[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 187 (Friday, December 2, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING ANTOINETTE GANT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, December 2, 2022

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
trailblazer, the first female promoted to Brigadier General (BG) in the 
United States Army, Colonel Antoinette `Toni' Gant.
  Antoinette Gant is the first African American female to serve as a 
division commander in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and will be the 
first AA Female (active duty) to reach the rank of Brigadier General in 
the history of the Engineer Regiment.
  Gant was pinned on October 28, 2022. She is the fourth female HBCU 
graduate to achieve Brigadier General rank. Colonel Gant became the 
Commander and Division Engineer of South Pacific Division (SPD), U.S. 
Army Corps Engineers on July 9, 2021. In this position, she was 
responsible for leading a workforce of more than 2,500 military and 
civilians, overseeing hundreds of water resource development, military, 
and interagency design and construction projects valued at more than 
$16 billion in support of our communities, our Nation, and our 
warfighters.
  Gant, a native of Port Gibson, Mississippi, graduated from Prairie 
View A&M University in Texas as a Distinguished Military Graduate with 
a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a commission in the 
Engineer Regiment. She holds a Master of Science in Engineer Management 
from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri, 
and a Master of Science in national resource strategy from the Dwight 
D. Eisenhower Extension School, National Defense University, in 
Washington, D.C. She is a certified Project Management Professional. 
She has served in a variety of command and staff positions for 
engineering units stateside and abroad. She is a mother of two and 
married to Leonard Gant, who is a Middle School Math Educator.
  A strong advocate for STEM, Gant has worked to develop partnerships 
with agencies and organizations to promote science, technology, 
engineering, and math initiatives. She has received several national 
and community awards, some including: 2021 Black Engineer of the Year 
Conference Awards (BEYA) Army Stars and Strips Award recipient, the 
2020 Women of Color Career Achievement in Government Award, the YWCA 
Women on the Move Award and many more.
  Gant is an initiate of the Zeta Gamma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha 
Sorority, Inc. at PVAMU. Her military awards and decorations include 
many, the Legion of Merit (2), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, 
Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (7) and many more.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mrs. 
Antoinette Gant as the first African American female to serve as a 
Division Commander in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

                          ____________________