Toni Glover will be honored at halftime of Saturday's Houston Dash match against the Washington Spirit. Fans can purchase tickets to the match here.
Growing up with parents in the military Toni Glover said she always admired the armed forces and the several opportunities it offered. Her path began with the ROTC programs in high school, throughout college and she was awarded an ROTC scholarship to go the University of West Florida. Glover also graduated with an MBA from Our Lady of the Lake University, and a master’s degree in strategic leadership from the United Stated Army War College in Pennsylvania.
Glover spent 31 years in the Army and Army Reserves, including nine years deployed around the globe. Glover said she was provided several opportunities as a member of the armed forces that gave her the chance to grow as a person, soldier and as a leader.
“During that time, I've commanded at every level, from company level, battalion level to brigade level,” Glover said. “My last assignment, I was the chief of staff when we were deployed to the Middle East.”
While in the reserves, Glover was tasked with managing both her duties with the reserves and responsibilities of civilian life. Glover says she is thankful for the various opportunities and different career paths within the military that go beyond what she learned in the classroom.
“As a civilian, my degrees are in computer engineering,” Glover said. “But for the military, I worked in something totally different – logistics and transportation. We were responsible for all the lifeline items and how they got to the soldier from a logistic perspective. The Army enabled me to expand my knowledge across the board and allow me to work in a different area.”
While Glover spent several years in the military, she is thankful for the other benefits she received like earning several degrees from a variety of institutions of higher learning. She is also thankful that her son was eligible to receive funding for his education thanks to her years of service in the military. For the last 23 years, Glover has worked at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in various IT leadership roles.
Glover says she has never been to any professional sporting event and is excited to change that this weekend during Houston’s match against the Washington Spirit. She was nominated as the Hero of the Match by the leaders of MD Anderson’s Military Veterans Connection Employee Network, a unique group designed to support veterans, advance career opportunities, and increase awareness of their achievements.
“Neither one of us has ever gone to a professional, any type of game, not a basketball game, this is a first,” Glover said, “My husband said ‘we're going to change that this year.’ It was so funny. Then I saw the notification about being honored, and I was like, ‘oh, that'd be nice. Let's go to that!’”
