Commissioned in August 1996, Kate Germano served for 20 years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps. A combat veteran, she participated in numerous operational and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief deployments and had many challenging assignments, including service for year as the Marine Aide to the Secretary of the Navy. She was selected for command twice, and served most recently as the commanding officer of the Marine Corps’ only all-female unit, the 4th Recruit Training Battalion. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Goucher College, where she majored in history with a pre-law emphasis. In 2011, she graduated with distinction from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, earning her Masters of Military Science degree. Upon retiring from the Marine Corps, she became the Chief Operating Officer for the Service Women's Action Network. She is actively engaged in the struggle to end gender bias in the military, and is a vocal proponent for equal rights and the elimination of double standards and lowered expectations for female service members. Service Women’s Action Network is the voice of women in the military. SWAN is a member-driven community network advocating for the individual and collective needs of service women past, present and future.