Kennedy Quinn has a master’s in nuclear science and a doctorate in physics and is a director of research by day. But this scientist-turned-administrator didn’t get there the easy way. She enlisted in the US Air Force immediately after high school and served as an aircraft mechanic before achieving an officer’s commission and earning her multiple degrees. After a diverse military career, she retired to federal service where she continues to lead research on a wide array of science and technologies. By night, she grows roses in northern Virginia with her family. They’re owned by two rescue cats.