Evelyn J. Fields
| Evelyn J. Fields | |
|---|---|
Fields in July 1999
|
|
| Birth name | Evelyn Juanita Fields |
| Born |
January 29, 1949 Norfolk, Virginia |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 NOAA
|
| Years of service | 1972–2003 |
| Rank |
 Rear admiral
|
| Unit |  NOAA Commissioned Corps |
| Commands held | Director of the Office of the NOAA Corps Operations Director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps (1999-2003) |
Evelyn J. Fields (born 1949) is a rear admiral (retired) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, who served as the director of the Commissioned Officer Corps and NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, until her retirement in 2003. She was nominated for this position by U.S. President Bill Clinton on January 19, 1999, confirmed by the Senate on May 6, 1999, and promoted from captain to rear admiral, upper half. Fields was the first woman, and first African American, to hold this position.
Earlier in her career, in 1989, Fields was given command of the research vessel, NOAAS McArthur, thus becoming the first woman and first African American to command a NOAA ship, and the first woman to command a ship in the United States uniformed services for an extended assignment.
Evelyn Juanita Fields was born in Norfolk, Virginia on 29 January 1949, the oldest of five children. She attended Liberty Park Elementary School and Booker T. Washington High School. Fields graduated from Norfolk State University in 1971 with a degree in mathematics.
Fields began her career with NOAA in 1972 as a civilian cartographer at NOAA's Atlantic Marine Center in Norfolk, Virginia. She was commissioned an ensign in the NOAA Corps in 1973, shortly after NOAA began recruiting women, and was the first African-American woman to join the Corps. She was selected for and attended the Armed Forces Staff College. In the field of hydrography, she spent on an oceanographic and fisheries research vessel. This experience turned out to be what she considered one of the highlights of her career as an NOAA Corps officer.
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