Lieutenant Colonel Barbara O’Reilly is the Chief of Deployment Cycle Support, Minnesota National Guard. In this role, she is responsible for providing education and support to military service members and their families before, during, and after deployment. This nationally mandated program is called Beyond the Yellow Ribbon and is recognized as the most innovative in the country. Lieutenant Colonel O’Reilly was born on December 16, 1965 in Denver, Colorado. She joined the US Army in 1989 as a Signal Intelligence Interceptor and rose to the rank of Sergeant. In 1995, she completed the Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. Lieutenant Colonel O’Reilly holds a bachelor of administration degree in Sociology from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. She is a 2009-2010 Fellow at the Humphrey Institute for Public Policy, University of Minnesota. Lieutenant Colonel O’Reilly has served in a variety of positions during her 19+ year career with the US Army and the Minnesota National Guard, including Brigade Adjutant, Operations Officer, Executive Officer and Commander at the unit, battalion and brigade levels. She currently serves as the commander of the 147th Personnel Services Battalion and Chief of Deployment Cycle Support. Lieutenant Colonel O’Reilly is also a combat veteran, having served a tour of duty in Afghanistan for OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM from January 2007 to February 2008 where she oversaw planning and execution of military operations for her battalion and was awarded the Bronze Star. Lieutenant Colonel O’Reilly’s military education includes the Defense Language Institute for Spanish, Primary Leadership Development Course, AG Officer Basic Course, AG Officer Advanced Course, Combined Arms and Service Staff School, Cadet Command Recruiting Operations Course, Intermediate Level Education, and the PreCommand Course. During her military career, she has earned several US Military Decorations and Medals to include the Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Joint Service Commendation Medal, and Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star, NATO Medal. Among her state awards is the Minnesota Medal for Merit, and the Distinguished Recruiting Ribbon. Lieutenant Colonel O’Reilly is married to her husband Pat, and they currently reside in West Lakeland, MN with their 2 daughters Maggie and Addie.