Chaplain Kristi Pappas was born on May 29, 1956 in Kansas City, Missouri. She grew up near the Country Club Plaza area of Kansas City and attended the Kansas City, MO public schools. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy/Music Education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music in 1981. She is certified to teach choral and instrumental music. She completed her music therapy internship at Moody State School for the Cerebral Palsied and the Shriners’ Burn Institute in Galveston, TX. She is a music therapist. She attended Saint Paul School of Theology, one of the thirteen United Methodist Seminaries, in Kansas City and received her Masters of Divinity in 1989.

Chaplain Pappas was ordained a deacon in the United Methodist Church in 1987 and an elder in 1991. She was the pastor of United Methodist Churches in Kansas City and Springfield, MO before entering active duty in May of 1991. She is a member of the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Chaplain Pappas’ military education includes: the U.S. Army Chaplain Basic and Advance Courses, Combined Arms Services Staff School and Command and General Officer Staff College. Other military training includes: the Chaplain Fund Manager Course, the Chaplain Resource Manager Course, the Family Advocacy Sexual Training (FAST) course, the Army Family Team Building Trainer’s Course and the Menninger Clinic Courses on Suicide Prevention, Advanced Suicide Prevention and Prevention of Sexual Harassment. Chaplain Pappas completed one year of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C. She spent one year as a Clinical Pastoral Care Supervisor in Training. She also attended the Instructor Training Course at Fort Sam Houston.

Chaplain Pappas entered the Army Chaplaincy in May of 1991 after her ordination to elder in the United Methodist Church. Her Chaplain assignments include: 10th DISCOM, 548 Corps Support Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, Ft. Drum NY; 46th Combat Support Hospital, HQUSAG, Fort Devens, MA; 705th Military Police Battalion/United States Disciplinary Barracks and USAG; Ft. Leavenworth, KS; USAG, Ft. Meade, MD; Camp Carroll Installation Chaplain, Waegwon, ROK; 20th ASG and Area IV Chaplain, Daegu, ROK; Clinical Pastoral Education Resident, Walter Reed AMC; Washington DC; Chaplain Clinician, Intensive Care Wards, and Supervisor in Training in Clinical Pastoral Education; Walter Reed Army Medical Center. More recently she has been the Psychiatric Ward and Department Chaplain. Chaplain Pappas’ recent duty assignment has been as the Psychiatric Wards and Behavior Health Department Clinician, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC.

Her current duty assignment is as the Senior Chaplain Clinician for Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Her awards and decorations include: Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster; Army Commendation Medal with eight oak leaf clusters; Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters; Joint Meritorious Service Medal; Army Superior Unit Award; National Defense Medal with Star; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Medal; Korea Defense Service Medal; Humanitarian Service Medal and Army Service Medal.

Chaplain Pappas is married to COL Jeffrey A. Mello. They have four sons: Samuel (22), Sean (19), Christopher (12) and Benjamin (10).