Kathie Sidner serves on the Workforce and Military Affairs team
at the University of North Carolina (UNC) System Office. She
supports UNC System economic and workforce development
efforts, military affiliated students, and defense and industry
partnerships. Ms. Sidner has over 20 years of experience in
government, national security, and higher education, with
expertise in strategic partnerships, research development,
program management, and all-source analysis.

Kathie has led various initiatives to increase military affiliated
student access and success, including partnerships with defense
community organizations, market research, outreach efforts, and
the UNC Military Equivalency System which maps military training
and experience to academic course credit at UNC institutions.
She has secured $40M+ to support UNC System research
collaborations with military units based in North Carolina and
other Department of Defense agencies. She has managed
classified research programs, and internship programs with US
Special Operations Forces through which nearly 75 students from
UNC institutions participated in hands-on programs embedded
with SOF units. She is a leading member of the UNC System’s
Economic Transformation Council, which coordinates efforts
across the 16 UNC universities to advance UNC’s workforce
development and economic impact for the state.

Ms. Sidner earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the
University of Virginia and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from N.C.
State University. Prior to joining the UNC System, she worked in
the U.S. Intelligence Community as a chemical weapons and
counterterrorism analyst and provided technical program
management for two US Army university affiliated research
centers (UARCs) in nanotechnology and biotechnology.

Kathie’s favorite activities include spending time outdoors, hiking,
kayaking, listening to live music, game night with friends and
family, and playing on the beach or in the mountains with her
two children