Wing Commander receives Women of Achievement award

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Nathaniel Roesler
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Col. Kimberlee P. Joos, 17th Training Wing Commander, is the winner of the 10th Annual "Women of Achievement," an award from the Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. 

The award honors women for their accomplishments and contribution to the community, according to the organization's website.

Joos is a Cape Girardeau native and Southeast Missouri State University graduate.  She has experience at all levels of command in intelligence as an Air Force officer.

As wing commander, she manages real property, equipment, supplies and contracts in excess of $1.09 billion and has an annual operating budget exceeding $106 million.  She oversees the training and graduation over 14,000 firefighting and intelligence students annually.

She began her Air Force journey while in college.

"In 1987 I received a Missouri governor's scholarship to Southeast Missouri State University," said Joos, "which was wonderful, because I didn't quite know how I was going to pay for college."

At SMSU, Joos joined ROTC, largely because they offered her an additional scholarship.  Upon graduation from college, she commissioned in the Air Force.

Joos' mindset at the time was to pay back her scholarship by serving the four year minimum, see the world, and then decide what to do with the rest of her life.  Things didn't go according to plan.

"I ended up loving the Air Force.  My first assignment was right here at Goodfellow Air Force Base as a student," said Joos.

Throughout her career, Joos did travel all over the world, spending time in Saudi Arabia, Germany, Japan and other countries as an intelligence leader.

She said she attributes her success to the encouragement and support of her parents.

"In addition to the example that my dad set, my mom was the one that always told me, 'You can do whatever you want; anything you set your mind to,'" said Joos.

The award winning commander has some advice for mothers of daughters.

"Go ahead and encourage them to shoot for the moon, to do what it is that they want to do, because it is truly in their control," said Joos.

The Zonta Club is an international organization dedicated to improving the legal, political, economic, health, educational and professional status of women through service and advocacy, according to their website.

Joos received the award Nov. 21 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.