Celebrating ROTC’s 50th year at Austin Peay: Brig. Gen. Robin L. Mealer
(Posted July 14, 2021)
The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Austin Peay State University is celebrating its 50th year. To mark the occasion, each month through the end of the year, we’ll share one story of a Governor’s Guard alumni or former leader. This month, we share the story of APSU alumna retired Army Brig. Gen. Robin L. Mealer.
Mealer graduated and was commissioned in the Air Defense Artillery branch from York College. She has earned three master’s degrees, including a Master of Arts in Special Education from Austin Peay in 2000.
From 1996-2000, she served as the professor of military science at Austin Peay. In 1997, she helped to lead the APSU Army ROTC program to its fourth MacArthur Award recognizing it as one of the best programs in the nation.
Mealer serves on the Austin Peay Board of Trustees through 2026.
“Austin Peay State University has contributed much to me both personally, in achieving my degree, and professionally, in the advancement and support of the Army ROTC program,” said in 2019. “This is my opportunity to reciprocate.”
After serving as professor of military science at APSU, she was selected as a force management officer in 2000 and assigned to the Pentagon in various duty positions in the Army, culminating with an assignment as the chief of the Force Management and Integration Division. She led Army chief of staff initiatives to transform and build Army force structure capabilities, develop a RESET program to restore strategic depth, gain approval on additional end strength and deployed to Afghanistan to assess Headquarters and Joint Manning documents of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. She was deployed to Iraq for 16 months to advise Iraqi Ministry of Defense General Officers on the development of their institutional capabilities to generate, train and sustain their forces.
Mealer assumed her current duties as director of the U.S. Army Manpower Analysis Agency at Fort Belvoir, Virginia in 2011, and as director, she is responsible for the oversight of all manpower determination policies and analytical methodologies used in manpower requirements validation for the Army’s generating force.
In addition to her bachelor’s degree from York College and master’s degree from APSU, Mealer has a master’s in military science from the Command and General Staff College and a master’s in national security and strategy from the Army War College. She has attended a wide variety of military schools, culminating with her graduation from the Joint Force Staff College in 2010.
Mealer’s military awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Award, Joint Meritorious Unit Award (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster), Air Medal (2d award), Iraq Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal, Air Assault Badge, Senior Army Aviators Badge and the Army Staff Identification Badge
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