HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Editor’s note: As we celebrate Women’s History Month at Hill Air Force Base, we are featuring some of Team Hill’s female military and federal service employees through a series of spotlight articles.
Meet Glenda Rhodes, engineering director for the 532nd Commodities Maintenance Squadron, a unit from the 309th Commodities Maintenance Group that overhauls landing gear for many different Air Force platforms.
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and raised in Grand Junction, Colorado, Rhodes joined Team Hill in 2016, after landing a job in industrial process control.
“I was really impressed by the work done at Hill and the mission to the Air Force and our country and knew the job would be a good fit for me,” she said. “I love being able to see when our team makes a difference in what we are producing and the actual output from our processes going to support the warfighter.”
Rhodes said she enjoys Women’s History Month because she gets to see new stories about women in history that she didn’t learn about in school, women trailblazers like NASA employee Katherine Johnson from the move Hidden Figures, and American astronaut and physicist Sally Ride.
“There are so many stories of how women have contributed in different areas,” she said. “I think it is important that we look at how women have contributed, and are continuing to contribute, so we can encourage younger women and girls and let them know that the things they do are important and vital to society.”
Among the women who inspire her, Rhodes singles out astronaut Kellie Gerardi, a research specialist who recently went to space aboard a Virgin Galactic spacecraft, as someone whose story has made a significant impact on her.
“I think it is so awesome that she is an advocate for herself and that you don’t necessarily have to fit a mold as a woman in a STEM field,” she said.
As a woman in STEM, Rhodes is passionate about ensuring younger women recognize they are not alone if they choose to pursue science and engineering fields. She believes they can make a significant impact, just like anyone else in the field. In addition, she encourages those already employed in government to take advantage of the many opportunities available, such as training, education, and special programs and assignment.
When Rhodes is not working on landing gear for the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three teenagers. She can be found reading, researching and planning travel opportunities and enjoying all types of arts and crafts. She is also working towards a black belt in Kummooyeh, a Korean sword and archery martial art.