Stephanie Richard joined the Connecticut National Guard more than three decades ago for the education benefits. Since then, she has climbed the ranks, deployed multiple times and, most recently, became the state’s first female command chief warrant officer.
“All the hard work and hours and sacrifices, it just really paid off,” said Richard, now a chief warrant officer 4. “And I feel like it was being recognized — my experience and my job performance through the years [that] brought me to this place.”
In November, the Connecticut Army National Guard held its change of responsibility ceremony at the Gov. William A. O’Neill Armory, where Richard ceremoniously assumed her new role. Chief Warrant Officer 5 Brian Erkson, the previous command chief warrant officer, retired.
Maj. Gen. Francis J. Evon Jr., Connecticut National Guard adjutant general, said in a statement to Reserve + National Guard Magazine that Richard brings a “wealth of experience, dedication and leadership” to her new role.
“Her proven ability to mentor and inspire others, combined with her deep understanding of both operational and strategic needs, makes her exceptionally qualified to lead our Warrant Officer Corps into the future,” he said. “I am confident she will excel in this position and continue to strengthen our organization as we face the challenges ahead.”
Balancing demands and making the mission
Richard said she was a single mother for “probably 90%” of her career, balancing the “demands of the mission” with taking care of her child.
“My parents were super supportive through all of this,” Richard said. “I relied on them to help out so I could make the mission and make sure I’m doing what I can [for my unit].”
She deployed to Iraq in 2006 with Headquarters, 192nd Engineer Battalion, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and has supported federal and state missions for the Global War on Terror, natural disaster relief efforts and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While in Iraq, Richard was part of MNCI, or joint operations, and was involved with ensuring missions had enough personnel and tracking service member locations.
“Everybody has their wheelhouse and their expertise, and you have to figure out how it all blends together,” she said of the deployment. “It doesn’t matter what job skill that you have, you have a foot in the mission. I don’t care if you’re an engineer officer or a food cook, you are just as important in this mission. And just to see soldiers go through what they do, challenges and how they persevere through it is just inspiring. There’s just so many strong people out there.”
Making history
In her new role, Richard will serve as the adjutant general’s subject matter expert and adviser for issues related to recruitment, professional development and other issues pertaining to the “warrant officer cohort,” according to a news release.
Richard said the leaders who came before her “paved a good path” and that she applauded the “critical programs” they put in place.
“Warrant officers are your technical experts and basically your problem solvers of the Guard,” she said. “So I want to make sure that I foster open communications and collaborations at every level. When issues come up, make sure that innovation is really key. In this generation, well in any generation, innovation is key for modernizing our forces. We have to be on top of technological aspects of everything.”
A key piece of advice Richard can offer to fellow guardsmen looking to climb the ranks is to not underestimate themselves.
“All the hard work and hours and sacrifices, it just really paid off,” Chief Warrant Officer 4 Stephanie Richard
“You have to make sure that you persevere through all the challenges and that you’re really believing in yourself,” she said.
That includes taking the “hard positions that come up,” according to Richard, who did just that when she applied for a health service role.
“That really put me in a position where I grew professionally from that,” she said.
There were so many women she worked for along the way who Richard said paved the way for her and became mentors. And that’s a role she hopes to take on as well.
“I hope I can continue that legacy,” Richard said, “showing others it’s possible with determination and hard work.”
Accolades:
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service medal (with one bronze oak leaf cluster)
Army Commendation Medal (with one silver and one bronze oak leaf cluster)
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