Alumni Spotlight: Brigadier General Carrie Nero

The University of South Florida’s College of Nursing celebrated one of its distinguished veteran alumna last week by hosting a visit from Brigadier General Carrie Nero, a retired general in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Nero earned her master’s degree in nursing from USF. Since graduating first in her class, she has broken barriers as a nurse serving in the U. S. Army Reserves.

She is the first African-American nurse to reach the rank of Brigadier General in the Army Reserves. During her 30-year career in the military, she trained all over the world and served in Desert Shield/Storm caring for wounded soldiers in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.

During her recent visit, Nero toured the school’s state-of-the-art biobehavioral and simulation labs, met with Dean Victoria L. Rich and Dr. Susan Perry, the college’s vice dean for clinical integration and scholarship, and talked about ways to improve community outreach, especially in under-privileged communities.

Nero, 76, lives in St. Petersburg. Last year, she received the Honored Veteran Award from St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman during a Veterans Day celebration.