Kimberly O'Brien

About Kimberly O'Brien

Kim is an Air Force veteran and military spouse of 21 years. She contributes articles to HigherEd Military and covers features and resources for Military.com. Her background spans 15 years in higher education, leading faculty and teams in assessments, project management, and continuous improvement processes.

Expertise

2025-Current: Academic and Career Advisor at St. Petersburg College and Military.com Writer
2025: Higher Education Military Fellowship
2015-2025: Senior Manager of Evaluation Operations at Western Governors University
2011-2023: Associate Instructor at University of Arizona Global Campus
2013-2014: Hospital Project Coordinator
2007-2011: U.S. Southern Command Administrative Coordinator
2000-2005: U.S. Air Force Information Management

Education

M.Ed. Learning and Technology – Western Governors University
M.A. Global History – American Military University
B.A. Communication Studies – University of Maryland University College
A.S. Information Management – Community College of the Air Force

Achievements

2020: Learning Leadership Award
2017: Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award and “Inspire & Develop” Leadership Award
2010: South Florida Employee of the Year and Joint Service Civilian Commendation Medal
2002: Technician of the Year

Publications

Featured in HigherEd Military
Featured in Association for Distance Education and Independent Learning
Featured in International Institute for Asian Studies

Connect with Kim O’Brien

Email: Kimberly.o@military.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-obrien-2021/

Latest Articles

MOAA is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan association of officers from America’s military services and the commissioned corps of the U.S. Public Health Service and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, comprising the nation’s uniformed services (moaa.org)..

MOAA's Education Mission and Scholarship Fund

The MOAA Education Assistance Program and its mission to alleviate some of the burden with educational costs has been...

A warm welcome at the school entrance: Teachers in fun costumes and military personnel, including special guest Col. M. Jordan Inman, cheer on arriving students with pom-poms and high-fives. DoDEA operates as a field activity of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. It is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th-grade educational programs for the Department of Defense. DoDEA operates 161 accredited schools in 9 districts in 11 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico, serving over 67,000 military-connected students (Michael ODay, DVIDS).

Cuts at the Education Department Put Military Families’ Most Vulnerable Kids at Risk

The recent Department of Education layoffs that have diminished the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services...

Military members wishing to continue their education can find that there are a variety of financial assistance programs to help fund their endeavors. Programs such as the Montgomery GI Bill, the Post 9/11 GI Bill and in-state Tuition Assistance (DVIDS).

Update on the Veterans Choice Act: What Section 702 Means for You

The original Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (also the Choice Act) primarily focused on healthcare...

Marines learn about online resources for finding civilian jobs and other benefits they may receive during the first in a series of planned classes hosted by the Education Center featuring Veterans Affairs benefits advisors (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Christine Cabalo, DVIDS).

Tips for College-Bound Veterans Using Post-9/11 GI Bill

With the majority of veterans taking advantage of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, many are not realizing the full potential and how to...

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Cera Savage, right, 445th Logistics Readiness Squadron supply journeyman, receives education information from Master Sgt. Sandra Parcell, 445th Force Support Squadron Education and Training Air Reserve Technician, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, July 17, 2025. Savage visited the educational and training office seeking information on education programs, requesting transcripts to apply for an associate’s degree from the Community College of the Air Force and looking for general bachelor’s degree information. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Johnathan Quiñones)

What You Should Know About Your Joint Services Transcript

While your military training and education are valuable, it may not always work in your favor as transfer credit in higher...

Military spouse, Sonia Trefflich, testified at the Joint Informational Hearing on Career Portability and the burden of license transfer in Sacramento, CA in 2019. (Brittany Curry/DVIDS)

Portability of Professional Licenses for Military Spouses

Military spouses who hold professional licenses used to face significant burdens when relocating, but more legislative...

Caption: Military spouse, Sonia Trefflich, testified at the Joint Informational Hearing on Career Portability and the burden of license transfer in Sacramento, CA in 2019. (Brittany Curry/DVIDS)

Portability of Professional Licenses for Military Spouses

Military spouses who hold professional licenses used to face significant burdens when relocating but more legislative...

Lisa Huepenbecker, wife of Army Spc. Joshuah Huepenbecker, works on her resume alongside other military spouses at the Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Career Forum, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Jan. 13, 2012. DOD photo by Elaine Sanchez

Military Spouse Hiring Act Needs Your Support

Military spouses face the highest rate of unemployment and underemployment in the nation, but the Military Spouse Hiring Act...

The Guam Homeschooling Association touring the USS Emory S. Land on June 13, 2025. (Ethan Lambert/DVIDS)

School Choice and Homeschooling Plans for Military-Connected Families

Families are opting to homeschool or use private school choices, but there is no mandate for accountability. On January 29...

Military News

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Most Popular Military News

Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., left, confronts House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Federal Government Shutdown Grinds into a Second Week as Tempers Flare at the Capitol

As the federal government shutdown enters a second week, there’s no discernible endgame in sight.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) questions U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as she testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Trump Targets Blumenthal, Calling for Investigation into Senator's Vietnam Service Claims

President Donald Trump is targeting U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal again after Connecticut’s senior U.S. senator grilled U.S...

Pvt. Paul Douglas, age 50, performs a rifle inspection with his drill instructor aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot S.C., 1942. Douglas, at age 50 was the oldest recruit in the history of Parris Island, and went on to become a purple heart recipient and Chicago senator (DVIDS).

At 50, He Survived Marine Boot Camp — Then Fought at Peleliu and Okinawa

When 50-year-old Paul Douglas showed up at Marine Corps boot camp in 1942, the white-haired economics professor looked more...

Pack and transport platoon of the Russian army. Southern Military District. Ministry of Defense of Russia (Wikimedia Commons).

Ukrainian Drones Attack Russian Cavalry Troops in Rare 21st-Century Encounter

A short video circulating online this month appears to show a Russian mounted patrol being struck by a Ukrainian drone near...

When The Government Can Afford Everything Except The Essentials

Every shutdown forces the government to decide what counts as “essential.” Air traffic controllers and TSA agents fall into...

Troops Will Miss Paychecks Next Week Without Action on the Government Shutdown

The federal government shutdown is raising anxiety levels among service members and their families, because those in uniform...

Latest Military Videos

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A headstone in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery marks the remains of the only known former Waffen-SS member...

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Messages in a bottle written by two Australian soldiers a few days into their voyage to the battlefields of...

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Israel’s military said Wednesday that the ceasefire was back on in Gaza after it carried out heavy airstrikes overnight...

Destruction in Gaza Visible from Southern Israel

From multiple vantage points, debris piles are visible as a result of bombing in Gaza. (AP) Oct. 24

Investigations and Features

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark...

Army Capt. Jeremy Kuykendall and his wife Kate, cradle their daughter

Unsupervised: Military Child Care Centers Slow to Report Abuse with Little Oversight

A Military.com investigation into military day care centers revealed that service branch rules generally prioritize...

Army News

Deborah Sampson disguised herself as male soldier Robert Shurtleff to enlist in the Continental Army's Fourth Massachusetts Regiment in 1782. These historical portraits illustrate her dual identity during the Revolutionary War. (Commonwealth of Massachusetts)

Disguised as a Man, She Fought in the Revolutionary War and Later for Recognition as a Veteran

Deborah Sampson covered her chest with a tight piece of cloth, adopted a man's name and enlisted in the Continental Army's...

Hank Ford, an Army and Marine Corps veteran, with his dog, Tommy. (Submitted photo)

‘He Saved My Life’: Colorado Veteran Honors His Service Dog’s Loyalty

Hank Ford, a veteran from Colorado, might not be alive without the help of his loyal service dog.

Navy News

Marine Corporal Robert Maurer with 3/25, provides security during multi-domain training in Trinidad and Tobago during TRADEWINDS 2025 (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Astia LeBron)

Marines in the Caribbean: Poised for Any Potential Conflict

U.S. Marines currently deployed to the Caribbean are well poised for any potential conflict in the U.S. Southern Command Area...

White House Urged Firing Live Bombs, Not Dummies, for Trump’s Visit to Navy Celebration

The White House pressed Navy officials to launch 2,000-pound live bombs instead of dummy explosives during a recent military...

Air Force News

Robert Madson hopes stem cell treatment returns him to a healthy, active life. (Submitted photo)

Air Force Veteran Hopes Contest Will Bring Stem Cell Relief

Robert Madson has spent most of his life in the Air Force. After 28 deployments and flying all over the world in cramped...

U.S. Air Force personnel stand guard at an Alaska airbase during the Cold War in this painting by Mort Kunstler. Operation Washtub trained 89 civilian Alaskans as stay-behind agents to gather intelligence if Soviet forces invaded the territory between 1951 and 1959. ("Guardians of the North" by Mort Kunstler, courtesy National Guard Bureau)

Operation Washtub: How the Air Force and FBI Recruited Alaskans to Resist a Soviet Invasion

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Space Force News

U.S. Air Force U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Rachel Harmon and Master Sgt. Tom Anderson, weapons loaders assigned to the 174th Attack Wing, checks an inert GBU 12 laser guided missile on an MQ-9 Reaper at Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base in Springfield, Ohio.

Two Space Force Units Bring the 'Invisible Front Line' to Ohio

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting is planned for Friday for the Space Intelligence Production Cell at the Springfield-Beckley Air...

A painting of a Defense Support Program satellite from the Air Force Art collection. DSP provides a variety of national security capabilities. Its flagship mission of launch detection was made famous during the Cold War. (U.S. Air Force image)

Clearing The Orbits: Space Force Partnerships In Orbital Cleanup

The growing congestion of Earth orbit has raised risks to satellites, space stations, and long-term space sustainability. The...

Marine Corps News