Eleanor Valentin, promoted to rear admiral in 2009, made history as she ascended to the boss's seat in Navy Medicine. She was the first woman to reach flag rank in the Medical Service Corps and the first minority officer to lead the Medical Support Command.

Supporting her nomination for a Women of Color STEM Award, Adm. Gary Roughead, the chief of Naval Operations, said he had “witnessed firsthand her passion, dedication, and commitment to the health, welfare, and morale, of our Sailors and Marines around the world," he said. "Eleanor clearly stands out as a trendsetter who meets challenges head-on and masterfully delivers critical leadership.”

In 2011, the Filipina Women’s Network selected Rear Admiral Valentin as one of the "100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the United States." The award is a celebration of leadership, inspiration, and achievement. It honors Filipina women who are changing the face of power in American communities, organizations, and the workplace.

Valentin is a native of Seattle. After earning two bachelor's in zoology and psychology at the University of Washington, she completed a master’s in public health (health policy and planning), and a second master's in public health (biostatistics) at the University of Hawaii.

In 1982, she was commissioned as a lieutenant junior grade, Medical Service Corps, and for the next decade, she served in a variety of department head and administrative officer positions in San Diego, Norfolk, Va., Guam; and at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C.; and U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan.

Valentin served as director for administration at Naval Medical Clinic in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, from 1994 to 1997. Following that duty, she reported to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and became the branch head for TRICARE Marketing and Communications.

In 2000, Valentin became the director of regional Operations in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs). There, she led staff and joint service teams in developing plans and strategies to implement statutory and policy guidance for the delivery of health care services to eligible beneficiaries.

Her subsequent assignments included executive officer, Naval Hospital Corpus Christi, Texas; commanding officer, Naval Hospital/Health Clinic Cherry Point, N.C.; and chief of staff, Navy Medicine National Capital Area.

From 2009 to 2012, she served in her first flag tour as commander, Navy Medicine Support Command, and from 2009 through 2012, she was the first female and 16th director of the Medical Service Corps.

She retired in 2014 as the director of the Military Health System (MHS) Governance Implementation Planning Executive Secretariat, a team that supports plans to establish a new governance model for the MHS.

Valentin achieved fellow status in the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Academy of Healthcare Management. Her personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit (3); Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal (3); Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3); and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.