Brig. Gen. Antoinette Gant relinquished command of the US Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division to Col. Chad Caldwell.
The ceremony, hosted by the Deputy Commanding General of the US Army Corps of Engineers Maj. Gen. William Graham, was held at the Bay Model Visitor Center in Sausalito, Calif.
Caldwell, who currently serves as the Commander of the Sacramento District, will serve as Acting Division Commander until Brig. Gen. Kirk Gibbs takes command later this fall.
Brig. Gen. Gant will move on to Chicago to lead the Army Enterprise Marketing Office, the corporate marketing office for the United States Army.
Graham lauded Gant for her tireless efforts during her time with the Corps. “Toni, our loss today is the Army’s gain of a lifetime, and I couldn’t be prouder of you and how you’ve represented the Army and Engineer branch,” Graham shared. “Not just here at SPD, but in Albuquerque, Louisville, our Border District in Phoenix, and throughout your entire stellar career.”
Gant reflected on her time South Pacific Division as one of rising to the occasion no matter the obstacle.
“There have been peaks and valleys but one thing that has never waivered is our steadfast joy as a division for the work we do,” Gant said. “The countless challenges that we turned into opportunities each time we were hit with an obstacle. I am very proud of the work we have done collectively and there is no other place I would have wanted to be.”
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division provides vital engineering solutions in collaboration with partners to secure the nation, energize the economy and reduce risk from disaster. South Pacific Division operates in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and in parts of Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Texas that includes 1,100 miles of coastline, 3.9 million acres of estuarine wetlands, 2,290 miles of federal levees and 46 dams and reservoirs. Most recently, South Pacific Division responded to the COVID-19 pandemic working with partner agencies to establish eight alternate care facilities across eight states.
As Acting Commander of South Pacific Division, Caldwell oversees water resources, military construction, environmental stewardship and restoration and emergency management with a workforce of 2,500 civilians and military personnel in four districts across the 10 states.
