Advisory Panel

Christine “C.C.” Gallagher

Christine serves as a Government Relations Deputy Director at the National Military Family Association, one of the premier nonprofit organizations that works to improve the lives of military families. In addition, she serves as an adjunct Professor of Communication with Troy University via their eCampus. Christine graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising and later received a Master of Science degree in Communication and Information from the University of Tennessee. From 2009 to 2012, she served as a faculty member teaching communications curriculum in both the traditional classroom and the online platform at Troy University and Austin Peay State University. Christine is the Military Spouse of an active-duty Army officer. Throughout their time at Ft. Campbell, KY and their last assignment at Ft. Rucker, AL, she was an active member of the United States Army Family Readiness Group. Currently, Christine and her husband reside in the Washington D.C. area.

Jenny Hartsock

Jenny graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a B.S. in Psychology. She served in the Army as both a construction and combat engineer with the First Infantry Division and completed a deployment during the Operation Iraqi Freedom surge in 2007. She served in active service for over five years and continues to serve in the North Carolina National Guard where she is currently assigned as an action officer for the Strategic Plans and Policies at the Joint Forces Headquarters in Raleigh, NC. After leaving active duty, Jenny served a year as a general service employee in hospital operations at Womack Army Medical Center (Fort Bragg) and served as her husband’s company family readiness group leader to the 82nd Airborne. Since 2009, Jenny has served as United States Senator Kay R. Hagan’s in-state Military Liaison to the State of North Carolina. Jenny is a military spouse and currently lives in the Fort Bragg area with her husband and her son, Colton.

Kathie Hightower

Kathie is a longtime Military Spouse and retired Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel. During 19 moves with the military, she worked in a variety of jobs, including corporate HR director, pharmaceutical sales representative, advertising agency account representative and conference coordinator. With her own speaking and writing business since 1990, she is author of a giftbook Simple Joys, a workbook Jump Into Life! and coauthor of two books for the military community, Help! I’m a Military Spouse – I Get a Life Too! (2d Edition, soon to be out in a 3d Edition) and 1001 Things to Love About Military Life. Since 1993 she’s partnered with Holly Scherer to present Follow Your Dreams While You Follow the Military™ workshops for Military Spouses of all services worldwide, focused on helping spouses see and access possibilities. The two also coauthored a monthly Mobile Careers column for Military Money magazine for 5 years. Kathie lives in Oregon with her husband Greg.