Evelyn J. Fields facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Evelyn Fields
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Fields
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| Birth name | Evelyn Juanita Fields |
| Born | January 29, 1949 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
 NOAA |
| Years of service | 1972–2003 |
| Rank | Rear admiral |
| Unit | NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps |
| Commands held | Director of the Office of the NOAA Corps Operations Director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps (1999–2003) |
| Awards | Department of Commerce Gold Medal |
| Alma mater | Norfolk State University (BS) |
Evelyn J. Fields, born in 1949, is a retired Rear Admiral. She was a leader in the NOAA Corps. From 1999 to 2003, she directed the NOAA Corps and NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. She was the first woman and first African American to lead the NOAA Corps.
Earlier in her career, in 1989, she became the commander of the research ship NOAAS McArthur. This made her the first woman and first African American to command a NOAA ship. She was also the first woman to command a ship in the United States uniformed services for a long time.
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Early Life and School
Evelyn Juanita Fields was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on January 29, 1949. She was the oldest of five children. Her father worked at the Naval Shipyard, and her mother was a teacher.
She went to Liberty Park Elementary School. She often said her fourth and fifth-grade teacher helped her love math and science. Later, she attended Booker T. Washington High School. In 1971, Fields graduated from Norfolk State University with a degree in mathematics. She was one of only a few female math students when she started college.
Career at NOAA
Starting at NOAA
Evelyn Fields began working for NOAA in 1972. She started as a civilian cartographer in Norfolk, Virginia. At that time, women were not allowed on NOAA's ships. However, she did help with research on land to collect data.
She worked as a cartographer for less than a year. Then, NOAA Corps Director Rear Admiral Harley Nygren started inviting women to join as officers. Fields became an ensign in the NOAA Corps in 1973. She was the first African-American woman to join the Corps. She then studied hydrography, which is the science of mapping water areas.
Leading Ships and Teams
Fields worked as an operations officer on the NOAA Ships Mount Mitchell and Peirce. She was also an executive officer on the survey ship NOAA Ship Rainier. In January 1989, Fields was chosen to command the NOAA ship McArthur. This ship was used for ocean and fisheries research in Seattle, Washington.
Fields was the first female officer and the first African-American to command a NOAA ship. She was also the first woman to command a ship for a long time (18 months) in any of the U.S. uniformed services.
In July 1990, Fields joined a special program. She spent 10 months working in a policy-making office for the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Important Contributions
Her knowledge of hydrography was very helpful. She used her skills to prepare nautical charts for the U.S. Navy during the 1991 Gulf War.
In 1995, Fields became the Director of the Commissioned Personnel Center (CPC). This center manages all parts of the NOAA Corps officers' uniformed service system. At this time, she was a captain. She took on this role when the government was trying to reduce its size. She had to cut the office staff by half and reduce the NOAA Corps from 401 to 299 officers. Eight months later, there was a plan to close the NOAA Corps completely.
In 1997, Fields became the acting deputy director of NOAA's National Ocean Service. She made the process of creating nautical charts much better and faster. With new technology, she doubled how many charts were made. She also cut the time to update a chart from 47 weeks to just 4 weeks.
Becoming a Rear Admiral
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On January 19, 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton nominated her to be the director of the NOAA Commissioned Corps and NOAA Corps Operations. The Senate approved her on May 6, 1999. She was then promoted from captain to rear admiral. Fields was the first woman and first African American to hold this important position.
In her role, she was in charge of NOAA's fleet of 15 research ships and 14 aircraft. She also oversaw over 700 NOAA Corps officers and civilians.
During her 25 years of service, Rear Admiral Fields worked in many different roles, both on land and at sea. Most of her assignments involved creating nautical charts. She worked in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, including the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Alaskan waters. Her experience at sea included surveying water depths, researching fish, and studying the ocean.
She was also the second U.S. officer to exchange with the Canadian Hydrographic Service. She spent three months on Canadian ships, working in Newfoundland and the Canadian Arctic. After this program, she checked if the survey data from NOAA's Atlantic Marine Center was complete and ready to be used.
Later, she became an assignment coordinator for the Office of NOAA Corps Operations. She helped different NOAA programs and officers with their assignments. Rear Admiral Fields retired on December 1, 2003.
Awards and Recognition
- 1996 - Named one of the top 50 minority women in science and engineering by the National Technical Association.
- 1999 – Received the Ralph M. Metcalfe Health, Education and Science Award from the Congressional Black Caucus.
- 1999 – Named Woman of the Year by the Maryland Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs.
- 2000 – Awarded the Department of Commerce Gold Medal for Leadership. This was for her great contributions to NOAA's mission.
- 2000 - The Virginia State Legislature honored Rear Admiral Evelyn J. Fields. They praised her "exceptionally distinguished career with the NOAA Corps."
Personal Life
Fields is a member of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority. She enjoys reading, aerobics, and gardening in her free time.
See also
- NOAA Corps
