Brigadier General Allyson R. Solomon
 



Allyson R. Solomon was born in Trinidad and Tobago, and moved to Maryland with her family in 1971. She is a 1986 graduate of Loyola College of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Public Administration from Auburn University.

General Solomon began her military career by enlisting in the Maryland Air National Guard (MDANG) in 1979, and was later selected to attend the ANG Academy of Military Science. In November 1986, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant. General Solomon worked her way through the ranks, commanding at two different levels. She is the first woman and first African-American to be appointed as a senior commander in the MDANG. In January 2003, she was the first woman to be promoted to Colonel in MDANG history. She became the Commander of the 175 Mission Support Group in March 2003, and was responsible for over 585 personnel. General Solomon has also been assigned as the MDANG Executive Support Staff Officer, supporting the Assistant Adjutant General-Air and The Adjutant General, as well as the Maryland National Guard Equal Employment Officer.

In 2006, General Solomon was selected to serve as the Chief of the General Officer Management Office at the National Guard Bureau (NGB), Washington, DC. Reporting directly to the Chief, NGB, her office was responsible for managing the careers and training of over 350 general officers nationwide. General Solomon was asked to return to Maryland in June 2008, and was appointed by the Governor as the Assistant Adjutant General for Air. As the senior ANG general officer, she also commands the entire MDANG, which is an organization of approximately 1600 personnel that performs dual state and federal missions in support of the Governor and the United States Air Force. In addition, General Solomon serves as a Special Assistant to the Chief, NGB. She is an active member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Biography courtesy of the Maryland Commission for Women, 2009.

© Copyright Maryland State Archives, 2009