EAST LANSING.   Major Marie L. Waalkes has been selected to receive the National Center for Women & Policing’s "Breaking the Glass Ceiling" award, presented annually to selected high-ranking women in law enforcement.

The award will be presented on Tuesday, April 30, at the National Center for Women & Policing’s 7^th Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. The keynote speaker will be Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, the first female general of the U.S. Air Force.

"We’re very proud of Major Waalkes and her accomplishments within the department. She is a respected leader to both women and men of the Michigan State Police," stated MSP Director, Col. Stephen D. Madden.

Major Waalkes enlisted with the department in February 1977, and graduated as a member of the 90^th Recruit School. She has served at the Lansing and Jackson posts, Human Resources Division, Executive Division, Criminal Investigation Division and currently the Office of Organizational Development.

In her 25 years of service, Major Waalkes has held the ranks of trooper, sergeant, detective sergeant, detective lieutenant, first lieutenant, inspector, and captain. She is the highest ranking enlisted female and has accomplished two firsts in the department’s 85 year history by becoming the first female captain in December 1998 as commander of the Human Resources Division and serving as the first female major in February 2000 as commander of the Office of Organizational Development.

Major Waalkes holds her Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from Michigan State University and a juris doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She is also a graduate of the 182^nd Session of the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia.

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