A native of Goshen, Indiana, Lieutenant Commander Katherine T. Hinkle is a graduate of the College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Social Psychology from Ball State University. She commissioned with the Navy via Officer Candidate School in 2010.
LCDR Hinkle’s initial sea tours were onboard the USS BULKELEY (DDG 84) as the Strike Warfare Officer and USS PORTER as Fire Control Officer. As a Department Head, she served as Weapons Officer onboard the USS O’KANE (DDG 77) and Combat Systems Officer onboard the USS KIDD (DDG 100). She has deployed to the C5F, C6F, C7F areas of operation.
Ashore, she graduated from Naval Postgraduate School with a Master’s degree in National Security Affairs. Additionally, she is a qualified a Warfare and Tactics Instructor for Integrated Air and Missile Defense.