Rita Duprat-Waldo

Senior Instructor / Women’s Shooting Program Lead & Development

Rita Duprat-Waldo was born in San Antonio, Texas and was raised in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where she graduated from Lebanon Senior High School in 1970. She enlisted in the Air Force in June 1973 and immediately pioneered a path for women and shooting…one that would reshape our entire military shooting program from that point forward.

Shortly after completing Air Force Basic Training, Rita was one of five women that earned selection to attend Small Arms (Weapons Instructor) school at Lackland AFB, Texas. At the time, this “select” profession was reserved for men only. Not only did Rita graduate this intensive course, she thrived and rose to the top in a male-dominate profession due to her love and passion for shooting and teaching others. She has won two Air Force level Outstanding Combat Arms Manager of the Year awards (1986 and 1991), and was selected as one of the Outstanding Young Women of America in 1987. Her family was selected as the Air Force-level nominees for the Great American Family Award in 1987.

In 1992, Rita attained yet another first and became the first female Combat Arms Major Command Program Manager and was promoted to the military’s highest enlisted grade…Chief Master Sergeant. When she retired at Lackland AFB in 1997, she was the highest-ranking woman in the Combat Arms career field and the only woman to hold the position of Chief Enlisted Manager at the Air Force’s largest weapons training center.

On the firing range with weapon in hand, Rita shined even brighter and more than held her own against any and all. She distinguished herself as an expert marksman, earning Bronze Excellence-In-Competition medals with both Rifle and Pistol, and a Gold German Schutzenschnur Medal. She competed in several international handgun matches with the Ramstein AB shooting “A” Team, and has won several other shooting awards and medals in open division competition.

Employed by Action Target, Inc. upon her retirement from the Air Force, Rita now works for the City of Schertz, Texas, and has teamed up with Tactical Safety Institute as a senior firearms instructor. Most recently the National Association of Professional Women chose Rita as a Woman of the Year for 2012.

Rita is an NRA Certified Rifle and Pistol Instructor and will soon add the Texas Concealed Handgun Instructor License to her certification list, with a primary focus on promoting and developing the “Women’s Shooting Program” here in South Texas. She is married to CMSGT (Ret) Bobby Waldo, has three sons, a daughter, and six grandchildren.

EDUCATION:

Master of Arts; Administration and Leadership, State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Bachelor of Science; Administration and Leadership, State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Associate of Arts in General Studies, University of Maryland
Associate of Applied Science in Resource Management, Community College of the Air Force
Associate of Applied Science in Instructor Technology, Community College of the Air Force