Sherry A. Kuiper is the Director of Public Affairs at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va. She previously was the Chief of Community Relations at Fort George G. Meade, Md. Prior to her government service, Kuiper spent more than a decade in the broadcast news industry working as a news producer and executive producer. 

 

Kuiper holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communications from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University. Kuiper is also a 2017 graduate of the Public Affairs Qualification Course at the Defense Information School and completed the Army Management Staff College’s Intermediate Course in 2018.

 

Many of Kuiper’s partnerships resulted in services for not only the installation but for service members and families to included Anne Arundel County Library System, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Howard County Public Libraries, Maryland STEM Festival, local, state and federal elected leaders, Chambers of Commerce, Business Partnerships and community groups.

 

Kuiper worked on the Kuhn Hall Education and Resiliency Center project at Fort Meade. The first-of-its-kind project was a community partnership that resulted in the gifted renovation of historic Kuhn Hall and centrally provided access for service members, families, Veterans, and DoD civilians to education, spiritual, health and behavioral health resources. Additionally, the center works to end the mental health stigma by providing a unique location where one could be seeking several resources, providing someone with anonymity when looking for behavioral health help. 

 

Kuiper went to Fort Bliss, Texas, in May 2021 as the Army’s liaison at the Department of Health and Human Services emergency intake site for unaccompanied children crossing the border. While there, Kuiper successfully advocated for renaming the site to clear up the confusion of ownership, liaised with U.S. Public Health Service, and answered questions about the Army’s involvement on numerous visits from congressional delegates and local leaders. Kuiper also monitored media and elevated concerns to senior command and USNORTHCOM. 

 

Kuiper is the author of Images of America: Around Picture Rocks, a history of her hometown. She is also a writer and editor for another history book titled Fort George G. Meade: The First 100 Years, which earned her a Department of the Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service.

 

Kuiper’s other awards include a 2019 and 2020 Army Community Partnership Award, a 2019 recognition from the director of Voice of America and the U.S. Agency for Global Media, and a 2017 Keith L. Ware Award for Community Engagement Program (second place).

 

Kuiper is a passionate leader in her community. She served as the board president of Charting Careers, an Annapolis non-profit organization that takes a holistic approach to eradicating poverty with an emphasis on education. She volunteers with the Annapolis Chapter of the Travis Manion Foundations and serves as the social media chair for the annual 9/11 Heroes Run. Kuiper is an active member of Daughters of the American Revolution, Toastmasters and Junior League.