About Kristin

Kristin Dowling was born in September 1984 to an underage teenage mother in Farmington, Missouri. At a year old her mother moved Kristin to South Carolina, where after being physically abused she entered the South Carolina Foster Care system at just 18 months. She would spend the next 3 years in the Foster System; in 1988 she was adopted by John and Wanda Dowling of Florence, South Carolina. This experience had a major impact on Kristin's life, as the kindness and compassion of her family helped instill a sense of Duty and Compassion towards every sole she met.

Kristin spent her childhood learning how to direct that duty and compassion towards everyone who was in need. Her father instilled in her a strong sense of community, and taught her that every person was capable of being a pillar of the community. Finally, she learned that every person was deserving of dignity and respect, regardless of race, religion, age, of financial status. These lessons were learned from years of watching her father comfort countless friends and families during periods of immense grief and loss. Kristin's father was the owner and primary funeral director for Stoudenmire-Dowling Funeral Home in Florence, SC. 

That sense of duty only intensified when as a Senior attending The Byrnes Schools, Kristin watched the terrorist attacks occur on September 11th. Kristin eventually enlisted into Active Duty in the US Air Force attending Basic Military Training at Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland on November 10th 2003. She would ultimately serve 7 years on Active Duty, with assignments to the 52nd Communication Squadron at Spangdahlem AB, Germany and the 754th Electronics Systems Group at Maxwell-Gunter AFB in Montgomery, AL. She would also deploy 3 times during that period, once in support of Baltic Air Policing in Lithuania, and 2 times in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom to AL Dhafra AB and Al Udeid AB. These assignments began her career into Network Operations and Network Security.

In September 2010, Kristin separated from the Air Force with an Honorable Discharge at the rank of E5/SSgt. However, she continued to serve the United States as a Federal Civilian assigned to the 26th Network Operations Squadron at Maxwell-Gunter AFB. This position further honed her skills as an engineer, while also expanding her interest in Network Security Operations. Most importantly, this assignment impressed upon her the challenges of maintaining and operating Networks of Scale as her team operated the Air Force Wide Area Network supporting 24/7 global operations supporting almost 700,000 Active Duty, Civilian, Reserve, and National Guard personnel.

In August of 2015, Kristin seeking growth and increased challenge was hired by Alfa Mutual Insurance in Montgomery, AL as the Lead Network Engineer. While employed at Alfa, she designed, procured, and deployed a modern Spine/Leaf Data Center, a SDWAN environment for over 400 locations, the modernization of an aging Wireless Network, and the procurement and deployment of a robust perimeter architecture.

In 2019, Kristin found her true passion, as she began volunteering with Colors River Region, a 501(c)3 whose mission is to empower and support LGBTQ Teenagers in the Montgomery Area. In 2021, Kristin was selected to become the CEO of the non-profit, where she oversaw the adding of additional programs, expanding access to the area's young adults, as well as involvement in the planning of the 2022 LGBTQ Pride event in Montgomery. Under Kristin's leadership, she oversaw the merging of Colors into Montgomery Pride United, where she still serves the area's LGBTQ Community as the Program Director of Colors River Region.

In 2022, Kristin also began her next major project by founding Dowling Network Solutions. Her goal with her business is to focus on project and organizations that align with her core values. She also knows that the growth of the LGBTQ community comes with strong role models and mentors, and with this in mind, she hopes to begin an apprenticeship program where she can help the next wave of Network Professionals gain valuable knowledge and experience.