about—through him.”
As Reynolds reflected on her service and post-military career, she is drawn back to her days starting out in a very male-dominated field.
“Every Marine comes in and thinks ‘Will I ever be that good? Can I earn it?’ You earn the title every day,” she explained. “But for a woman I think it’s even harder because you say ‘OK, I don’t want to be an impostor. I don’t want to run around and just wear the title that somebody else earned!’ But like every Marine, they get to the point where the light goes on.”
dario dibattista
Director, Military and Veterans Center, Townson University | Baltimore, Maryland
From 2001 to 2007, Dario DiBattista served in the Marine Corps and was one of the Civil Affairs Marines responsible for rebuilding Iraq.
DiBattista described his mission as “the most on-the-ground version of nation-building in combat zones and other international places.” In Al Fallujah, for example, DiBattista’s roles included escorting humanitarian convoys into the war-torn city, covertly working to resupply hospitals, and scouring sights for potential displaced civilian camps.
“After the Marines, I was a directionless and discouraged young person who didn't really have a plan,” he explained. “I went to school because I thought that was what one was supposed to do. And because I needed a place to live while at school and wanted to recapture the college experience I didn't get as an 18-year-old who joined the military, I became a resident assistant.”
Since leaving active duty, DiBattista has focused on academia and writing after receiving his master’s from John Hopkins University’s distinguished writing program. His work has appeared in the Washingtonian, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, Connecticut Review, Mic.com, and many other publications. Additionally, he's been profiled in the New York Times and has been a commentator for NPR, SiriusXM, and the BBC.
In 2016, DiBattista was the editor of the anthology, “Retire the Colors: Veterans & Civilians on Iraq & Afghanistan.” The book features 19 thought-provoking stories by veterans and civilians considering the residual effects of Iraq and Afghanistan, such as a pacifist describing her decision to accompany her husband, an Iraq veteran, to the shooting range, and a hospital worker in Mosul talking about what happened on a hunting trip back home with his grandfather.
In 2019, DiBattista took on a new role – director for the Military and Veterans Center at Towson University, and it’s been one that has meant a lot to him.
“The transition from military to civilian life can be incredibly hard, and I like blending my experiences as a student affairs professional and veteran to inspire, impact, and advocate for our military-affiliated students on that journey now,” he said.
One of the original instructors and team members of the Veterans Writing Project, DiBattista teaches weekly creative workshops for veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injury at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.