At 17, Mary Kreis walked into a recruiting office looking for the Navy. The Navy wasn’t there—but the Army was. That twist set her on a path defined by a gritty philosophy she still lives by: “Hard stuff makes you tough.”

A four-year ROTC scholarship led to drill team, Ranger Battalion, and elite schools. At Airborne School, she moved from the fear line of a 34-foot tower to a 250-foot drop, then five real jumps—learning precision, humility, and trust at 1,200 feet. At Air Assault School, she rigged loads, guided aircraft, and rappelled from helicopters—standing on the skids, taking a calculated risk, and trusting the team to bring everyone home. Next came Master Fitness Trainer School, where lab time with physiologists connected military performance to science and opened the door to sport and exercise science.

She used the GI Bill to earn her Ph.D., and for 21 years she’s taught Sport Management and Exercise Science at PennWest—running a culture of apprenticeship where students learn like practitioners: read, question, build protocols, collect data, argue with results, and present with confidence. Her courses emphasize critical thinking and being “the human in charge of the tool,” a stance that prepares graduates for real-world decision-making.

Service didn’t end with the uniform. Dr. Kreis serves on the board of Reveille & Retreat (women veterans), helped carry the American flag in a nonstop team run from San Diego to Washington, D.C. (16 days; $1M+ raised for veterans’ programs), and has personally raised funds for homeless veterans by standing outside Walmart for 24 hours at a time. “The USA means everything to me,” she says. “Continuing to support veterans is part of who I am.”

It’s also part of how she teaches. The same endurance, teamwork, and evidence-based mindset that shaped her military career now shape her students—one of those quiet strengths prospective students discover at PennWest.