Minnesota National Guard’s First Female General Officer Retires

(KNSI) — The Minnesota National Guard’s first female general officer is retiring after more than 38 years of service.

Air Force Brig Gen. Sandy Best, the Minnesota National Guard’s Assistant Adjutant General, says her greatest accomplishment in her career is “paving the way for all that follow and helping Airmen, Soldiers, and civilian employees achieve their dreams.”

According to a press release from the National Guard, Best is culminating her career serving as the assistant adjutant general and even served as interim adjutant general in 2020 – another first. Additionally, she served as the special assistant to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, advising and assisting leaders across the 54 states and territories in institutionalizing diversity and inclusion to attract, recruit, and retain a quality, inclusive, and equitable workforce that enabled National Guard formations to reflect the communities in which Guard members serve across the country.

The Minnesota National Guard has increased its gender diversity, with females representing 16.2 percent of the force in 2011 to 21.4 percent in 2022. Since February 2016, when Best was promoted to brigadier general, two more females have attained the rank of a general officer within
the Minnesota Guard, the press release says.

Army Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, the Minnesota National Guard’s Adjutant General, says Best “is the first woman to be promoted to the rank of general in the Minnesota National Guard since its inception in 1856, yet she did not use this recognition to hinder service members; instead, she used her position to lift up the women and men in this organization.”

As part of a leadership team, Best oversaw the development of the Women’s Leadership Forum, which provides education, mentorship, and networking opportunities for the women in the Minnesota National Guard’s formation and those who support them. The forum has become a model program for other states.

“Sandy has positively impacted our organization and its citizen Soldiers and Airmen throughout her more than 38 years of dedicated service to the Minnesota National Guard,” said Manke. “This impact will have a ripple effect for years to come due to the leadership qualities she exemplifies and her influence on establishing programs during her tenure.”

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