Antonieta Rico

Antonieta Rico is the senior strategic communications specialist at the U.S. Army Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness. Previously, she was women, peace,and security advisor at Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI). Earlier in her career, she was the director of communications and policy at the Service Women's Action Network (SWAN), where she led their public affairs efforts. She served in the U.S. Army from October 2001 to September 2008, working as a military journalist and public affairs NCO. She has served in Iraq and embedded with various Army and infantry units during day-to-day missions and combat operations. She has worked as Deputy News Editor at Army Times and Navy Times, reporting on the Coast Guard, training cycles, gender integration and military quality of life issues. She has also interned at National Geographic Magazine. In addition to her work at SWAN, she is a Program Associate at Women in International Security where she works for the Combat Integration Initiative supporting, the successful integration of women into combat arms units. In this capacity, she has co-taught Latin American and Caribbean military leaders a workshop on how to develop Women, Peace and Security National Action Plans for their militaries. She has been published in various outlets including USA TODAY and TIME, writing about the military's sexual assault epidemic and #MeToo. She also speaks on different panels and forums on the challenges women veterans and military women face. She holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, with a concentration in Global Politics and Security, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from George Mason University.