Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 1, 1 January 2016 — Native Hawaiian officer promoted [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Native Hawaiian officer promoted

Gov. David Ige ceremonially marked the promotion of Suzanne Vares-Lum to Brigadier General with a pinning ceremony in December. Brig. Gen. Vares-Lum is the first woman of Native Hawaiian ancestry to heeome a general in the Hawai'i Army National Guard. Vares-Lum received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism in

1989 and Master of Education in teaching in 1996 from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. She is also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and earned a Master of Strategic Studies degree in 2011. She served as an active duty Regular Army officerfrom 1989 to 1993 andthenjoinedthe Hawai'i Army National Guard. She has also served as Chief of the Joint Staff, Hawai'i National Guard. ■

Brig. Gen. Suzanne Vares-Lum is the first woman of Native Hawaiian ancestry to heeome a general in the Hawai'i Army Nahonal Guard - Courtesy Hawai'i Mional Guard