TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — For the first time, a woman will lead the Arizona National Guard.
Brigadier General Kerry L. Muehlenbeck, who has Tucson ties, will be Arizona's next Adjutant General and Director of the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs.
She replaces Major General Michael T. McGuire, who is retiring April 10 and had served the role since 2013.
"Command is a unique privilege that I've been humbled and honored to have for the past seven and a half years serving shoulder to shoulder with the greatest soldiers and airmen in the state and nation who truly exemplify our motto 'always ready, always there,'" McGuire said at a press conference. She was appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey.
Muehlenbeck received her commission by direct appointment in 1993. She served as Assistant Staff Judge Advocate at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base until 1997. She served in the Arizona Air National Guard from 1997 to 2019. She worked as deputy county attorney at the Pima County Attorney’s Office from 1998 to 2001.
Muehlenbeck is currently a professor at Mesa Community College’s Administration of Justice Studies Department.
