Catherine Lautenbacher is a wife, mother, Director of Leadership Perimeter’s Flagship Program, Councilwoman for the Dunwoody City Council, and a veteran. She was born and bred in a military family: “My mother was a Navy nurse, and my father was a Navy supply corps officer,” Catherine says. After heeding the advice of her father to go into the Air Force, known as a better environment for servicewomen, she joined up, leading to valuable lessons that have lasted her a lifetime.
Catherine joined the Air Force as an Intelligence Officer and served for four years, between the First and Second Gulf Wars. She supported humanitarian aid drops over Bosnia and assisted with supply drops into Somalia. “The work was so exciting,” she says with a smile. “There was never a dull moment." Now, she utilizes her strong belief in after-action reports, learned through her time in the service, to improve processes at Leadership Perimeter’s Flagship Program. It’s an incredible opportunity for local leaders, wherein “The end result is that these folks will be more involved in the community than they were before,” Catherine, an alumna of this very program, explains.
Her commitment to supporting her fellow neighbors doesn’t stop there. As Councilwoman for the Dunwoody City Council, she brings her strong ability to guide and her love for the city. “I grew up moving around all the time, and then I got into the military, and I still kept moving,” Catherine tells me. “This is the first time I've lived anywhere for a long period of time. I love this city, and I'm not moving.”