<<<Back to Table of Contents
As Commander, Texas Army National Guard and Assistant Adjutant General for Army, (an appointment from the Texas Governor), Stevens is the highest-ranking woman in Texas military history.
Lighthearted, long-limbed and with an unabashed love of pink, Brigadier General Joyce L. Stevens makes a habit of bursting barriers and smashing stereotypes. Despite having no intention of becoming a commissioned officer when she enlisted in the Idaho National Guard in 1979, by 2006, she was the first woman promoted to General in the Texas Army National Guard. Then, in March 2009, Stevens became the highest-ranking woman in Texas military history. The 49-year-old’s new job as Commander of the Texas Army National Guard brings responsibility for 19,000 soldiers, 119 armories (including Austin’s Camp Mabry) and an official appointment from Texas Governor Rick Perry as Assistant Adjutant General for Army.
A reluctant desk jockey, one of the biggest challenges for Stevens as she’s progressed up the ranks is getting further away from day-to-day soldiering. “I’m a people person, I’m a soldier person. That’s how I recharge my batteries,” she explains in her Camp Mabry office. “But, as the boss, I can go visit soldiers, so I somewhat make up for it,” she adds with one of her frequent smiles.
Given today’s tempo of military operations, Stevens has ample opportunities to visit. Every week she makes trips to see troops being trained, deployed or re-deployed. Given her duties as Commander, her own battlefield redeployment is now unlikely, which she regrets. “There’s a lot of pride in being able to say that I’m a soldier and I have deployed,” she admits. “That’s what we train for.” She’s proud she put that training into practice in 2006, when she deployed to combat in Afghanistan. The unit she commanded was responsible for the management and security of Bagram Airfield. Surrounded by the Hindu Kush Mountains, mile-high Bagram is the largest U.S. base in the region. During her 12-month tour of duty, Stevens was also responsible for security and reconstruction projects in the adjacent Kapisa, Parwan and Panjshir provinces.
Her tour coincided with the publication in a Danish newspaper of cartoons portraying the prophet Muhammad, which evoked a worldwide Islamic storm, including protests at Bagram. Although she says times were relatively peaceful during her deployment, she also has stories of rocket attacks, IEDs and quelling the local Taliban. With a job that has a high inherent risk, how does she cope with fear? At some point, she says, everyone is afraid, including herself; and fear is not a bad thing. “If you’re not afraid, you’re more dangerous because you’re going to be taking risks with your own life, and putting others around you in jeopardy.” Two things help control the fear: “Your training, because you really feel you know how to react; and confidence in the people around you. It helps to know your team is there to back you up.”
Despite the emphasis the Army has put on opening up jobs (98% of positions are now open to women, says Stevens), the male-female imbalance is slow to correct, so she still often finds herself the only woman in the conference room. Stevens has never felt hindered by her gender during her career progression. “I always tried to be part of the team, to not make it a big deal that I was a woman.” However, given her accomplishments, it was inevitable that she would attract attention. Becoming a role model caught her off guard. “When I first got promoted to general officer, I was really surprised, and concerned, by the reaction.” She questioned whether she would be able to meet the scrutiny and people’s expectations as a role model. Then her native Midwest common sense took over and helped her realize that she was bringing a lot of pressure on herself. Her solution? “You just have to not take yourself so seriously,” she says.
Scrutiny was something she had little chance of avoiding during her time in Afghanistan, due to her visibility as a female in a position of authority. (To say nothing of being 5’ 10” and having uncovered fair hair and blue eyes.) While she relied heavily on her interpreter to navigate her through a figurative minefield of customs, parlance and patriarchy, she also applied lessons learned originally from her mother. “I treated the people with respect, and did what I’d promised to do. Then you establish a relationship where they could trust and believe in you,” explains Stevens.
Her mother, a World War II Rosie the Riveter who left Minnesota to take her place in the work force on an airbase in San Diego, continues to be a role model for Stevens. “She said always do more than you’re asked to do, do it the best you can, and better than the people around you.” Throughout her career, the goal-driven Stevens has combined her mother’s work ethic with advice from her own Army mentors. She has sought out the recognition brought by “blame line” jobs. “If something goes bad, it’s because of you. If it goes good, it’s because of you.” She encourages anyone who wants to succeed, be it in a military or civilian career, to “seek out those hard career-building jobs to get where you’re going; and don’t leave things to chance. Talk to your supervisors so they know.”
Communication is a key part of leadership, says Stevens. However, being a great communicator takes hard work. “Some people think if you can talk well, then you’re a great communicator.” However, it’s as much about listening she says. “Not just hearing the words, but listening to the meaning behind the words.” As a senior executive, Stevens has also learned the skill of tough communication; disciplining a subordinate, for example. It takes practice and preparation, she says. And again she remembers what her mother told her: “Have manners and try to respect people, so you do it in a way not to demean, nor hurt morale.” Stevens has a motto: “‘If they work for you, you work for them.’ That sums up what it’s all about, especially in my job.”
At 19, Joy Stevens was just another small town teenager signing her life over to the Army for six years in exchange for some college money, a skill and the chance to see something of the world. Thirty years later, Stevens has more than met those goals. Yet, despite her lofty achievements, she never forgets that at heart she is still simply a soldier.
Off Duty: Brigadier Generals Are Human Too
Last book read:
Something business-related from audible.com. I have to read so much for my job, I just got a Kindle. It even reads to you.
Where’s home?
I’m a geographic bachelor. My husband James lives in our home in Tomball, TX; and I have quarters – a neat two-bedroom apartment – here at Camp Mabry. I go home on weekends.
Favorite dessert:
Dark chocolate. I buy the mini bars and eat half at a time.
Secret TV obsession:
Boston Legal. Alan Shore is my hero.
Movies?
I love chick flicks, and my all-time favorite is Agnes Brown.
Shopping:
I can spend hours in a jewelry store. But only looking.
Travel:
We love cruises. Last year we flew to Rome, and cruised the Mediterranean. I grew up in small town Idaho, and envied the travel my parents and older sister did during Dad’s Navy career. Did I say? He was a veteran of Pearl Harbor.
Most expensive pair of shoes?
I buy my shoes at Payless!
What can’t you live without?
My husband and my faith.