Professional Achievement Award
Colonel Jodelle Melander Schroeder, Nurs ’97
Delafield, Wis. and Falls Church, Va.
As the deputy corps chief of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, Col. Jodelle Schroeder has relished the chance to Be The Difference in the lives of military nurses and service members. She will retire in May as second in charge of managing the Nurse Corps, concluding a 28-year military career that began at Marquette, where she was a nursing student and ROTC cadet.
Nursing wasn’t her original goal; Jody wanted to study physical therapy on an ROTC scholarship but discovered Marquette too late to apply for that program. She quickly fell in love with nursing. “The ROTC and nursing programs absolutely shaped my passion and purpose,” she explains. She deployed in 2003 to Ar Ramadi, Iraq, as the brigade combat team nurse for 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, the only nurse caring for more than 4,000 service members. The experience sealed her commitment to military nursing.
Throughout her career, Jody has aimed to embody servant leadership, “whether caring directly for patients, leading as the chief nursing officer for large military medical centers or coaching others to be the best version of themselves,” she says. Much of her current work involves teaching and mentoring military nurses, including Marquette ROTC Nursing alumni. She also enjoys returning to Marquette to connect with current nurse cadets.
“This award really is not about me,” she says, “but an opportunity to highlight all the incredible Army and military nurses that Marquette has produced. They are quietly being the difference everyday as professionals across the nation and around the world.”
What is one of your favorite Marquette memories?
We had a great cohort of Army and Navy ROTC nurse cadets. I fondly recall early morning physical training followed immediately by early morning nursing lectures with all of us, still in our PT clothes, sitting in the front few rows together.
Name a defining life moment at Marquette or beyond.
I met my husband, Brian Schroeder, Arts ’97, while attending Marquette, and we have been married for over 28 years. I'd say that is pretty defining!
Name someone (past or present) with whom you'd like to have dinner.
I am a huge history buff. Florence Nightingale would be incredible to have dinner with, as would George Washington!
