Commissioner Interview: The Adjutant General, Maryland and Director, Maryland Military Department Major Janeen L. Birckhead

While growing up in Snow Hill, a small town on Maryland’s lower eastern shore, service was a foundation of Janeen Birckhead’s upbringing. Her father served in the U.S. Navy, her grandfather served in the U.S. Army, and her mother was active in the civil rights movement and public service as a Maryland judge. Service was a way of life for their family. 

She attended Hampton University, the Historically Black College in Hampton, Virginia. And with the encouragement of her mother, she joined the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or ROTC, at Hampton. Her ROTC experience helped develop her leadership skills and shape her professional direction. It was transformational, she said. After graduation, she worked on Capitol Hill and within federal agencies including the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Department of the Interior, and Department of Defense.

When asked what America means to her, Maj. Gen. Birckhead pointed to the nation’s enduring commitment to freedom, and its optimistic spirit about pursuing the life we choose. She highlighted that service is a pillar of our nation’s principles, connecting people in common cause. Just as her mother taught her, through words and actions, that we must all raise our hand to serve and help others, Maj. Gen. Birckhead has pursued a life of service, both community and national. Her family “adopted” a highway 30 years ago and, to this day, her family and friends regularly clean up a section of roadway in their community – no less important than leading Maryland National Guard Soldiers and Airmen in state emergencies and supported the security priorities of the nation here and abroad. 

“Others before self” has always motivated the Maryland National Guard, she said. Long before they knew there would be a United States of America, the Maryland Militia was a critical element in the War for our Independence. What better organization for representation in the Maryland Two Fifty Commission than the Maryland National Guard? This year, the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps will celebrate their 250^th birthdays, as well. 

Through her service on the Maryland Two Fifty Commission, Maj Gen Birckhead wants to see the 250^th inspire fellow citizens to recommit to the founding principles of our nation, revisit our history, recognize the value of service, and demonstrate these values in principle and practice. She hopes to see statewide participation in 250^th events, and not just read about it. The nation’s Semi Quincentennial can inspire us all to rediscover the greatness of our state and its people, and to rediscover a commitment to the values of our state and our great nation.