Nora W . Tyson Nora Wingfield Tyson , USN is an American naval officer . A Vice Admiral , she served as Vice Director of the Joint Staff since February 2012 . She has recently been promoted to Vice Admiral and named as Deputy Commander , US Fleet Forces Command . Prior to that , Tyson served as the commander of Carrier Strike Group Two ( CCSG2 ) from July 29 , 2010 to January 12 , 2012 . Tyson was the first female commander of a U . S . Navy Carrier Strike Group . Education . A native of Memphis , Tennessee , Nora Wingfield Tyson attended St . Mary ' s Episcopal School , graduating in 1975 . Tyson graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1979 , majoring in English . Later that year , she attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned in December 1979 . In 1995 , Tyson earned her Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Affairs from the U . S . Naval War College . Naval career . After a tour in Washington D . C , Tyson became a Naval Flight Officer in 1983 . She then served three tours in Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Four ( VQ - 4 ) in both Naval Air Station Patuxent River and Tinker Air Force Base , one of which as a commanding officer . Ashore , she served as airborne communications officer course instructor and officer - in - charge at Naval Air Maintenance Training Detachment 1079 , NAS Patuxent River , Maryland . Other shore duty assignments included serving as a political - military planner and assistant in the Asia - Pacific Division of the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate for the Joint Chiefs of Staff , the Director of Staff for the Commander of Naval Forces Europe , and an executive assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations . Sea duty for Tyson included serving as a navigator aboard the nuclear - powered aircraft carrier and the operations officer on the training aircraft carrier . Later , Captain Tyson commanded the amphibious assault ship during a time when the ship provided support for Hurricane Katrina relief , as well as undertaking two deployments to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . In September 2007 , Tyson was promoted to rear admiral ( Lower Half ) and took command of Task Force 73 in Singapore . On July 29 , 2010 , Tyson assumed command of Carrier Strike Group Two , with the nuclear - powered aircraft carrier as its flagship , becoming the first woman to command a U . S . Navy aircraft carrier task group . During the ceremony , she stated , " As far as the trailblazing piece , I understand I am the first woman on the job . . . but I ' m a professional just like my fellow officers are , and my fellow strike group commanders . " Carrier Strike Group Two completed its Composite Training Unit Exercise ( COMPTUEX ) and Joint Task Force Exercise ( JTFEX ) predeployment underway training cycle and subsequently departed Norfolk Naval Base on its 2011 overseas deployment under the command of Admiral Tyson on 11 May 2011 . The carrier strike group will be operating with the U . S . Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea and the U . S . Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan ( OEF - A ) . In an August 1 , 2011 ceremony on the " George Bush " , Tyson was promoted to two - star rear admiral ( Rear Admiral Upper Half ) . Former U . S . President George H . W . Bush administered the oath of office to Tyson via videolink from Kennebunkport , Maine . Personal . Tyson resides in Williamsburg , Virginia , with her husband Wayne and enjoys playing golf .