Rear Adm. Katherine Gregory, who will become the next commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific at Pearl Harbor, made history last week when she pinned on her first star, becoming the civil engineering corps’ first female flag officer.

She has been chief of staff for the 1st Naval Construction Division/Naval Construction Forces Command, at Norfolk, Va., which oversees about 16,000 Seabees worldwide.

Gregory was the first woman to command a Seabee battalion, Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, and also led the 30th Naval Construction Regiment during a deployment to Anbar in Iraq.

She has served at Pearl Harbor as the executive officer of Navy Public Works Center and Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

In May 2006 she assumed command of the 30th Naval Construction Regiment in Port Hueneme, Calif.

She reported for duty as chief of staff at the 1st Naval Construction Division in Norfolk in July 2008.