Kimberly Leone

Kimberly Leone entered the Marine Corps public affairs field in 1999 and spent two decades as a combat correspondent, editor, and public affairs chief. She trained at the Defense Information School, completing the Basic Public Affairs Specialist Course, the Basic Combat Correspondent (Broadcast) Course, the Editors Course, and the Public Affairs Qualification Course. Her assignments ran from Okinawa to San Diego, Chicago, and Tampa, with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. She also had the unique opportunity to serve as the program officer for the MOS-related acquisition program and as the capabilities and doctrine lead for the field, working out of Marine Corps Systems Command and Marine Corps Combat Development Command, at MCB Quantico.

Early in her career she served as a correspondent, editor, press chief, and bureau chief, writing and shooting for base publications, designing weekly newspapers in print and digital, and managing installation websites. As a Marketing and Public Affairs Representative in Chicago, she built the 2005 Marine Week, formally recognized by the city, the state of Illinois, and more than 60 area localities. She developed the Marine Week Chicago campaign that generated roughly $200,000 in earned media and provided a starting point for development and national launch of the Marine Week program by Headquarters Marine Corps. She served as public affairs chief and command spokesperson at MCAS Miramar and as Public Affairs Chief and Deputy PAO at Marine Forces Central Command, where she wrote public affairs and civil affairs annexes for operational plans, before moving on to Quantico for her roles in acquisitions, capabilities, and doctrine development. Since 2021 she has been Director of Strategic Communications and Organizational Development at Dynamic Integrated Services, leading communications and change-management work for the Department of Veterans Affairs. She holds an M.A. in Strategic Communication from the University of Missouri, is completing a doctorate in Organizational Development and Change Management at Sacred Heart University and has been decorated with the Meritorious Service Medal and multiple Navy and Marine Corps Commendation and Achievement Medals.