Sheri Swokowski
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Transgender activist
Sheri A Swokowski | |
|---|---|
 Swokowski, pictured at the June 8, 2016 LGBT Pride Month Event at the Pentagon with Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning | |
| Born | 1950 (age 75–76) |
| Occupations | U.S. Army Colonel Transgender activist |
Sheri Swokowski (born 1950) is an American advocate for transgender rights and former U.S. Army colonel.
Swokowski was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, one of four children of a former Army veteran and a nurse.[1] Swokowski enlisted in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and joined her local sheriff's department as a reserve deputy after graduating from high school.[2][3]
Swokowski chose the name 'Sheri' as a portmanteau of female pronouns and the self (she, her, and I) with the help of her spouse near the end of her military career.[1]
Military service and career
Swokowski was a career infantry soldier. She advanced through the enlisted ranks and went on to attend the Wisconsin Military Academy at Fort McCoy, after which she accepted an officer's commission; she attained the rank of colonel by the time she retired from the Army in 2004 after 34 years and 10 months of service, of which the last 22 years were spent on active duty.[3][4] While serving in the Army, Swokowski taught in the ROTC at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and commanded a light infantry company.[5] At the time of her retirement, she was director of manpower and personnel for the Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard.[3][6]
After retiring from the Army, Swokowski taught at the U.S. Army Force Management School at Fort Belvoir as a contractor starting in 2006.[3] She openly came out as a transgender woman in 2007 while teaching at Force Management School; following her transition, she was told by the school's director that she had been replaced, though no other teacher took her place for several months.[2][6]
In June 2008, Swokowski began work at the Pentagon as a civilian Senior Analyst supporting the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management in managing Army installations.[2] Following her work at the Pentagon, Swokowski served as the director of human resources for the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States Forest Service in Denver for three years before retiring to DeForest, Wisconsin in 2013.[6][7]