Steven Ferrari (born January 25, 1962) is a career US Army officer who retired as a major general. A native of

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

and longtime member of the

New Jersey Army National Guard The New Jersey Army National Guard consists of more than 6,000 Citizen-Soldiers. The New Jersey Army National Guard is currently engaged in multiple worldwide and homeland missions. Units have deployed to Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Jord ...

, he served from 1981 to 2021. Ferrari is a veteran of the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

and

Operation Spartan Shield Operation Spartan Shield (OSS) is a USCENTCOM (United States Central Command) operation in the Middle East. OSS is commanded by United States Army Central and includes units from all service branches. Task Force Spartan is the U.S. Army component ...

, and his assignments included command of Joint Area Support Group – Central,

Multi-National Force – Iraq The Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF–I), often referred to as the Coalition forces, was a U.S.-led military command during the Iraq War from 2004 to 2009. The vast majority of MNF-I was made up of United States Army forces. However it also ...

, the

50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team The 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ("Jersey Blues") was an Brigade Combat Team (United States)#Infantry brigade combat team, infantry brigade combat team of the United States Army National Guard of New Jersey Army National Guard, New Jersey. It ...

, the 42nd Infantry Division, and Task Force Spartan. His awards and decorations included the

Army Distinguished Service Medal The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. ...

, three awards of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

, and the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

Early life

Steven Ferrari was born in

on January 25, 1962, a son of Colonel Mario J. Ferrari and Barbara Jean (Bensinger) Ferrari. Mario Ferrari was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veteran and longtime member of the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed ...

and a career law enforcement officer with the Camden Police Department. Ferrari was raised and educated in the Camden area, including Stratford, and is a 1980 graduate of Somerdale's Sterling High School, where he played baseball and football. In 1986, Ferrari married Kimberly C. Konopka, with whom he is the father of two sons, Steven and Nicholas. He later married Tracy Kashulines, and is the stepfather of her children Will and Malyssa. Ferrari became a full-time member of the

in June 1986 and continued as a full-time member until August 2011. Ferrari's later civilian career included work in the Information Technology field for companies including

General Dynamics General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales and fifth largest in the Unit ...

. While residing in Winslow Township, he served as superintendent of Veterans Haven, a transition facility for homeless veterans in Winslow that is operated by the

New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs The New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is a governmental department of the state of New Jersey. It is composed of the New Jersey Army National Guard as well as the New Jersey Air National Guard. They are administered by the ...

Start of military career

In January 1981, Ferrari enlisted in the New Jersey Army National Guard. Assigned as a

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

fire direction specialist at Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion,

112th Field Artillery Regiment The 112th Field Artillery Regiment is a Field Artillery Branch regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Mi ...

, he completed basic training and advanced individual training at

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark a ...

, Oklahoma in July 1981. He then attended

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. H ...

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

, Georgia, and he received his commission as a second lieutenant of Field Artillery in March 1982. Ferrari's initial assignments were with 1-112th Field Artillery, including: fire support team chief, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion (March 1982–January 1983); fire direction officer, Battery C (February–September 1983); executive officer, Battery C (September 1983–August 1986); reconnaissance and survey officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion (August 1986–October 1987); intelligence staff officer (S-2), Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion (October 1987–January 1989); and commander of Battery B (January 1989–August 1990). He was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in March 1985 and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in March 1988. In addition, he continued his professional military education with completion of the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course and Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course.

Continued military career

Ferrari's continued assignments included: battalion fire direction officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Battalion, 112th Field Artillery (August 1990–July 1994); battalion plans operations, and training officer (S-3), Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Battalion, 112th Field Artillery (August 1994–May 1995); battalion executive officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Battalion, 112th Field Artillery (June 1995–July 1997); and director of operations, New Jersey Army National Guard Training and Training Technology Battle Lab, (August 1997–July 1999). He was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in August 1994. From August 1999 to March 2002, Ferrari served as executive officer, of the Training and Training Technology Battle Lab. He was assigned as assistant plans, operations, and training officer (G3) at the New Jersey Army National Guard's

Fort Dix Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Fo ...

headquarters from March to April 2002. From May 2002 to February 2004, Ferrari commanded 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery. He was assigned as assistant chief of staff at the New Jersey National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters from March 2004 to January 2006. In 2000, Ferrari graduated from the

University of Phoenix University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the Ac ...

with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in

information systems An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, store, and distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, information systems comprise four components: task, people, structu ...

. He also continued his professional military education with graduation from the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

. Ferrari was promoted to lieutenant colonel in April 2001.

Later military career

From January 2006 to May 2006 Ferrari was assigned as director of military support at the New Jersey National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters. He was a strategic planner at JFHQ from May to September 2006. From October 2006 to September 2007, he served staff director at the New Jersey National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters. In 2007, He graduated from the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army staff college in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle postal address, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instru ...

with a Master of

Strategic Studies Strategic studies is an interdisciplinary academic field centered on the study of peace and conflict strategies, often devoting special attention to the relationship between military history, international politics, geostrategy, international ...

degree. From October 2007 to January 2008, Ferrari served as deputy commander of the

. He was a resident of Berlin Township when he served as the brigade's commander from February to June 2008. Steven Ferrari and Thomas Spencer 42nd ID change of command

Steven Ferrari and Thomas Spencer 42nd ID change of command

Ferrari commanded Joint Area Support Group - Central, part of

from June 2008 to June 2009. After returning to New Jersey, from June 2009 to December 2009, he again commanded the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. From January 2020 to August 2011, he served as the New Jersey Army National Guard's chief of staff. As a senior officer, he continued his professional education with courses including the Army Senior Leader Development Program- Intermediate (ASLDP-I), Army Senior Leader Development Program-Basic (ASLDP-B), and Equal Opportunity (EO) Advisor Reserve Components Course. From September 2011 to December 2015, Ferrari was assigned as the 42nd Infantry Division's assistant division commander for support. From December 2015 to February 2017, he served as the New Jersey National Guard's assistant adjutant general for army and deputy adjutant general. Professional education he completed as a general officer included the Dual Status Commanders Course, Joint Task Force Commanders Course, Army Strategic Education Program - Command (ASEP-C), Combined/Joint Forces Land Component Commander Course (C/JFLCC), and Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course (JFOWC). In March 2017, Ferrari was assigned as commander of the 42nd Infantry Division, succeeding Harry E. Miller Jr. In March 2020, the 42nd Division headquarters assumed responsibility for the Task Force Spartan, the army's contingent assigned to

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

. Ferrari commanded the task force until November 2020. After returning to the United States, he continued to command the division until January 2021, when he retired and was succeeded by Thomas Spencer.

Awards

Ferrari's awards included: *

(with 2 bronze

oak leaf clusters An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a spec ...

) *

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: Singapore *Pingat Jasa Gemilang, or Meritorious Services Me ...

(with 3 bronze oak leaf clusters) *

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issu ...

(with 4 bronze oak leaf clusters) *

Army Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to rece ...

Joint Meritorious Unit Award The Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) is a US military award that was established on June 4, 1981, by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982. The Joint Meritor ...

Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal A Reserve Good Conduct Medal refers to any one of the five military conduct awards, four of which are currently issued and one of which was previously issued, by the United States Armed Forces to members of the Reserve and National Guard. The pr ...

(with 1 silver oak leaf cluster and 3 bronze oak leaf clusters) *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...

(with 1 bronze

service star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...

) * Iraqi Campaign Medal (with 1 bronze service star) *

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT-SM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created through Executive Order 13289 on 12 March 2003, by President George W. Bush. The medal recognizes those military service ...

Armed Forces Reserve Medal The Armed Forces Reserve Medal (AFRM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, service medal of the United States Armed Forces that has existed since 1958. The medal recognizes service performed by members of the reserve com ...

(with gold hourglass, M device, and numeral 2) *

Army Service Ribbon The Army Service Ribbon (ASR) is a military award of the United States Army that was established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 April 1981 as announced in Department of the Army General Order 15, dated 10 October 1990. The Navy, Marine Corps, ...

Overseas Service Ribbon An Overseas Service Ribbon is a service military award of the United States military which recognizes those service members who have performed military tours outside the borders of the United States of America. There are different versions of the ...

with numeral 2 * New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal *New Jersey Ribbon of Honor (with 3 bronze oak leaf clusters) *New Jersey Merit Award *New Jersey Desert Storm Ribbon *New Jersey State Service Award (with 1 bronze oak leaf cluster) * New York Conspicuous Service Medal *New York Meritorious Service Medal *New Jersey Governors Unit Award

Effective dates of promotion

Steven Ferrari promotion to major general

Ferrari's effective dates of promotion were: * Major General, 20 June 2017 * Brigadier General, 29 May 2012 *

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, 15 April 2006 * Lieutenant Colonel, 16 April 2001 *

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, 11 August 1994 *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, 7 March 1988 *

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

, 10 March 1985 * Second Lieutenant, 11 March 1982

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrari, Steven 1962 births Living people Military personnel from Camden, New Jersey People from Stratford, New Jersey People from Berlin Township, New Jersey People from Winslow Township, New Jersey Sterling High School (New Jersey) alumni University of Phoenix alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army War College alumni United States Army personnel of the Iraq War National Guard (United States) generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)