Marcelite Cecile Jordan Harris (January 16, 1943 – September 7, 2018) was an American who became the first African-American female general officer of the United States Air Force.

Education and early career

Marcelite Cecile Jordan Harris was born on January 16, 1943 in Houston, Texas, United States, to Cecil O’Neal Jordan and Marcelite Elizabeth (Terrell) Jordan. She graduated from Spelman College, earning her B.A. in speech and drama and completed Officer Training School, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in 1965 and held a variety of assignments in the Air Force. Harris's career included many "firsts", including being the first female aircraft maintenance officer, one of the first two female air officers commanding at the United States Air Force Academy, and the Air Force's first female Director of Maintenance. She served as a White House social aide during the Carter administration. Her service medals and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Vietnam Service Medal. Harris retired as a major general in 1997, the highest ranking female officer in the Air Force and the Nation's highest ranking African-American woman in the Department of Defense. Upon retirement from the Air Force, she served NASA as the Florida Site Director and Logistics Process Owner for United Space Alliance, the company managing the nation's shuttle program. Besides her Spelman B.A., she holds a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Maryland University College. In 1999, Harris was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Spelman College. She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

Later career

Harris was a Treasurer of the Atlanta Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and served as a Director on the Board of Peachtree Hope Charter School. On September 15, 2010, she was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as a member of the Board of Visitors for the United States Air Force Academy. The Board inquires into the morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods and other matters relating to the academy which the Board decides to consider.

Personal

Harris was married to Lt. Col. Maurice Harris. They had two children named Steven and Tenecia. She was buried with full military honors on February 7, 2019, alongside her husband in Arlington National Cemetery.

Awards and decorations

Other achievements

Effective dates of promotion