Amy McGrath Joins UK Patterson School Faculty

Former Democratic Senate and Congressional candidate Amy McGrath is joining the University of Kentucky faculty.

McGrath will join the University of Kentucky Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce in the Fall 2021 semester where she will teach DIP 742: National Security Policy, according to a tweet from the university.

McGrath is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned as a Marine Corps officer in 1997 and served 20 years in the Marines. First, she became a F/A-18 weapons systems officer, completed two combat deployments, and flew 89 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2002, as a weapons systems officer, Amy became the first woman in the Marine Corps to fly a combat mission in an F/A-18. In 2004, she transitioned to become a F/A-18 pilot and completed a second operational tour deploying to Japan and operating in the Pacific. She completed her third combat deployment in Helmand Province Afghanistan in 2010, according to her bio with the school.

Started in 1959, the Patterson School has provided a master’s degree program aimed at preparing future leaders for careers in international affairs.

The one-time candidate faced U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, in the 2020 election losing with 38 percent of the vote.