Marine City native promoted as first woman in top Naval Reserve position

A Marine City native has been promoted as the first woman U.S. Navy Vice Chief of Information.

Paula Dunn, a 1987 graduate of Holy Cross High School, was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in the United States Navy in an Oct. 5 ceremony aboard the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, California.

Rear Adm. Christian Becker, Commander of Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, administered the oath of office to Dunn on the flight deck of the Midway before an audience of more than 100 Navy officials and guests.

"I am profoundly grateful to the Navy’s leadership for the faith and confidence they have invested in me and am honored to have the chance to lead this incredible Navy Reserve public affairs team," Dunn said.

Dunn will hold her position as the Navy Reserve's top public affairs officer for three years. In this role, she leads a global force of more than 500 officers and enlisted mass communication specialists. 

"The Navy public affairs field must be ready to lead in the complex information space – an environment where our adversaries are not bound by the truth in the same way we are,” Dunn said. “Though the role of public affairs is critical to combating disinformation campaigns in hostile territories, it is just as important that we continue to tell the Navy’s story at home to ensure citizens are familiar with our Navy’s critical mission as a global force for security and stability."

Dunn is the first woman to serve as the Navy’s VCI in the 69-year history of the position. 

Prior to her promotion, Dunn served as the Reserve Special Assistant for Public Affairs to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Shortly after graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in 1993, she entered the Navy through Officer Candidate School and was commissioned an ensign.

Dunn said she was inspired to go into the service by her father, who often entertained her while she was growing up with stories of his time in the Merchant Marines. Shortly before graduating from college, she met with recruiters on campus and chose the Navy for its educational benefits and exciting career opportunities.

“For as long as I can remember my dad told me I could be whatever I wanted to be when I grew up,” Dunn said. “He always encouraged me to make waves – so it’s fitting that the Navy would be the place for me. I have no doubt my dad’s early and unwavering encouragement contributed to where I am today.”

Dunn’s father Walter Dunn was a U.S. Merchant Marine veteran of World War II. 

Dunn’s active duty Navy assignments include serving as a public affairs officer at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton, Florida; action officer at the Chief of Navy Information News Desk in the Pentagon; and director of broadcast and publishing operations at the Naval Media Center in Washington, D.C.

Dunn transitioned to the Navy Reserve in 1999. Her command leadership assignments include Navy Office of Information U.S. Seventh Fleet, Yokosuka, Japan; Navy Public Affairs Support Element West, San Diego, California; and Navy Office of Information U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet, Manama, Bahrain.

Over the course of her 26-year career, Dunn deployed in support of missions around the world. Notable senior public affairs leadership deployments include Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula in Iraq; Operation Nomad Shadow in Ankara, Turkey; Exercise Talisman Saber in Rockhampton, Australia; Joint Investigation Group in the sinking of South Korean frigate Cheonan in Pyeongtaek, Republic of Korea; Operation Tomodachi following a major earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan; and two contingency missions in the Arabian Sea.

Dunn’s advanced education includes a Master of Arts from the University of Oklahoma, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas.

She is a graduate of professional military education programs at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia. Dunn is also a graduate of the Senior Executive Fellows Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Her mother, Marilynn Dunn and sister Marilynn (Dunn) Biland live in Marine City.

Dunn and her husband, Forrest Knowlton, live in San Diego, California.

For more information, follow VCI on Twitter at @ViceCHINFO.

Contact public safety/breaking news reporter Laura Fitzgerald at 810-989-6279. Follow her on Twitter @LM_Fitz.