Rebecca Kern

Rebecca Kern is a 2024 Fellow and MPU’s Tehachapi, CA Brickyard Captain.

Rebecca is a Department of Defense (DoD) professional with over 20 years of government service supporting Air Force, Navy, and Joint programs. Rebecca is currently assigned to Edwards Air Force Base in California, where she leads the Continuous Improvement and Innovation (CI2) program for the 412th Test Wing. In this role, she heads Edwards’ spark cell where she fosters a culture of innovation through educational workshops, base-wide events, and the development of Airmen-inspired innovation projects.

A graduate of the Naval Air Systems Command acquisition intern program at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, where she gained experience across the Navy’s life-cycle logistics program, Rebecca has held various leadership positions in acquisition and sustainment. From 2006 to 2010, she was responsible for all official government interrelations concerning logistical support of the F/A-18 fighter aircraft exported to Spain and Canada. In 2009, she completed a three-month assignment in the Executive Office of the President at the beginning of the Obama administration’s first term. She then moved to Washington, DC to represent the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology &Logistics and eight foreign defense ministries in the acquisition of the Autonomic Logistics Information System for the F-35 Lightning II/Joint Strike Fighter Program. In 2013, she was competitively selected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Defense Legislative Fellow for a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, where she supported the annual defense appropriations and national security policy development process. She then worked in the Pentagon for 4.5 years for the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Materiel Readiness, where she advised on the development of aircraft sustainment strategies that provided the Warfighter with cost-effective readiness across all phases of the acquisition life cycle. She also championed the Department’s Performance Based Logistics initiatives to incentivize productivity and innovation in industry and government. Rebecca earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego, and her Master’s in Business Management from National University. She is a 2023 graduate of the DoD Executive Leadership Development Program and a Certified Professional Innovator from the University of Michigan’s School of Engineering. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, entertaining, hiking, engaging in political and civic activities, and traveling the world. She currently resides in Tehachapi, California, with her husband, Shawn, a NASA test pilot at the Armstrong Flight Research Center, and her two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Abby and Eliot.