Brigadier Gen. Sheila Baxter, a former basketball standout at Virginia State and 1976 player of the year in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, will be the keynote speaker for Division II delegates at the NCAA Convention on January 15 in Atlanta.

Baxter will speak during a special session for delegates that morning (8:30-9:30), marking the first time a keynote speaker has been invited specifically to address Division II. Baxter is expected to share how her Division II athletics participation allowed her to experience the kind of balance the division’s strategic-positioning platform emphasizes.

In fact, the Division II segment at the 2010 Convention has been themed “Life in the Balance” since delegates will vote on a four-proposal package during the January 16 business session that would shorten seasons and reduce the maximum number of contests in nine sports, including men’s and women’s basketball. The proposals also feature a delayed reporting date for fall-sport athletes.

Baxter, who was the first female general in the Medical Service Corps, retired from the military in 2008 after a celebrated career that spanned three decades. She began as a field medical assistant in 1978 and quickly progressed to commander, executive officer and chief of staff. She served from 2005-08 as the commanding general at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. The base is responsible for the health care for six surrounding states and also for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Baxter, who served in Korea, Germany and Iraq, was a physical education major at Virginia State and a four-time all-CIAA selection in basketball. She was the first Virginia State player to score 1,000 points.

While in the Army, Baxter played for two years in the all-Army Basketball League.

Named one of Newsweek magazine’s “20 of America’s Most Powerful Women,” Baxter earned a master’s degree in 1986 from Webster University’s Fort Sam Houston campus in Texas.

Baxter currently is licensed with the Church of God in Christ and plans to go to seminary and pursue a divinity degree.

View a video about Baxter’s military service here.