Nov. 2 — In Honor of ‘Women in the Military’ Theme, Eileen McDargh, CEO of The Resiliency Group, to Present ‘Mama Was A Wasp’ at 23nd Annual Military Ball Presented by Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation

Attendees at the 2019 Military Ball will have an opportunity to hear from Eileen McDargh, a master facilitator, award-winning author, and internationally recognized presenter and executive coach. In keeping with this year’s theme of “Women in the Military,” She will present “Mama Was a Wasp.” This is a look back into the untold story how 1,176 women flew for the military in WWII. Her mother, Mary Reinberg Burchard, was one of three women in med school in the 1930s; and served as a test pilot. She loved adventure travel as a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, WASPS, who flew every kind of airplane manufactured in the United States. The female pilots were considered “civilians” lacking military honor and benefits. They were finally recognized on March 9, 2010 with the Presidential Gold Medal, long after it was due.

According to the Service Women’s Action Network’s 2019 report on Women in the Military: Where They Stand,    “Since the end of the draft (conscription) in 1973, the percentage of active duty troops who are women has increased dramatically from 1.6 percent in 1973 to 16.3 percent as of February 2018. Today over 210,000 women serve on active duty in the military services of the Department of Defense (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force), and another 5,955 serve in the Active Coast Guard—part of the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime. About 19 percent of military women are officers while about 17.3 percent of military men are officers. A major trend with respect to women officers is the increasing number who are serving in their services’ mainstream combat occupations. These include pilots, navigators, and other aircrew in all services, surface, and submarine warfare in the Navy, and long-range air defense in the Army. Women now command Air Wings and Naval Fleets, as well as combatant vessels, long-range artillery battalions, air squadrons, and carrier strike groups. Women aviators, surface warfare officers, and long-range field artillery officers have been promoted to flag and general officer—a few have attained four-star rank. As women progress through the ranks in recently-opened ground combat units and occupations, we can expect them to reach command positions in platoons, companies, battalions, and brigades, right up through general officer ranks.”

Ms. McDargh is founder and CEO of the consulting firm, The Resiliency Group (a division of McDargh Communications). Organizations like Cisco, Novartis, Oracle, and Procter & Gamble hire her firm to teach them ways of building resilient leadership teams and workplaces. Before starting her own consultancy, Eileen was the Director of Communications for a national healthcare company, served as senior manager on a U.S. Navy installation project, and taught school in Nassau County, Florida, where she was elected “Educator of the Year.”

Since 1980, Eileen has helped organizations and individuals transform the life of their business and the business of their life through conversations that matter and connections that count. Her programs are content rich, interactive, provocative and playful-even downright hilarious.  She draws upon life’s experiences and years of consulting to major national and international organizations that have ranged from global pharmaceuticals to the US Armed Forces, from health care associations to religious institutions. Global Gurus International, a British-based provider of resources for leadership, communication and sales training, also ranked Eileen as number #1 among the World’s Top 30 Communication Professionals following a global survey of 22,000 business professionals. Eileen is also a member of the University of Pennsylvania’s Sloan Work and Family Researcher Network, an organization of interdisciplinary researchers and scholars studying work-life issues.

Ms. McDargh recognizes the importance of local support groups like PCVF, sharing that she’s “Grateful to the men and women who have served this country and the sacrifices they made. And, even more thankful to this Foundation for its continued financial support that so many veterans need. Both my mother and father served in WWII. I know they are smiling at all who keep this Foundation thriving!”

About Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation: Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation is committed to honoring the men and women who have served in uniform at any time. PCVF does this by supporting veterans and active duty members, and related partner organizations, in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, as well as preserving military history and legacy. The Foundation works to uphold Pierre Claeyssens’s vision that those who have served are “Never Forgotten.” PCVF is funded entirely by private donations. For more information, visit www.pcvf.org or call (805) 259-4394.