Photo by Bonnie Heater Accomplished women Judge Sheryl Jolly, (left), Author Debra Williamson, and Mary Hammond, president of the Fort Gordon Chapter of the Federally Employed Women, (right), meet briefly before the Oct. 13 program at the Gordon Club. Jolly and Williamson were keynote speakers for the event. Hammond was recently appointed as special assistant to the national FEW president for military women. The retired colonel is the deputy director/chief of Training Support Division for the Fort Gordon School of Information Technology. Federally Employed Women, a worldwide organization with a membership of more than 4,000, recently appointed a Fort Gordon woman to one of its national offices.

Mary Hammond, the deputy director/chief of Training Support Division for the School of Information Technology at Fort Gordon, is the newly appointed special assistant to the national FEW president for military women. Her primary mission is to attract more military women from all services, active and reserve, to use and view the FEW as a resource for training and networking.

The Gilbertson, Pa., native enlisted in the United States Army in March 1973 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1974. While on active duty, she commanded at the platoon level in the capacity of company commander, battalion commander and systems manager for satellite communications for the Army.She also served as an assignment officer, a Department of the Army staff officer, brigade logistics officer, speech writer for the director of Defense Information System Agency; and Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps instructor. She retired from active duty as a colonel in 2001.

The Evans, Ga., resident holds a bachelor’s of science degree in education from Kutztown State University in Pennsylvania; a master’s degree in business administration from Mount Saint Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Md.; and a master’s of science degree in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, DC.

Now in her second term as president of the local Garden City Chapter of FEW at Fort Gordon she has been instrumental in revitalizing the chapter through energetic and educational programs. Hammond says that chapter members are the key to successful programs. As a group, they have helped bring to the post interesting speakers to include: Sandra Wimberly, an Augusta public health educator, to talk about the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and its trends in the local area; Sheryl Jolly, a judge in the Judicial Circuit Court of Augusta, and Helen Blocker-Adams, a chief executive officer and talk show host. The chapter members are also successful raising money for charitable organizations such as Safe Homes of Augusta, Christmas House, and Fisher House through the annual FEW Christmas Auction. Brig. Gen. Jennifer Napper, the 7th Signal Command (Theater) commanding general, will serve as auctioneer for this year’s event which will be held at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 8 in the Victoria Room of the Gordon Club.The community fundraiser is open to everyone.

FEW is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1968 after the issuance of Executive Order 11375 that added “sex” to the prohibited discriminations within the federal government. It works to end sex discrimination and towards the advancement of women in federal service by:

· encouraging diversity and equity in the workplace

· enhancing career opportunities

· establishing and maintaining relationship with organizations to advocate the fair application of laws, policies, procedures and practices

· improving the quality of life for women by influencing legislative actions

· committing to maintain a unified and diverse membership and

· providing opportunities for professional growth.

Membership in the organization is open to all Federal employees, military and civilian, active and retired, men and women, as well as anyone supporting FEW’s goals. For more information about the organization visit the Web site:

www.few.org or call Mary Hammond, president of the Fort Gordon Chapter of FEW, at (706) 791-7913.