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NRF Welcomes Nadja West

December 6, 2019  |  Nadja West, NRF, trustee
Nadja West
LTG Nadja West

NRF Welcomes Lt. General Nadja Y. West (US Army, Ret.) as a New Trustee

LTG West joined the NRF Board of Trustees in November, bringing valuable medical and military expertise to the Board. LTG West was the 44th Surgeon General of the United States Army and Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command. She is the first black female lieutenant general and the highest-ranking woman to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy.

West became the first black surgeon general of the U.S. Army in 2015. In 2013, West was also the first black female major general of the Army's active component, and was Army Medicine's first African-American female two-star general. West is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. She attended the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., where she earned a Doctorate of Medicine degree. She completed her internship and residency in Family Medicine at Martin Army Hospital, Fort Benning, GA and she was deployed for service during Operation Desert Shield. LTG West has served proudly in leadership positions around the world during her career and has earned numerous commendations, including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with three Oak Leaf Clusters and the Combat Medical Badge. 

LTG West will represent the Mid-Atlantic region on NRF's board, as she lives in the Washington, D.C. area. She had these words about becoming an NRF trustee:

"It is such an honor to join the Board of Trustees of the NRF, an organization that has been dedicated to service and improving the well-being of others through recreation since its inception.  As an Army Veteran, knowing that the forerunner of the NRF had the mission of providing comfort and recreation to our Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines as they were preparing to deploy overseas during World War I, makes it all the more meaningful. I look forward to working with my fellow trustees to continue enhancing the role of recreation as a positive force in improving the quality of life of our youth."

Welcome aboard, LTG West!