Katherine A. "Kathy" Wood is Director of Staff for the Air Force Test Center (AFTC), Air Force Material Command, Edwards Air Force Base, California. She is the executive management authority for the AFTC Commander, facilitating the flow of information between the AFTC center staff and the commander. Ms. Wood manages the daily operations of the support staff and coordinates center activities with internal and external AFTC customers. As director, she serves a key role in senior-level decision making and is a senior policy advisor on short and long-range issues for the highly technical Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Center encompassing Arnold, Eglin, and Edwards Air Force Bases.
Ms. Wood entered federal service in 1986. Ms. Wood’s Air Force career included assignments on a variety of test programs at increasing levels of responsibilities leading to assignments at the center level. She began her career as a structural dynamics engineer, primarily working the B-1B flutter, loads, and vibration test program. After two years, she transferred to a flying qualities engineer position where she worked the F-15E, X-31A, and F-22 test programs. This part of her career culminated with work on Project KEEP EAGLE, F-15E High Angle-of-Attack Departure and Spin Evaluation.
She began her management career at the F-16 Combined Test Force as the Aeromechanics Flight Chief and then returned to the F-22 Combined Test Force as the Flight Sciences Section Chief. She was promoted to Deputy Manager for Aircraft Test & Evaluation Integrated Product Team when accelerated envelope expansion test operations began in 2002 at the direction of the USAF Chief of Staff. Her next assignments as 773rd Test Squadron Branch Chief, Deputy Director, and Chief Engineer allowed her to recruit, mentor, supervise, manage, and lead flight sciences engineers. Her first position at the Air Force Test Center was as Strategic Plans and Transformation Division Chief and Deputy Director for Plans and Programs followed by her selection for Director, Plans and Programs. Prior to her current assignment, she served as Director, Plans and Requirements, Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB, California where her management and analytical team was responsible for strategic plans; Council and governance; Installation Strategy Board; Military Construction program; Metrics Working Group; continuous improvement and innovation; Enterprise Transformation Board; digital transformation; and readiness and mission-assurance plans and metrics.
EDUCATION
1986 Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.
1997 Master of Science, Engineering Management, California State University Northridge, Northridge, Calif.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. 1986 – 1988, Structures Engineer, Structures Engineering Branch, 6520th Test Group, Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), CA.
2. 1988 – 1992, Flying Qualities Engineer, Performance and Flying Qualities Branch, 6515th Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, CA.
3. 1992 – 1994, Lead Tactical Utility Engineer for the X-31A, Research Branch, 412th Operations Group, Edwards AFB, CA.
4. 1994 – 1996, F-15E Flying Qualities Engineer for the KEEP EAGLE Program and Performance and Flying Qualities Flight Commander, 445th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, CA.
5. 1997 – 1998, F-22 Flying Qualities Engineer, 411th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, CA.
6. 1998 – 2001, F-16 Aeromechanics Flight Chief, 416th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, CA.
7. 2001 – 2004, F-22 Flight Sciences Section Chief and Deputy Manager F/A-22 Aircraft Test & Evaluation Integrated Product Team, 411th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, CA.
8. 2004 – 2006, Performance and Flying Qualities Branch Chief, 773rd Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, CA.
9. 2006 – 2015, Deputy Director and Chief Engineer, 773rd Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, CA.
10. 2015 – 2020, Chief, Strategic Plans and Transformation Division, Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB, CA.
11. 2020 – 2021, Director, Plans and Programs, Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB, CA.
12. 2021 – 2025, Director, Plans and Requirements, Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB, CA.
13. 2025 – Present, Director of Staff, Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB, CA.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
1995 X-31A International Test Team awarded the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air & Space Museum Trophy for Outstanding Achievement in Aerospace Technology
1996 Certificate of Commendation and AFA Test Team of the Year
2003 Air Force Special Act or Service Award
2014 Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
2017 Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
12 Apr 1994 Certified Level 3 in Test and Evaluation
16 Mar 1994 Certified Level 1 in Project Management
18 Mar 1994 Certified Level 3 in Engineering
(Current as of May 2025)