Marsha Johnson "Marty" Evans (born 1947 in Springfield, Illinois) is a retired Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. Since her retirement, Johnson has served as executive director of the Girl Scouts of the USA (1998-2002), president and Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross (2002-2005) and was the interim commissioner of the LPGA for three months in 2009. She assumed the position on July 13, 2009 upon the resignation of former commissioner Carolyn Bivens. Michael Whan replaced her as the permanent commissioner in late October 2009.
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Born in Springfield, Illinois, Evans earned a bachelor's degree in diplomacy and world affairs from Occidental College. She later earned a master's degree in law and diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. She did additional study at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and the National War College in Washington, DC.
Evans spent nearly 30 years in the United States Navy, earning the rank of Rear Admiral. She was the Chief of Staff at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and the first woman to command a U.S. naval station, while at Treasure Island in San Francisco.. In 1992, she chaired a task force that developed a strategy to address gender-based issues in the wake of the Tailhook incident. She also held top positions at the Navy Recruiting Command and at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. She retired in 1998.
After retiring from the military, Evans was named executive director of the Girl Scouts of the USA. She held that position from 1998 through 2002. In 2002 she became president and Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross. She resigned under pressure in 2005 following a series of disagreements with the organization's board of directors accepting a severance package valued at $780,000 [1]
She was appointed to the board of directors of the LPGA by then-Commissioner Carolyn Bivens in early 2009, after serving on the commissioner's advisory council in 2007 and 2008.[2] In addition to serving on the LPGA board, Evans also serves on the boards of Office Depot, Weight Watchers International, Huntsman and the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation.[3] In 2008, she earned $953,000 in cash and other compensation in exchange for her service on these boards. [3]
Evans also engages in public speaking where her booking fee is between $20,000 and $30,000 per speech.[4]
Evans is married to Jerry Evans. She and her husband live in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.