Eleanor Valentin, promoted to rear admiral in 2009, became a history maker several times over as she ascended to the boss's seat at the Navy's Medicine Support Command. 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 the 2010 Women of Color Technologist of the Year 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...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.

Rear Admiral Valentin is a native of Seattle. After receiving her Bachelor of Science degrees in zoology and psychology at the University of Washington, she completed a master’s in public health (health policy and planning), and a Master of Science in public health (biostatistics) at the University of Hawaii.

In 1982, she was commissioned as a lieutenant junior grade, Medical Service Corps, United States Navy, and for the next decade, she served in a variety of department head and administrative officer positions at Naval Hospital San Diego; Admiral J.T. Boone Branch Medical Clinic in Norfolk, Va.; Naval Medical Clinic Norfolk; U.S. Naval Hospital Guam; Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C.; and U.S. Naval Hospital 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 October 2000, Valentin became the director, Regional Operations, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) TRICARE Management Activity. 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 worldwide.

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

She retired in 2014 at the Under Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs 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.