Rear Admiral Sandy Adams USN (Ret)

Last Name: Adams

First Name: Sandra

Middle Name: Elizabeth

Nickname: Sandy

 Medals: Legion of Merit (2) 

Rank: Rear Admiral (Lower Half)

 Service/Department: U.S. Navy

 Last or Significant Assignment: Deputy Commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command

 Areas of Experience: Afghanistan, Reserve Mobilization, Active/Reserve operational integration, Women in the Military, LGBTQ and the Military, Civilian Defense Contracting

Rear Admiral Sandy Adams grew up in Michigan, and graduated from Michigan State University in 1978. She received her commission in 1981 from Officer Candidate School as a Surface Warfare Officer, within 4 years of the Navy allowing women to do so.  She also earned her Master of Arts from the Naval War College in National Security and Strategic Studies.  Admiral Adams earned designation as a Full Joint Qualified officer and is a CAPSTONE Graduate.

 Over her 34 years in the United States Navy, Admiral Adams served on active duty and in the reserves, forward deployed to the Mediterranean on her first ship during the Cold War, to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield and Storm, and to Afghanistan as a NATO advisor to an Afghan National Army Minister of Defense.

 She served in numerous Navy and Joint tours in the Pacific theater as well as at the Pentagon Navy Command Center and Joint Forces Command.  She commanded 5 Navy Reserve units including one designated Command Ashore.

 Her first flag assignment was as the Reserve Deputy Commander, Navy Region Midwest.  She then served for 3 years as the Deputy Commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command during a time of significant change until her retirement in 2015.

 Admiral Adams was the first Navy Flag Officer to marry a same-sex spouse after the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policies. 

 As a civilian, Sandy Adams retired from one of the top 4 Defense Contracting companies as a Supply Chain Director.  Earlier in her career she had international executive roles leading manufacturing and supply chain organizations for automotive and high-speed manufacturing companies and also worked before then in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

 Admiral Adams volunteers is an ambassador for the Military Women’s Memorial and serves on the Chairman’s Flag Council for the Museum of the Surface Navy.