A native of New York and the youngest of five children, Kathryn A. Condon said she never imagined she would be a member of the senior executive service at a four-star command. But that didn't mean she lacked ambition. Early in her career, Condon set a goal to reach the top rank of the general schedule scale, GS-15, by age 40. No small feat, but a goal she surpassed long before her self-selected date.
Condon, who served as Army Materiel Command's executive deputy to the commanding general from September 2006 to September 2009, will be inducted into the command's Hall of Fame on March 10, along with four other Soldiers and civilians who made lasting contributions to the command.
She started her career in federal service in March 1983 as a revenue officer with the Internal Revenue Office before transitioning to the Army team as a management analyst and chief information support office at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
From there Condon's career took off, taking positions with the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Logistics and Environment).
She was selected for the senior executive service in 1997 and served as the first civilian Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, G-3/5/7 on the Army Staff, prior to coming to the Army Materiel Command in 2006 to serve as the command's first female executive deputy to the commanding general.
"I've been very fortunate in my career," she said. "I've worked for some tremendous leaders who saw more potential in me than I did. I owe a lot to them. I don't think I could pick [just one individual who mentored me], which says a lot for how the Army as an institution trains and grows future leaders."
During her tenure at AMC, Condon served as the civilian deputy to both Gen. Benjamin Griffin and Gen. Ann Dunwoody, facilitating the command's support of two conflicts, including the surge of troops into Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
During her tenure at AMC, Condon said, "before September 11, war was something you read about in history books, but now some of my closest and dearest friends are on the battlefield, and that adds a personal dimension to what I do. They are putting their lives on the line and I have to do everything I can do to support them."
After leaving AMC in 2009, Condon served as the executive director of U.S. Army National Military Cemeteries, where she was credited with initiating revolutionary changes at Arlington National Cemetery. She retired from federal service in 2013.
Social Sharing