Meet More Bettys!

JOIN US IN HONORING THE 2021 BETTY AWARD WINNERS AT AN EVENT ON DEC. 7 AT THE SAINT KATE ARTS HOTEL

Kimberly Stuart accomplished a lot during her time in the Air Force (1988-95) and the Wisconsin Air National Guard (1995-2003). She was the first female electro-mechanical team chief for the nuclear-armed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile system.

She also had to put up with a lot during her service. Injuries have left her disabled. She experienced sexual trauma. And she had to hide that she is a lesbian during the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” era. “In the early ’90s, it was not OK to be gay in the military — you could be arrested,” says Stuart, 51.

Today Stuart is chairman and CEO of Veterans for Diversity, a local nonprofit that provides holistic programs aimed at improving the physical and emotional health of Wisconsin LGBTQ+ servicepeople. Stuart says some vets don’t want to identify as LGBTQ+ and some LGBTQ+ people don’t want to identify as vets. “The best way to bridge those camps is to make our organization more visible,” she says.

Kimberly Stuart is one of the 2021 recipients of a Betty Award. Each year, Milwaukee Magazine presents these awards as a tribute to the late Betty Quadracci, the magazine’s former publisher who founded Quad with her husband Harry. Read more about this year’s honorees here.