Mari K. Eder

Mari K. Eder is a United States Army major general. Eder was appointed commander of the United States Army Reserve Joint and Special Troops Support Command, Salt Lake City, Utah in October 2009. Prior to assuming command of the USAR Joint and Special Troop Support Command, she was assigned as the Deputy Chief, Army Reserve.

Early life and education
A native of Grove City, Pennsylvania, Eder entered the U.S. Army in 1977, and, after receiving her commission as a second lieutenant in the Signal Corps, she served at Fort McClellan, Alabama and then Fort Meade, Maryland until leaving active duty in September 1982.

Career
Eder has over 32 years of Army service, both Active and Reserve. Major General Eder has commanded at the company, battalion and brigade level. Her previous assignments include the U.S. Army’s Deputy Chief of Public Affairs, commander of the 6th Brigade (Professional Development), 80th Division (Institutional Training) while concurrently serving on active duty as the Chief of Staff with the Reserve Forces Policy Board in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Major General Eder has had additional joint experience, serving with the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) in Stuttgart, Germany where she was assigned as the Deputy Director of Public Affairs. There she directed theater media relations during Kosovo and at the inception of OEF.

Her military education includes the Signal Officer Basic Course, the Military Police and Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Courses, the Public Affairs Officer Course, the Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College. She holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in English from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and the Masters of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. She is also a graduate of Senior Executive and leadership programs at the National Defense University and the Army War College. She is an experienced speaker and guest lecturer and has served as an adjunct professor at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, the NATO School, and Sweden’s International Security Command.

Personal life
As a civilian, Mari Eder served as the Director of Public Affairs at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. There she built the Center’s strategic plan for marketing communications from the ground up and taught the role of a free press in democratic societies to government officials from over 36 nations. She is the author of numerous articles on strategic communication and communications transformation.

Awards and decorations
Her awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with three oak leaf cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge, and the Army Staff Identification Badge.


 * Legion of Merit ribbon.svg Legion of Merit
 * Meritorious Service ribbon.svg Meritorious Service Medal
 * Joint Service Commendation ribbon.svg Joint Service Commendation Medal
 * Army Commendation Medal ribbon.svg Army Commendation Medal
 * Us jointservachiev rib.svg Joint Service Achievement Medal
 * Army Achievement Medal ribbon.svg Army Achievement Medal
 * Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge.png Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge
 * GeneralStaffID.gif Army Staff Identification Badge