Kathy Roth-Douquet is founder and CEO of Blue Star Families, one of the nation’s largest nonprofits supporting military families. She is an author, commentator, strategist, and attorney. Ms. Roth-Douquet is a national spokesperson for military-connected families and a commentator on patriotism, civil-military affairs, the value of service, and the experience of military families. She appears on the major media outlets and publishes in magazines and newspapers across the country. She is the co-author of two books, including AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America’s Upper Classes from Military Service and How It Hurts Our Country, (HarperCollins, 2006), with Frank Schaeffer.

Also, since June 2022, she has been a Board Member of the Reserve Forces Policy Board, which serves as an independent advisor to Secretary of Defense on Reserve and National Guard matters.

Ms. Roth-Douquet served in the White House and in the Department of Defense. In the latter role, as Principal Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Acting), she received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service for her work on defense reform. She is a recipient of President George H. W. Bush’s Daily Point of Light Award and received the Chief of Staff of the Army Outstanding Civilian Service Award. She served on a number of boards including Princeton University’s Board of Trustees, and was named the first nominee into the Ford Hall of Heroes at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. She was co-Chair of the Bipartisan Policy Council’s Defense Personnel Reform Task Force with former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, former National Security Advisory James Jones, and former Senator James Talent. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ms. Roth-Douquet has a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College, and M.P.A. in international affairs from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a J.D. from University of San Diego (Order of the Coif). She is a military spouse of 24 years, four deployments, and 9 moves. She lives with her husband and two children in Northern Virginia.

(As of June 2022)