Dr. Kyleanne Hunter is CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and a dedicated and lifelong servant leader. In this role, she is responsible for strategic direction of IAVA, ensuring that the post-9/11 generation of veterans continues to have a voice in the most pressing issues of our day. A Marine Corps veteran of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, she has been dedicated to inspiring all veterans to ascend to their potential, and ensuring that the policies and practices are there to allow them to do so.

Professional Background: Prior to coming to IAVA, Ky was the lead of the Women, Peace, and Security Initiative, part of the RAND National Security Research Division and a senior political scientist at RAND. She also holds faculty affiliations as a professor of policy analysis at the RAND School of Public Policy and an affiliated professor of political science at Oregon State University. She is a non-resident fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Prior to RAND, Ky was at the United States Air Force Academy where she was director of the Strategy and Warfare Center, associate director of the Institute for Future Conflict, and a professor of military and strategic studies. She was the cochair of the Culture and Climate Line of Effort for the Independent Review Commission on Military Sexual Assault, and chair of the Employment and Integration Subcommittee for the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.

Her other previous positions have included vice president of Programs at Brady: United Against Gun Violence, and researcher in residence at the Kroc School of Peace and Justice at University of San Diego. She is a Marine Corps combat veteran with several deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as an AH-1W Super Cobra attack pilot, and worked in the Office of Legislative Affairs.

She holds a Bachelors of Science in Foreign Service from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, a Masters in International Security Studies from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at University of Denver, and a PhD in Political Science and International Relations from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at University of Denver. She has testified before Congress multiple times on topics related to bettering the lives of military service members and veterans, regularly appears in the press, and has numerous peer reviewed scholarly publications. She is co-author of Invisible Veterans: What Happens when Military Women Become Civilians Again with Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas.

More about Kyleanne: Ky is a native of the Bay Area, California. She joined the Marine Corps looking for a career that married a life long passion for adventure with a true dedication for service. In the Marines, she found that match. While serving in the Office of Legislative Affairs, she realised that there was a lack of research to inform policy decisions, especially for the most vulnerable veterans and service memebrs. Since that time she has dedicated herself to using research and analysis to give voice to the voiceless, and advocate for a better world.

Ask Kyleanne about: Motorcycle adventures, crochet, her corgi, Agnus, and whatever fantasy book she is currently reading