CINCINNATI – Brig. Gen. Mark Toy took command of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division during a change of command ceremony at The Phoenix in Cincinnati on Wednesday, August 31, 2016.
Brig. Gen. Toy, who previously served as the Commanding General of the South Pacific Division in San Francisco, assumed command from Col. Benjamin J. Bigelow, who will return to his duties as the Division Deputy Commander. Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, the 54th Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer, presided over the ceremony.
Brig. Gen. Toy brings with him knowledge gained from over 30 years of Army service. Before commanding South Pacific Division, Brig. Gen. Toy served as the Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, an organization consisting of over 37,000 military and civilian employees.
Brig. Gen. Toy also served as the Commander and District Engineer for the Los Angeles District. He led 844 military and civilian personnel operating throughout a 226,000 square mile area of California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. He controlled more than $1 billion annually executing a program of planning, engineering, construction, asset management, regulatory, emergency management, and environmental services for three Army and eight Air Force installations, International and Interagency customers, and the nation’s civil water resources infrastructure in the Southwest. Brig. Gen. Toy maintained strong personal liaison with senior national civil works and military leaders, 54 members of Congress, 170 Native American tribes, four states and numerous local governments.
Brig. Gen. Toy commanded the 84th Engineer Battalion “Never Daunted” from July 2005 to June 2007 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. In December 2006, the battalion deployed for one year to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). As Battalion Commander, he led over 900 Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen in providing direct and general engineering support to Multi-National Corps Iraq to provide assured mobility and construction capability throughout Iraq. Upon redeployment, the 84th Engineer Battalion was awarded a Meritorious Unit Citation. For his service in the combat zone, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Action Badge.
Brig. Gen. Toy is from Huntington Beach, California. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Operations Research. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Boston University, a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles, and a Master of Science Degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the states of Arizona and Virginia.