Kathy Roth-Douquet is a nonprofit executive, author, commentator, and strategist with over two decades of leadership advancing the well-being of military-connected families. As founder and CEO of Blue Star Families—the nation’s largest grassroots military family support organization—she serves as a national spokesperson and thought leader on issues impacting service members, veterans, and their loved ones. A former White House and Department of Defense official, Kathy is also an attorney and the spouse of a retired Marine Corps officer, bringing both professional expertise and lived experience to her advocacy work. She is the best-selling author of AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America’s Upper Classes from Military Service—and How It Hurts Our Country, a widely cited call to reinvigorate national service across all sectors of society. She is on the board of the Ellis Island Honor Society and serves on a committee of the America250 commission. She has served on numerous government commissions and has received recognition from the Secretary of Defence, Secretary of the Navy, Chief of Staff of the Army, Ellis Island Honor Society and the NFL. Kathy received her MPA from SPIA in 1991 and previously served on the Princeton University Board of Trustees and is widely recognized for her policy insight, civic leadership, and unwavering commitment to national service in its many forms.
Transforming Urban Cardiovascular Health
At the 2025 Concordia Annual Summit, leaders from across sectors gathered to address one of the most pressing global health challenges: cardiovascular disease in rapidly growing urban environments. In partnership with
