Kate Germano

Called ‘too tough for the Marine Corps’, Kate made headlines when she took a principled stand and confronted systemic problems of gender bias and lowered expectations for women in the Marine Corps. A 20-year career Marine and combat veteran, she fought back and became a national figure by speaking out against discrimination and advocating for higher expectations and standards for women in the Military. She is a published author (see Fight Like A Girl: The Truth Behind How Female Marines are Trained), speaker, and advocate. Her writing has been published in national media outlets to include the New York Times, Washington Post, San Diego Union Tribune, Time Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, and more. She has also been featured on NPR, CSPAN, and PBS Newshour. While on active duty (1996-2016) she built a successful career in talent management, recruiting, a staff officer with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in combat in Iraq (2004-05), and as the Marine aide to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. Her website is www.kategermano.com