Major General Diana M. Holland

Major General Diana Holland will be the MRS 2022 Keynote Speaker on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 speaking on the “Strategic View of Inland Waterways”. Her presentation will be the prelude to the panel on “Keeping the Inland Waterways Open: Balancing Maintenance and Operational Requirements”.

​

MG Diana M. Holland assumed command of the Mississippi Valley Division (MVD), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), June 30, 2020. She also serves as president of the Mississippi River Commission.

​

Holland serves as the senior military officer in the division, headquartered in Vicksburg, Mississippi, responsible for water resources engineering solutions in a 370,000-square-mile area, extending from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and encompassing portions of 12 states. The mission of the division is to serve the Mississippi Valley region by providing vital public engineering services and stewardship of water resource infrastructure, partnering in peace and war, to strengthen our nation’s security, energize the economy and reduce risks from disasters. The division’s work is carried out by district offices located in St. Paul, Minnesota; Rock Island, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; Vicksburg, Mississippi; and New Orleans, Louisiana.

​

Prior to coming to MVD, Maj. Gen. Holland served as Commander of the South Atlantic Division (SAD), USACE. During her command, Maj. Gen. Holland oversaw an annual program of $4 to 7 billion to plan, design and construct projects to support the military, the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies, protect America’s water resources, mitigate risk from disasters, and restore and enhance the environment. She also led SAD’s response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and Hurricanes Florence and Michael in 2018.

​

Maj. Gen. Holland is a native of Santa Barbara, California. She graduated from the United States Military Academy and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers in 1990. She earned a Master of Arts degree at Duke University and a Master of Military Arts and Sciences degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the School of Advanced Military Studies.

​

Maj. Gen. Holland’s military awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with one Oak Leaf Cluster), Legion of Merit (with one Oak Leaf Cluster), Bronze Star (with two Oak Leaf Clusters), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with four Oak Leaf Clusters), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Army Superior Unit Award, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal (NATO) medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Senior Parachutist Badge, the German Parachutist Badge and the Silver Order of the de Fleury Medal. She was also recently chosen as a Women Making a Mark Honoree by Atlanta Magazine in 2018.