Col Maria J. Pallota, USMCR

ELD Director

•  Phone: (410) 293-6017
•  E-mail: pallotta@usna.edu
•   Department of Leadership, Ethics, Law, Luce Hall (Mail Stop 7-B) 112 Cooper Road Annapolis, MD 21402-5022

Colonel Pallotta grew up in Cleveland, OH, and joined the Marine Corps upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1994.  After attending The Basic School, she was assigned the motor transport military occupational specialty (MOS) and attended Motor Transport School in Camp Lejeune, NC. 

She served her first tour in Okinawa, Japan, from 1995 until 1998,  first as a platoon commander in 3d Support Battalion, 3d Force Service Support Group, and then as the Motor Transport Detachment Commander for Marine Expeditionary Unit Service Support Group-31.  After one year in this billet, she became the command’s operations officer for the remainder of her tour.  She participated in operations in Korea, Thailand, Australia, and mainland Japan. 

Colonel Pallotta served with the 4^th Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) Battalion in Pasadena, CA, from 1998 until 2001.  She filled various billets, including Logistics Officer, Motor Transport Officer, Adjutant, Equal Opportunity Officer, Public Affairs Officer, and Commanding Officer.  During this tour, she became a logistics officer. 

From 2001 to 2004, she served as a senior English instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy.  She was additionally a staff platoon commander for the Leatherneck Marine Corps summer training program and the officer representative for Varsity Women’s Crew and the Masqueraders drama group. 

In 2004, Colonel Pallotta served with Transportation Support Battalion at Camp Lejeune, NC.  She was deployed twice to Operation Iraqi Freedom, once in 2005 as the Regimental Operations Officer for Combat Logistics Regiment-25, and once in 2006 as the Transportation Support Company Commanding Officer with Combat Logistics Regiment-15.  During both tours, she was responsible for organizing, preparing, training for, and overseeing the execution of multiple daily re-supply convoys to camps throughout al Anbar Province, including Camps Fallujah, Ramadi, and al Asad.

 In 2008 Colonel Pallotta served her first tour as a reserve officer with Special Operations Training Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.  She taught English to students in the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) and completed a military Congressional Fellowship in the office of Congressman John Kline (R-MN) in 2010.  Since then, she served with the 4^th Marine Logistics Group in Marietta, GA, and History Division in Quantico, VA.  She completed research and wrote historical panels for forthcoming exhibits in the new galleries at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.  She currently serves as a liaison officer with the Service Component Operational Logistics Augmentation Cell (Korea) at the 4^th Marine Logistics Group in New Orleans, LA.

Her awards include the Bronze Star and the Navy Commendation Medal (third award). 

Colonel Pallotta is the Director of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Center for Experiential Leadership Development (ELD) and teaches leadership and ethics to midshipmen. She holds a master’s degree in English and is currently a doctoral candidate in Education at George Mason University.  She resides in Annapolis, MD.