Q&A: Getting to know Colonel Kim Colloton
The new commander sits down and offers a glimpse into her life, her leadership style, and what’s most important to her
being able to compare that to other places in the country and appreciating what each has to offer. There are so many favorite places I have across the country that I couldn’t pick just one.
geles together, after a year, we ended up dating and proceeded to get married a few years later.
NewsCastle Editorial Staff
What inspires you? What inspires me most is people. My son inspires me. Watching him try to do something he has never done before, like climb up on a table, which is what he is doing right now because he is two. But, wounded warriors for example, are people who are so dedicated to their service that even after they are wounded they want to come back and keep giving. And, they want to be part of the unit, team, or organization. They inspire me. People who come to work and give 110 percent, because they know they are doing something that is going to make a difference and change something. Volunteers…people who volunteer their free time, which we don’t have much of, since everyone is busy dealing with work and problems and whatnot, those people who get energy from volunteering and giving hours to a cause. Those volunteering spirited people inspire me. People who are passionate about what they do inspire me and make me think about the fact that there are people out there who are doing much harder things than I might
be tackling that day, and their efforts help me get the little extra energy I need to go tackle whatever I’m doing. They make me want to go to work and make sure I’m giving 100 percent. Those people around me make me want to do well and honor the blessings I’ve been given. Where did you grow up and what is special about it to you? I grew up in Upstate New York and went to college there for my undergrad. My first time outside of the northeast was my first assignment to Fort Hood, Texas as a newly commissioned Second Lieutenant. My growing up in New York made me gain an appreciation for the Adirondacks, the mountains, the lakes, the rivers, the scenery, and the beauty. Then, my first time across the Mississippi River was the assignment in Texas, and I noticed very different terrain, a very different environment, and not a lot of water, like we have in Upstate New York. A lot of my assignments have been in Texas, New Mexico, and California, which have beautiful scenery, cultures and flavor, but not a lot of water. Really, I love Upstate New York and what it has to offer, but I also enjoy
What did your family think about you joining the Army? How did you decide to become an My family was very supportive. engineer? Even I didn’t realize that I would stay Actually, my undergraduate school- this long, but it has turned out to be ing was architecture. Then, I went to a career for both me and my younger graduate school for civil engineering brother. I have been in for a little over and construction management. So, 20 years, and he is coming up on 20 when I was interviewing for college years soon. Initially, I was looking for for undergrad I remember the Dean at opportunities to help pay for college, Syracuse University asked me, “Do you and my family was very supportive. I want to know a little bit about a lot of had uncles who were in the New York different things, or do you want to know National Guard, and my dad was in the a lot about a little thing?” So, knowNavy in Vietnam. My mom was a nurse ing a little bit about a lot of different in the reserves, so I had family members things is more like an architect…maybe in various capacities in the military. It landscapes, styles, structures. For engi- has grown on me over time. I’ve had a neers, you are going to know a lot about great experience. I’ve met great people a specific skill, like civil, mechanical, along the way who have mentored me. and electrical. So, I didn’t really choose; The Army has given me awesome opI got the best of both worlds because I portunities. They have sent me to go do did architecture for undergraduate for great missions and to go to great places five years and expressed creativity and to serve, so I’ve decided to continue to quenched my desire to know a little bit serve as long as they will have me. about a lot of different things. Then, I went to grad school for civil engineerWhere is your favorite place to visit? ing and construction management and One of my favorite places to visit is got to know the details and solidify here in Los Angeles at the Getty Center. the engineering and building side. I I remember when it was getting conunderstand that architects can design structed. I was in graduate school in something that can be pretty, but it also Northern California, and I was looking has to be able to be constructed if you at it as a case study, because they were want to see it realized. going to have to reroute traffic on the 405, and all of the work that went into How did you meet your husband? construction on the site, and the design, I met my husband in graduate it’s just amazing. The first time I went school at Stanford University in North- there was in 2000 on New Year’s Day. ern California. The Army gave me the We called to schedule a reservation to opportunity to go to graduate school go, because they were not sure if they for 18 months and then, following, get were going to be open, or not, because an assignment in a Corps of Engineers everyone was worried about Y2K and District. My husband was a student, what was going to happen when we and I was his teaching assistant for one changed to the year 2000. We hedged of his classes. My assignment ended our bets and said we were going anyway. up being to here in the Los Angeles Lo and behold, not much happened on District, and he was hired by a company that day. It was my first visit and pretty that was working on a project here in newly opened. I’ve gone there a number Los Angeles, and he became the project — see Q&A, Page 14 — engineer. So, just by being in Los An-
— see Q&A, Page 1