Odie McGowan – Board Member

Odie Woods-McGowan earned bachelor's and master’s degrees from Prairie View A&M University in 1967 and 1975 respectively. While balancing motherhood, community involvement, and the life of a military spouse, her career was deeply rooted in Human Resources with almost 30 years in the federal government, 25 of which were in supervisory/management positions. 

As Fort Hood’s Equal Employment Opportunity Manager, she implemented the Fort Hood Early Resolution Program in 1999 with collateral-duty mediators and saved more the $3 million dollars in cost avoidance during the first 3 years of the program. Her initiative is now formalized as the Department of the Army Alternative Dispute Resolution Program. She worked very closely with the Employee Assistance Program Manager, the American Federation of Government Employees Union, Labor Attorneys, and Management Employee Relations to accomplish common goals for the benefit of all employees. Together, they formed a Workplace Violence Prevention Program and were a part of the Critical Incident Response Team. 

She is the first African American inducted into the United States Army Garrison-Fort Hood Civilian Hall of Fame, honoring its members’ achievements for going above and beyond job expectations and serving as role models for excellence across the Installation. Throughout her federal career, she enhanced the effectiveness of the organization and encouraged empowerment and well-being for the entire workforce. 

She and her best friend organized the first American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in Central Texas in 1998. She also co-chaired the first Relay on the Installation in 2001 which was widely supported by the HQ, III Corps, and Fort Hood Command Group and raised a record $153,000. She and Billy, (a 1966 PV grad) have been married for 52 years and have 2 sons, who are also Prairie View Alumni.