Ms. Karen Pound, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Deputy Director, Strategy, Policy and Plans, North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Ms. Pound’s responsibilities include the development of strategy, doctrine, policy, and plans for NORAD and USNORTHCOM, as well as security cooperation activities with The Bahamas, Canada, and Mexico, to accomplish USNORTHCOM’s missions of homeland defense, civil support, and security cooperation and NORAD’s missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning.

Prior to this assignment, Ms. Pound was the Deputy Director, Joint Forces Development and Training for United States Space Command, Colorado Springs, Colorado. In this role, Ms. Pound developed USSPACECOM policy and program implementation for joint education and training, exercises, lessons learned, and concept development and experimentation. She also conducted educational collaboration with government, public, and private academic and research institutions to encourage research in USSPACECOM areas of interest and professional development of command personnel.

Ms. Pound entered the U.S. Air Force in 1998 after receiving her commission from Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Ms. Pound served in the Air Force for six years in both the active and Reserve components in both the space and missile, and logistics readiness career fields.  After earning her Juris Doctor from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, she completed a one-year judicial clerkship at the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Virginia. Ms. Pound then went on to serve as a trial attorney for the Department of Justice.  Ms. Pound is licensed to practice law in the State of Texas and is admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court.   

Ms. Pound returned to the Air Force to serve as a civilian Airman in 2010 where she has worked in a variety of positions at the Headquarters Air Force, Joint Staff, and combatant command levels. After initially serving as the speechwriter to the Under Secretary of the Air Force, she was selected to become the communications team chief and then Deputy Director the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Executive Action Group’s, a unit providing direct, unfiltered advice to SecAF and CSAF. In 2014, Ms. Pound was selected for the Defense Senior Leader Development Program and attended The Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy. After receiving her master's degree, she then completed an experiential assignment in Stuttgart, Germany at Headquarters U.S. European Command in the ECJ5/8, Strategy Division. In 2015, Ms. Pound returned to the HAF to serve in several roles within the Air Force Concepts, Development, and Management office. In 2020, Ms. Pound became the Deputy Chief, Space Policy Division within the Joint Staff Directorate for Strategy, Plans, and Policy at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 

EDUCATION 
1996 Bachelor of Behavioral Science, Psychology, Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, Texas 
2005 Juris Doctor, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law 
2007 Basic Civil Trial Advocacy Seminar, The National Advocacy Center, University of South Carolina  
2014 Air Force Civilian Leadership Course 
2014 Defense Strategy Foundation Course, Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa., by correspondence 
2015 Master of Science, National Resource Strategy, The Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 
2016 Defense Senior Leader Development Program 
2019 Driving Government Performance, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 
2019 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill  
2020 Air Force Leading Change and Innovation Seminar 
2020 Space 100, National Security Space Institute, Colorado Springs, Colo., by correspondence 
2021 Space Executive Course, National Security Space Institute, Colorado Springs, Colo. 
2022 Seminar XXI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. 

CAREER CHRONOLOGY 
1. 1998–2001, Missile Combat Crew Commander, 91st Space Wing, Minot Air Force Base, N.D. 
2. 2001–2003, Logistics Readiness Officer, 74th Aerial Port Squadron, Lackland AFB, Texas (Reserve)
3. 2005–2006, Law Clerk to the Honorable Gaylord L. Finch, Jr., The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Virginia, Fairfax, Va.  
4. 2006–2010, Trial Attorney, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. 
5. 2010–2011, Executive Speechwriter, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Executive Action Group, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon,
Arlington, Va. 
6. 2011–2013, Communications Team Chief, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Executive Action Group, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 
7. 2013–2014, Deputy Director, Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Executive Action Group, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 
8. 2014–2015, Student, The Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 
9. 2015, Strategy Program Manager, HQ U.S. European Command, Strategy and Plans Directorate, Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany 
10. 2015–2016, Deputy Program Manager, Combatant Command Intelligence Information Technology Program, Air Force Concepts, Development, and Management office, Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 
11. 2016–2018, Strategy Analyst and Strategic Communications Advisor, Air Force Concepts, Development, and Management office, Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 
12. 2018–2020, Deputy Director, Cyber & Strategic Enabling Directorate, Air Force Concepts, Development, and Management office, Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 
13. 2020–2022, Deputy Chief, Space Policy Division, Directorate for Strategy, Plans, and Policy, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 
14. 2022–2023, Deputy Director, Joint Forces Development and Training, U.S. Space Command, Colorado Springs, Colo. 
15. 2023–present, Deputy Director, Strategy, Policy and Plans, North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command, Peterson Space Force Base, Colo. 

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS 
Department of Justice Outstanding Attorney Award 
Department of Defense Spirit of Service Award 
Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Award x 2 
Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award 

(Current as of July 2023)