Kimberly Pratt

Kimberly is a writer, avid reader, traveler, mentor, potter, and lifetime learner. Originally from Illinois, she has resided in multiple states and overseas spending nearly 40 years as an intelligence officer and policy analyst for the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense (DoD), including several positions where she opened doors for women as a “first.”

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Following graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1983, despite many challenges, Kimberly attended undergraduate pilot training (UPT) but was removed for “lack of adaptability” – the Air Force’s euphemism for weight gain. She was then placed in the intelligence career field and, determined to stay connected to flying, in 1986 became the first woman to serve as airborne intelligence officer on the EC-130. Never losing her dream of being a pilot, in 1987 the same bureaucracy permitted her a last-chance re-application to UPT, and then didn’t select her. Following that denial, she experienced severe panic attacks and was given a PTSD diagnosis substantiating the connection between the attacks and her experiences at USAFA.  Kimberly was removed from flight status and began treatment. Kimberly continued her Air Force intelligence career.

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In 1992, she left active duty to be a full-time mom and to teach, and transitioned to the Georgia Air National Guard (ANG). Kimberly spent 17 years in the ANG with a highlight being selected as the first commander of the 139th Intelligence Squadron activated at Fort Gordon, Georgia. Kimberly transferred to the Air Force Reserves in 2010 and served as the senior reservist at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency retiring as a Colonel in 2013.

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Kimberly is still working in the DoD and recently completed her second master’s degree in Defense and Strategic Studies from Missouri State University with an emphasis on countering weapons of mass destruction. She is also a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) and is committed to learning more about her tribal culture. Kimberly is ready to give back and mentor others. She is especially proud of her two children both who have jobs supporting our nation.