Adm. Lisa Franchetti was sworn in as the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy, on Nov. 2, 2023.

Her confirmation made Franchetti not only the first woman to become the CNO and the first woman on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but also the first CNO who was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program.

Franchetti, a native of Rochester, New York, was commissioned in 1985 through the NROTC program at Northwestern University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. At the time, she had no idea she’d make history for the Navy.

“I joined the Navy for free college, for books, and a chance to be part of a team,” she said. “It was going to be for four years and then I’d go on and find something else to do. What I stayed for was the team, I stayed for the mission, I stayed for what we get to do for our nation every day as part of great teams.”

Franchetti is a surface warfare officer who has commanded at all levels, including a naval destroyer and two stints as an aircraft carrier strike group commander.

She brings with her 38 years of experience and is the second woman in the US Navy to be promoted to a four-star admiral.

When she was nominated by President Joe Biden in July, Franchetti joined a growing contingent of senior general and flag officers whose promotions were held up by a Republican senator.

Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville had blocked nominees in protest of the Pentagon’s travel policy for service members seeking an abortion.