Courtesy Photo | An official biography photo of Patricia "Trish" Morris, as part of a feature spotlight...... read more read more
This month, we honor and pay tribute to the women – active and reserve, uniformed and civilian – who have served our Navy and our nation. There is no doubt, our Navy is full of trailblazing pioneers who paved the way for more than 134,000 women serving in our Navy today. These Sailors and spouses, mothers, daughters, and sisters, have served in every rank – from seaman to admiral, and in most every job, from naval aviators to explosive ordnance disposal technicians.
At Navy Region Hawaii, we’re spotlighting our own trailblazers. Each of them has a powerful drive for excellence – in both their personal and professional lives – and has played a pivotal role in public service.
Today we meet Patricia “Trish” Morris, who leads the Office of General Counsel.
Trish’s legal career has taken her from Oklahoma to the Middle East. She’s been a partner at a Texas-New Mexico law firm and served for 20 years with the Army, working for the Corps of Engineers, Army Reserves and Army Headquarters. She held roles ranging from Judge Advocate General and Civil Affairs Officer in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Jordan and Iraq; Division Counsel in the Gulf Region Division, Baghdad and District Counsel in Jacksonville; and as legal and policy advisor to the Army Secretariat on civil works.
As both a deployed Army reservist and civilian, she advised and spearheaded reconstruction, job training and civic engagement programs in overseas combat theaters by building coalitions of allied and host nations and international organizations.
Trish joined the Navy Region Hawaii legal team in March 2020, the same month the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. She was tasked with providing legal advice to leadership about the burgeoning public health crisis and the myriad policy issues associated with it. A year later, she was dealing with another crisis: the Red Hill fuel spill. She provided guidance to Joint Task Force Red Hill throughout the defueling of the bulk storage facility and to Navy Closure Task Force as it prepares for full operability.
Trish began her Navy civilian career in 2018 as Region Counsel for Navy Region Southwest in San Diego, where she was part of the legal team during wildfire evacuations and the China Lake earthquake in 2019.
She joined NRSW from the International Joint Commission, where she was appointed Director of the Great Lakes Regional Office in 2014. The IJC is comprised of three U.S. and three Canadian commissioners who are appointed by the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Canada to adjudicate, protect and preserve the border waters of the two countries. During her four-year tour, Trish led a bi-national team of scientists advising the U.S. and Canadian governments on water quality and quantity issues in the Great Lakes.
At the time of her appointment, Trish said: “This job combines two of my passions – helping nations stay out of conflict and honoring our universal connection to fresh water and the incredible importance that it will play in the future of our nations and our planet.”
From 1995-2019, Trish served as an Army Reserve Judge Advocate and Civil Affairs officer, commissioning at the age of 35. She served in numerous Civil Affairs units, deploying to Afghanistan in 2002 and Iraq in 2003-2004. She returned to Afghanistan in 2010.
“While I was serving in Iraq, I was selected to lead the first ever program to recruit and train Iraqi women into the Iraqi Army, guiding the recruits through completion of three basic course classes in Jordan before I was redeployed,” she recalled.
Trish received two Bronze Stars for her work in the Middle East. The first for her work advising Princess Aisha of Jordan and her staff on mutual issues of interest with women serving in the military, and the second for her work in 2010 forming the first U.S./Italian civil affairs project team to develop and fund projects for Afghans to rebuild schools, clinics, and roads.
In 2005-2006, this trailblazer served as the first female Division Counsel for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Baghdad, where she supervised civilian, military, and Iraqi counsels to vet development projects, secure contracts as well as funding. She earned the Corps of Engineers’ Outstanding Attorney of the Year award for her leadership.
“We are truly lucky to have someone of Trish’s caliber leading our legal team,” said Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett, commander, Navy Region Hawaii. “Her diverse experience, expertise and wealth of knowledge are invaluable. I am grateful for her continued leadership and guidance.”
Throughout her 30 years of civilian service and 24 years of military service, Trish has made impressive strides in her field, helping pave the way for generations of female lawyers who have followed in her footsteps.
| Date Taken: | 03.21.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.21.2024 20:48 |
| Story ID: | 466809 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 410 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Women's History Month: Celebrating Women Who Have Made Great Achievements (Spotlight: Patricia "Trish" Morris), by Raquel Cloma, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
