14491
COLONEL K RITCHIE, OMM, CD
DIRECTOR
ARMAMENT SUSTAINMENT PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT
Born in
London, England on 24 June 1963, 14491 Colonel Karen Ritchie
moved to Canada with her family in July 1973. She enrolled
in the Canadian Forces in June 1980 and graduated from the
Royal Military College, Kingston in 1985 with a Bachelor of
Engineering in Mechanical Engineering.
Upon
completion of her training with the Electrical Mechanical
Engineering Branch, she was posted to the Land Engineering
Test Establishment (LETE) as a Test Officer and subsequently
was appointed as the unit Adjutant. In 1988 she was promoted
to the rank of Captain and posted to Lahr, Germany where she
worked as the Base Maintenance Workshop Support Officer. In
July 1989 she assumed command of Vehicle Repair Platoon in 4
Service Battalion, Lahr. She served in that capacity until
1990 when she was appointed as the Maintenance Officer of 4
Service Battalion.
In 1991,
Colonel Ritchie was repatriated to Canada to serve with the
Land Force Command Headquarters G4 Staff. In 1993, she moved
to the Combat Training Center (CTC), Gagetown as Second in
Command of Maintenance Company, and then as the G4
Operations CTC. In 1995, she was sent to Post-Graduate
training in Virginia where she earned a Masters degree in
Integrated Logistic Support. Upon graduation in 1996, she
was promoted to the rank of Major and posted to Project
Management Office Light Armored Vehicles as the Senior
Maintenance Planner and subsequently as the Integrated
Logistic Support Manager.
Following graduation from the Canadian Forces Command and
Staff Course in June 2000, she was promoted to the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel and appointed as the Canadian Forces
Gender Integration and Employment Equity Officer in Ottawa.
In April 2002, she deployed to the Arabian Gulf Region as
Deputy Commanding Officer of the Op Apollo National Support
Unit for six months, after which she assumed command of Area
Support Unit Toronto. In February 2003, Colonel Ritchie was
re-assigned as G4 of Land Force Central Area Headquarters in
Toronto, responsible for the Logistic Support of all Army
elements in Ontario.
Colonel
Ritchie was promoted to her current rank in June 2004 and is
currently employed as the Director Armament Sustainment
Programme Management in Ottawa.
Colonel
Ritchie is a Girl Guide Leader and Deputy Chair of the
Committee on Women in the NATO Forces. She is married to
Master Warrant Officer Don Peddle of Clarenville, NL.
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