Colonel Jill Morgenthaler

Retired Colonel Jill Morgenthaler is a woman of many firsts. She was one of the first women to train as an equal with men in the collegiate Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program and one of the first to receive a four-year Army scholarship. As a second lieutenant, she was one of the first women company commanders along the Korean DMZ. Colonel Morgenthaler commanded in West Germany and West Berlin. She was the first woman battalion commander in the 88th Regional Support Command and the first woman brigade commander in the 84th Division of the U.S. Army Reserve, leading hundreds of soldiers across six states. Colonel Morgenthaler received the Bronze Star for her leadership in Iraq in 2004. Upon retirement, the U.S. Army awarded her the Legion of Merit for her thirty years of extraordinary leadership performance.

Colonel Morgenthaler’s varied Army experiences include military intelligence operations in South Korea and West Berlin, handling disaster recovery during the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, working as a peacekeeper in Bosnia, conducting evacuation operations for Kosovar refugees, and overseeing public affairs operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As the first woman Homeland Security advisor in Illinois, Colonel Morgenthaler directed homeland security operations and provided guidance to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois Terrorism Task Force, the Illinois National Guard, and other agencies to protect the state from natural disasters or incidents of terrorism. In 2008, Morgenthaler ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Congress.

Colonel Morgenthaler has mentored leaders from Russia, Chile, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The University of Chicago, the University of Illinois and Benedictine University have consulted with her on homeland security and leadership.

As a civilian, she worked in technology in Silicon Valley. After moving to Illinois, she worked at Argonne National Laboratory and helped establish the Center for Nanoscale Materials.

She has a Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Arts from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.

Today, Colonel Morgenthaler is a motivational speaker, exhilarating audiences with tales of her famous stare-down with Saddam Hussein. She presents and trains on crisis communications and leadership amidst crisis and chaos. She is an adjunct professor at Pennsylvania State University.

Colonel Morgenthaler resides in Chicagoland with her husband, one dog and two cats. She is proud that her children have successfully launched themselves.