For her dedication to the principles of duty, honor, and country, Ph.D. student Amber Manke is 1 of 28 Army officers nationwide who will receive the prestigious 2014 General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. Manke, a captain in the Minnesota Army National Guard and doctoral candidate in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, will accept the award at the end of May in Washington, D.C.
The MacArthur Award recognizes company grade officers from the active Army, National Guard, and Army Reserve. Recipients embody leadership qualities demonstrated by General MacArthur, a U.S. five-star general during World War II, and exhibit exceptional ability to ensure that soldiers are trained, ready, and meeting the highest standards necessary for United States’ global missions.
“Captain Manke understands duty, lives honor, and is dedicated to country,” Division Headquarters Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Carl Fassbender wrote in Manke’s nomination letter. “She works to ensure all soldiers understand the responsibility that service to country includes, and she holds them accountable.”
Manke, whose educational focus is on the evaluation of leadership development programs, has earned previous awards for her military and community contributions. She was recognized in 2014 by the Minnesota Humanities Center with the Veteran’s Voice Award and was named a Tillman Military Scholar in 2012.
Throughout her military career and education, Manke has balanced many volunteer positions. She is a coach for Girls on the Run, speaks to youth in schools, and is involved the Salvation Army, Feed My Starving Children, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Since its inception in 1987, only eight other Minnesota Army National Guardsmen have earned the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership award. Six of the 28 officers chosen each year are from the Army National Guard.
