When the draft ended in 1973, women represented just two percent of the enlisted forces and eight percent of the officer corps. Today, those numbers are 16 percent and 19 percent, respectively, a significant increase over the past half century.
Council on Foreign Affairs, Demographics of the U.S. Military, July 2020
Veterans Day - November 11th
Honoring Women in the Military
Thank you for your service to our country.
Colonel Allison
(Del Grande) Galford '94

Director of Intelligence Air Force Life Cycle Management Center

Allison leads a team of 130+ analysts and engineers at six
locations providing Intelligence,
Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) analysis, and support for developing and sustaining war fighting systems.
Margaret (Ewers)
DiPietra '97

Margaret was an active Navy helicopter pilot for nine years (2001-2010) after graduating from the US Naval Academy. She currently works for a management consulting firm in Arlington, VA.
Mariel (Cortes) Young '11

SPC (Specialist), Multichannel Transmission Operator and Maintainer

Mariel is currently in graduate school at A.T. Still University in MO completing her Doctorate in Audiology. Upon graduation, she will commission as a medical officer into Army medicine.
Grace Layugan '04

Hospital Corpsman, Second Class Petty Officer, US Navy

Grace will graduate from Florida State College this December as a Registered Nurse and head back to CA to join the First Marine Division at Camp Pendleton.

She is known as 'The Singing Doctor' and recently was selected as a Top 4 finalist for the local tv station in FL, "So You Say You Can Sing'. Congrats Grace!
Shannon (Hamilton) Kopplin '87

Deputy Chief Counsel, Senate Select Committee on Ethics

Shannon is retiring from the US Navy after 26+ years in service. In her new civil role as Deputy Chief Counsel, she and her legal staff will oversee all allegations of improper conduct by Members of the Senate or Senate staff and recommend disciplinary action; recommend additional Senate rules or regulations to insure proper standards of conduct; and report any violations of law to the proper federal and state authorities.
Megan Harkins '94

Propulsion, Structures and Manufacturing Branch Chief in
Material & Manufacturing, Air Force Research Lab Directorate

Megan leads a team of 30 engineers, scientists, and program managers to establish and improve the manufacturing enterprise for affordable, timely, and quality production of AF and DoD weapon systems at Wright Patterson AFB in OH.
Jessica Wise '95

Deputy Division Director for Department of the Navy Tort Claims and Tort Litigation, Office of Judge Advocate General

Jessica is responsible for the administration and supervision of claims functions within the Department of the Navy (DON). She also serves as the Head, Affirmative and Personnel Claims Branch where she provides management and operational oversight to subordinate and geographically diverse units, located in VA, CA and FL. 

She had the honor of serving under CAPT Shannon Kopplin '87, prior to her retirement from the US Navy, so that she could take on an extraordinary opportunity to serve in an even greater, more prestigious role.

Marnie Sheehan Carter '88

Staff Sergeant

Marnie began her military career as an Accounting Supply Specialist with the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Regiment, Third Battalion at Ft. Dix, NJ. During her undergraduate studies at the University of San Francisco, she was stationed at the Presidio where she analyzed statistical data, reported trends and led military operational initiatives. Marnie was tasked with training Reserve Unit soldiers during Desert Shield/Desert Storm before retirement as a Staff Sergeant.

Marnie is Director of Northern California West Coast Elite Under Armour (WCEUA) Girls Basketball. She and her husband, Coach Stephen Carter (DLS Basketball) currently lead Team Carter with focus on faith, family and fun. Along with their five children, Sebastian (DLS '10) Chelsea, Brock, Christian (DLS '21) and Cebrián (DLS '22). Team Carter celebrates Carondelet's acknowledgment in honoring women who currently serve or who have served in the United States Armed Forces. 
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT, DEDICATION AND SACRIFICE FOR OUR COUNTRY!
Anita Gorecki '88

Associate General Counsel,
Department of Defense

Anita began her career as an Army JAG officer, where she served for six years, prosecuting crimes as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in Federal Court and defending Soldiers as part of the Trial Defense Service.
After moving to the Northern Virginia/D.C. area, she worked as an Associate General Counsel with the Department of Defense, Office of General Counsel, providing legal advice on national security matters.

Anita has been practicing law for 19 years and is in private practice as a US Military Justice Lawyer. She is called upon by the media (newspapers, on-line publications and TV) to discuss military legal issues in Washington, DC.
Alexi (Jonopulos) Cuca '95

Liaison, US Navy Office of Legislative Affairs

Alexi began her career after graduating from the Naval Academy in 2000. Over the last twenty years, she has had amazing opportunities, such as serving on four nuclear powered carrier deployments, attending the Naval Postgraduate School and was assigned as an Assistant Naval Attaché to the US Embassy in Greece.

She is currently a portfolio manager for the Navy advising leadership on Congressional items of interest and serves as Navy representative to Congressional members, staffs, and committees.  

In addition to providing information to Congress, her duties include arranging Congressional engagements, Congressional visits, and presenting Navy programs to the President's budget request.
Dina (Frisella) Zumwalt '96

Surface Warfare Officer, US Navy

After graduating from the US Naval Academy in 2001, Dina served as a Surface Warfare Officer driving warships in the United States Navy for over six years, including two deployments to the Middle East.  

She is currently the Director of Proposal Development for Epsilon Systems Solutions, specializing in U.S. Navy ship repair and maintenance, in San Diego, CA.  Her husband Joe, a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marines Corps, recently returned from a nine month deployment to Afghanistan. They have three wonderful boys (11, 8, and 3 years).
Lauraleen O'Connor

Chief, Environmental Requirements (NPOESS), US Air Force

After graduating from SF State in 1976, the Air Force sent me to University of Utah for BS in meteorology, and later an MS in Atmospheric Physics from Colorado State, Class of 1984. 

In July 1980, I started my first real job in the Air Force, at a Weather Station. I was in a Combat position assigned to support combat Army Aviation in Germany. I was the first female in that position. The Army wanted me re-assigned but I stayed and became the first female to win Air Force Junior Officer of the Year for my accomplishments in that job.

In January 1994, I was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force for Space Systems, I worked on various classified projects. One of my assignments was to perform the analysis of all the alternative landing sites for the first Space Shuttle missions. Unfortunately, I was watching live when the Challenger disaster occurred.
I did not know those astronauts but some co-workers did, and they were watching too. Terrible day.

In my final assignment, as Chief of Environmental Requirements for the National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite Program (NPOESS), I developed user observing requirements for future weather satellites and worked with the NASA weather team for the Columbia Disaster. Another terrible day.

I retired in 2000 after 21+ years in service. Reflecting back, my career doesn’t seem real now that I am a regular meteorologist working contractor support at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). I am still working weather requirement needs for future weather satellites.
Abbigale ‘Abbi’ Young ‘18

Midshipman, US Naval Academy


Abbi is currently a Midshipman at the United States Naval Academy and in her Junior year. She is also a goalie on the women's lacrosse team that participates in the Patriot League. She is a Political Science major and will graduate with a Bachelors in Math and Science, Political Science.

After graduation she hopes to be an Intelligence Officer and get stationed on the West Coast (She miss my home coast very much) or be involved in our government as a military liaison in D.C.

I was thrilled to see Carondelet Honoring Women in the Military and I definitely would love to say to all the alumnae community who are either active duty or retired - I will be forever grateful for their sacrifice and service to our country. Carondelet will always hold a special place in my heart and honestly made me into the woman I am today.