Ann E. Dunwoody made history in 2008, after 33 years in the army, by being the first female Four-Star General. Dunwoody comes from a family of military men dating back to the 1800s. Her father is a decorated veteran of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. Her husband, Craig Brotchie, served for 26 years in the Air Force. In June, 1976 a year after graduating from the State University of New York, Dunwoody received her Army commission. Her first assignment was at Fort Sill. She later served in Germany and Saudi Arabia. After graduating from the Command and General Staff College in 1987, she was assigned to Fort Bragg, NC, where she became the 82nd Airborne Division's first female Battalion Commander.

Admiral Grace Hopper was often referred to as the first woman Admiral in the Navy. Hopper retired from the Naval Reserve with the rank of Commander at the end of 1966. She was recalled to active duty for six months in 1967, but her orders were changed to say she was needed indefinitely. In 1977, she was appointed Special Advisor to Commander, Naval Data Automation Command (NAVDAC) until she retired in 1986, at the age of eighty. In 1983, a bill was introduced and was approved by the House to promote Captain Hopper to Commodore by a special Presidential appointment at the age of 76. Her rank was elevated to Rear Admiral in November 1985.

Rear Admiral Fran McKee, who joined the Navy in 1959, was the first female selected for the post of Flag Officer in 1976. She was promoted to Admiral and later to Rear Admiral. Her promotion marked the second time a woman had been made Admiral. McKee graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in chemistry. She entered the Navy after her undergraduate studies, as U.S. troops were being deployed to the Korean War. Later, she received a Master's Degree in International Affairs from George Washington University. Admiral McKee retired from active duty in 1981 as Director of Human Resources Management in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington.

Lieutenant General Carol A. Mutter was the most senior woman officer and the first woman to receive the rank of Lieutenant General in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1996. In addition to holding a B.A. degree in Mathematics Education and an honorary doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado, General Mutter has a M.A. degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College at Newport, RI. In 1988, she joined the United States Space Command, J-3 (Operations) Directorate in Colorado Springs becoming the first woman to gain qualification as a Space Director. Mutter became the Division Chief responsible for the operation of the Space Command Commander in Chief's Command Center. She retired from the Marine Corps on January 1, 1999.

Vice Admiral A. Patricia Tracey was the first woman in the U.S. Navy to achieve the rank of Vice Admiral, as well as being the senior ranking woman officer in the U.S. military service. Tracey received a BA degree in Mathematics, completed Women's Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an Ensign in 1970. She earned a M.A. degree, with distinction, in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School in CA. In 1996, Tracey was nominated for appointment to the grade of Vice Admiral and assigned as Chief of Naval Education and Training. She later became Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. In 2001, Tracey was assigned as Director, Navy Staff, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. She retired in 2004.

Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy was the first woman in the Army and the third in the U.S. military to earn the rank of Three-Star General in 1997. She is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College. She assumed the position of Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Headquarters, Department of the Army in 1997. Her assignments include: Commander, 3d Operations Battalion, U.S. Army Field Station Augsburg, Germany; Commander, 703d Military Intelligence Brigade and Field Station Kunia, Hawaii. Kennedy is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. She retired in 2005 after serving for 32 years.

Lieutenant General Leslie F. Kenne, U.S. Air Force, was promoted to the rank of Three-Star General in 1999. Kenne entered the Air Force in 1971 as a distinguished graduate of Auburn University's ROTC program. With a brilliant military career, she served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Warfighting Integration, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, in Washington, D.C. She was responsible to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff.  Kenne also provided guidance and direction to four field operating agencies: the Air Force Command and Control & Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center; the Air Force Communications Agency; the Air Force Frequency Management Agency; and the Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation.

Rear Admiral Vivien S. Crea was the first woman promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral in 2006, the second highest position in the U.S. Coast Guard. As second in command of one of the United States Armed Forces, she is the highest ranking woman in the history of the U. S. Military. She was the first woman from any service to serve as the Presidential Military Aide and carried the nuclear football for President Ronald Reagan for three years. Crea assumed command of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area. The post of Operational Commander for all Coast Guard activities covered 14 million square miles and involved 33,000 military and civilian employees and 30,000 auxiliarists. She served concurrently as Commander, Coast Guard Defense Force East.

Brigadier General Clara Adams-Ender was the 18th Chief of the Army Nurse Corps and served in that position from 1987 to 1991. She joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in 1961. Adams-Ender rose from a staff nurse in the Army Nurse Corps to become the Chief Executive Officer for 22,000 nurses, a Brigadier General and Director of Personnel for the Army Surgeon General. After training a generation of Army nurses, she was named Vice-President of Nursing at the prestigious Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the largest health care facility in the Department of Defense. She retired in 1993 after having served more than 30 years.

Brigadier General Angie Salinas was one of only six women in U.S. Marine Corps history to achieve the rank of General, and the only one of Latino descent. She began her military career at Parris Island, SC in 1974. In 1980, she was assigned to Woman Recruit Training Command, where she served as a Series Commander, Executive Officer and Battalion Operations Officer. Salinas was relocated to Marine headquarters in Quantico, VA, as Director of Personnel Management, responsible for positioning 202,000 Marines around the globe. She earned an MA degree from the Naval War College and is a graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School and the Naval War College’s Command and Staff College.

Patricia Riley, Founder and CEO of Clientele, was the only woman to receive one of  Northwood University’s Outstanding Business Leaders 2009 Awards.

Alison Woo, Lena Claxton, Nicolina A. Stewart and Jena Gardner were named to the Enterprising Women Magazine’s National Advisory Board.

Jeri Ward, General Manager Marketing/Strategy at Audi of America, LLC, was named to Women to Watch in 2009.

Lisa Pierce, Alpha & Omega Couriers and Delivery Services, Inc., received the 2009 National NAWBO Businesswoman of the Year Award.

Joanne DiFrancesco, Founder and President of JDCommunications, Inc, was recognized as one of the "10 Top PR Specialists" for 2009, an honor presented annually by a Massachusetts’ Women's Business publication.

Cokie Roberts, political commentator for ABC News, senior news analyst for NPR News, and bestselling author, will be the recipient of the 2009 WNBA Inspiration Award.

Shaunna Black, Patricia Peiser, Betty Regard, Roslyn Dawson Thompson and Nina Vaca received the 2009 Maura Women Helping Women Award.

Timothy C. Flanagan, Jr., CLU, ChFC, CFP® and general agent, announced his agency, Hinrichs Flanagan Financial, has been ranked eighth on Business Leader Media’s list of “Top 100 Small Businesses in North Carolina.”