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Brigadier General
Kathleen Harrington
Permanent Professor 2004–2022
Vice Dean of the Faculty 2014–2016
B.S., United States Air Force Academy
M.S., University of Southern California
M.A., University of Hawaii
Ph.D., University of Washington
Kathleen Harrington, the Academy’s 77th Permanent Professor, was born in Everett, Washington, in 1962. She graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1984 with a degree in Humanities. As a communications officer, Kathleen has served at the squadron, group, and headquarters levels in both US Air Forces Europe and in Pacific Air Forces. Her first assignment was as a student at the Basic Communication-Electronics Course, Keesler AFB, MS. From 1985 to 1987 she was a Systems Integration Analyst at Kapaun Barracks, Kaiserslautern, Germany. Then from 1987 to 1989 she was assigned as Chief of Operations, 2184th Communications Squadron, Hahn Air Base, Germany. While at Hahn, Kathleen earned a Master’s degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California in 1988. She was next transferred to the Pacific as Chief of Maintenance, 1957th Communications Group, Hickam AFB, HI, 1989–1992. While at Hickam, Kathleen was selected for an assignment to the Air Force Academy faculty and sent to the University of Hawaii, where she earned her Master’s degree in English in 1994. During her first faculty tour as Instructor of English, 1994–1996, she was selected by the Department of English for PhD sponsorship. She performed her doctoral work at the University of Washington, Seattle, and graduated with her PhD in English in 1999. Her dissertation research centered on the literary foundation of leaders—what people read to develop themselves as leaders—a topic she would later apply directly to the Department of English curriculum. From 1999 to 2002 she was assigned to HQ US Air Forces, Europe, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, as the Commander’s Speechwriter, where she prepared materials from informal talks to formal testimony before Congress. Subsequently she was selected to be the USAFE Commander’s Executive Officer. Kathleen then went to Italy as Commander, 31st Communications Squadron and Deputy Commander, Mission Support Group, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy, 2002–2004, providing direct support to ongoing air combat activity. Thus, her career in communications encompassed systems analysis, operations, maintenance, and command. In 2004 Kathleen was selected as a Permanent Professor and appointed Head, Department of English and Fine Arts. In this position, she applied her research to strengthen the cadet understanding of literature and leadership, and she developed a new approach to the literature of war, through interviews with women who write about war. She published articles on war literature and on academic freedom. In 2009 Kathleen received a prestigious fellowship from the American Council on Education (ACE) and spent the 2009–2010 academic year on sabbatical with the Office of the Chancellor, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. As an ACE Fellow, Kathleen joined a select group of professionals studying strategic planning across a wide range of American institutions of higher education. From 2014 to 2016 Kathleen was the Vice Dean of the Faculty, where she took the lead to define, plan, and implement a new vision for the Academy McDermott Library as a center for cadet collaborative learning.
Update (2022): Kathleen Harrington was promoted to brigadier general and retired from the Air Force in 2022.