During more than 21 years of military service, Col. Dana Capozzella saw signs of a glass ceiling only once, when she was denied an opportunity to join psychological operations because of her gender.
“That was the only time,” she said in an interview. On Sunday, Capozzella, 43, became the first woman to head the Colorado Army National Guard.
“What it means to me is that hard work and dedication pays off. I have had commanders and leaders that looked on me as a soldier,” she said.
Capozzella grew up in upstate New York and Pennsylvania and came to Colorado in 1987 after finishing a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at St. Lawrence University, in Canton, N.Y. She was stationed at Fort Carson and served four years on active duty before joining the Army Reserve. Capozzella said she later joined the Guard.
She has a master’s degree from the Army War College in strategic studies and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. Lawrence.
Capozzella, who is married and has three children, is a medical services officer. She has gone on medical missions to Panama, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Optometry “was the most beneficial service we could give to the people there,” Capozzella said. “The smiles on their faces when you would put a pair of glasses on their faces . . . there were huge grins.”
Capozzella has held a variety of command positions, including commander of the 109th Area Support Medical Battalion, Montrose, and commander of the Centennial Training site at Fort Carson. She is leaving a brigade command to take her new position, where she will succeed Brig. Gen. Thomas Mills, who is retiring after 43 years of service.
Capozzella said she will have 3,700 National Guard members under her command.
“This is a historic day for Colorado as Col. Capozzella becomes our first female commander of the Colorado Army National Guard,” Adjutant General of Colorado, Maj. Gen. H. Michael Edwards said in a statement. “Our sincere thanks go to Brig. Gen. Mills for his dedication and leadership.”
“As we move ahead during these challenging times, we look forward to Col. Capozzella’s leadership,” Edwards said. “With her wealth of experience, we have a bright future.”
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
