New Hampshire’s Dartmouth College grad Eric Fanning (class of ’90; A.B., history), as of Feb. 18, is the first openly gay Pentagon chief of staff. Interestingly, back in Fanning’s undergrad days, Dartmouth honored him with its version of “most likely to succeed” by bestowing upon him its Barrett Cup, which honors “the senior man who shows the greatest promise of becoming a factor in the outside world,” according to a profile in Dartmouth Alumni Magazine.
Proving Dartmouth right, President Barak Obama’s newly appointed Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, made Fanning’s Feb. 18. appointment one of the first acts of his new job.
Praising the appointment, Chad Griffith, President of the Human Rights Campaign — the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization — issued the following statement:
“With Eric Fanning’s significant experience and expertise, there are few as qualified to excel in this significant role within the Department of Defense. As an openly gay man, his appointment is not only breaking former barriers for the LGBT community, but it is further evidence of the tremendous progress towards fairness and equality that we continue to make within the Department of Defense. We congratulate him and look forward to working with him and Secretary Carter on the challenges that remain.”
A Feb. 11 article in Defense News predicted the appointment, noting Fanning as “an up and comer:”
“Before joining the Air Force’s leadership team [in 2013], Fanning also served as deputy undersecretary of the Navy and its deputy chief management officer from 2009-2013, where he led the sea service’s business transformation and governance processes.
Fanning ‘has had a terrific tenure in the Air Force,’ said Rebecca Grant, a former Air Force official and president of IRIS Research. ‘He’s really been able to operate across the full range, including being involved in the difficult budget meetings in the Pentagon’ over the past several years, she added.’
Looking back, Fanning told the Dartmouth magazine, “I owe my Washington career to Dartmouth connections provided by professors.” But, he adds, rising up the ranks wasn’t always easy going as a gay man. “Working in the Pentagon with Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was a very difficult experience for me.” That said, Fanning also tells the magazine, “being here when it was repealed was amazing. Watching President Obama sign the repeal into law was one of the highlights of my career.”
