U.S. Army • Colonel

Chaplain Karen Meeker grew up in Huntington Mills, PA. She enlisted in the Army in 1986 followed by receiving a ROTC scholarship at Bucknell University, earning her commission after graduation. Meeker received her Master’s in Divinity from Harvard Divinity School in 1994 and entered Active Duty as an Army Chaplain in 1997. Prior to entering active duty, Meeker served a year on the island of Dominica and three years near State College, PA with the United Methodist Church, where she is an ordained elder in the Susquehanna Conference. She has also participated in two seasons at the Leon Levy Archeological Expedition in Ashkelon, Israel. Meeker has served in numerous assignments around the world with her most recent deployment as the Chaplain for CENTCOM Forward Jordan. Among many other awards and decorations, Meeker holds a Master Parachutist badge and was named Pathfinder School and Officer Honor Graduate at Basic Airborne School in Fort Benning, GA. Meeker is also the first woman chaplain to serve in Special Operations and the first woman chaplain jumpmaster. Chaplain Meeker enjoys serving Soldiers and their Families through worship, preaching, discipleship, outreach, and also enjoys competing in an occasional endurance event. She is also an author for different publications including a devotional booklet “Staying the Course” published in Guideposts, 2018, and offers spiritual guidance and insight for combat veterans and their loved ones. Chaplain Meeker resides in Washington, D.C.