The Maine Senate on Thursday confirmed retired U.S. Army Brigadier Gen. Diane Dunn to lead the Maine National Guard, making her the first woman in state history to hold the position.
The Senate voted 33-1 on Dunn’s nomination. She will succeed Maj. Gen. Douglas Farnham, who announced his retirement in December.
Dunn, 57, of Rome, will serve as adjutant general and leader of the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.
“Every position Diane has been put in by those above her she has excelled,” said Sen. Brad Farrin, R-Norridgewock. “Not only excelled but set the bar even higher.”
Democrats praised her as well, calling her an “incredible nominee.”
“Diane Dunn is more than deserving of our enthusiastic votes to confirm her historic nomination and I welcome my colleagues in joining me in doing exactly that,” said Sen. Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop.
Dunn is a former assistant adjutant general and chief of staff for the Maine Army National Guard.
Dunn has 33 years of military service and when promoted to brigadier general in 2020, she was the first female general officer in the 200-year history of the Maine Army National Guard, according to the governor’s office.
In 2009, she deployed to Afghanistan, where she commanded the 286th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.
Most recently, she served as senior advisor and chief of staff to Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of the University of Maine and the University of Maine at Machias.
During her Monday confirmation hearing before the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, Dunn’s work on the university system’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts led three House Republicans to vote against her nomination.
In the Senate on Thursday, the lone vote against Dunn came from Sen. Eric Brakey, R-Auburn. He said he could not support her because of her opposition to Defend the Guard legislation, which allows states to refuse to send guard troops to foreign conflicts if they haven’t been declared wars by Congress.
“People speak well of her experience and her character and in those respects, I have little doubt she will serve well,” he said. “But I cannot in good conscience vote to confirm a leader of the Maine National Guard who would deny the authority of this body, this Legislature and this state to refuse unconstitutional orders from Washington to send our sons and daughters to undeclared foreign wars.”
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