Vice Adm. Rondeau is the president, National Defense University (NDU), which is the premier center for Joint Professional Military Education and is under the direction of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. She assumed this post in July 2009.

Rondeau graduated with a degree in history in 1973 from Eisenhower College, where she was selected by the Board of Trustees as “Most Distinguished Graduate” and received the Groben Award for Leadership. She earned her commission in 1974 through Officer Candidate School. Subsequent assignments include Navy Staff in the NATO/Europe Section of the Strategy, Plans and Policy Division; Office of the Secretary of Defense as assistant for policy analysis; the Office of African Affairs; special assistant to the Attorney General for National Security Affairs as a White House Fellow; Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Executive Panel as assistant for political-military analysis; military assistant to the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; and, deputy chief of Staff for Shore Installations for Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet Staff.

Rondeau’s early leadership tours include serving as the operations officer for VP-50, the executive officer for the FSS-1, the officer-in-charge of Military Sealift Command (MSC) Unit (New Orleans), and as a battalion officer at the U.S. Naval Academy. She has also held many senior command positions to include commanding officer, Naval Support Activity, La Maddalena, Italy, and at Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington, Tenn.; commander of Naval Training Center Great Lakes; and, subsequently as the first commander of Naval Service Training Command, which was established June 30, 2003. Following these tours, Rondeau assumed command of Naval Personnel Development Command in November 2004, and later became the director of Navy Staff in August 2005. In December 2006, she assumed duties as deputy commander of U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Rondeau is surface warfare qualified, training on both MSC Merchant Marine vessels and U.S. Navy combatants. She holds sub-specialty qualifications in political-military affairs, operations intelligence, operations analysis, strategy and planning, and military transportation. In addition, she was selected as a White House Fellow, a CNO Strategic Studies Group Fellow and as a permanent member of the Council of Foreign Relations. As president of NDU, she is a member of the board of directors of the U.S. institute for Peace, as well as Department of Defense liaison to the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.

She has a master's degree in comparative government from Georgetown University and a doctoral degree from Northern Illinois University. In addition, she has been conferred an honorary doctoral degree in public service from Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisc., and received the New York City USO 2008 Woman of the Year award. Rondeau is on the editorial board of the “Journal for Nonprofit Management.” She is also a licensed private pilot.

Her personal awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (4 awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal (2 awards), Meritorious Service Medal (3 awards), and Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3 awards).