Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Mari K. Eder, a PennWest Edinboro alumnus and bestselling author, will speak on the Edinboro campus on Tuesday, March 24.

The talk will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in Frank G. Pogue Student Center Room 143 and is sponsored by the Office of Community, Opportunity, Responsibility and Engagement.

Eder earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Edinboro before beginning a 35-year career in the U.S. Army. Her service included senior leadership roles at the Pentagon and on the Army staff, including deputy chief of public affairs for the Army Reserve.

She also served as director of public affairs at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies and taught as an adjunct professor at the NATO School and Sweden’s International Training Command. She holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College and an advanced certificate in mass communications from the University of South Carolina.

Eder retired from the Army in 2013 after serving as the first commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve Joint and Special Troops Support Command, headquartered in Salt Lake City.

In addition to her military career, Eder is a bestselling author known for documenting the lives of women who shaped history. Her books include "The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line" (2021) and "The Girls Who Fought Crime" (2023). Her next book, "The Girls Who Beat the Odds," will be published in May 2026.

Edinboro awarded Eder an honorary doctor of humane letters in 2013 in recognition of her distinguished service and contributions.