Chaplain Margaret Grun Kibben, DMin
Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives
In her final active-duty assignment in the Navy, Chaplain Margaret Grun Kibben was the U.S. Navy’s 26th Chief Chaplains, serving as the director of religious ministry for the Department of the Navy, advising the Secretary of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the Commandant of the Coast Guard on all matters pertaining to religion in their respective services. She led a community of 2,500 active and reserve officers, and enlisted religious ministry professionals. Prior to this assignment, Chaplain Kibben served as the 18th Chaplain of the Marine Corps and Deputy Chief of Chaplains.
A native of Warrington, Pennsylvania, Chaplain Kibben entered active duty in 1986 through the Navy’s Theological Student Program. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Goucher College, Towson, Maryland and Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey, and a Master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. Kibben served as a senior fellow, United States Institute of Peace, Washington, D.C.
Her Navy assignments included the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland; the Chaplain Corps Resource Board, Norfolk, Virginia; command chaplain aboard USS San Diego (AFS 6); and Fleet Chaplain, U. S. 3rd Fleet. Kibben served as the command chaplain, responsible for religious ministry to Combined Forces Command Afghanistan.
With the U.S. Marine Corps, Chaplain Kibben served aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia; as chaplain to Headquarters and Service Battalion, Security Battalion, the Brig, Marine Corps Air Facility and HMX-1. She also served with the Marines of Second Force Service Support Group Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, deploying to Turkey and Norway. Later she was assigned to the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico as the doctrine writer for Religious Ministry.
Following her retirement, Margaret established Virtue In Practice, LLC, a business dedicated to moral, ethical, and spiritual executive leader advisement. She also served as a consultant to the Department of the Navy’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office.
Chaplain serves on both military and civilian-boards. The Princeton Theological Seminary Board of Trustees and the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence, and the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.
Her personal awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (two awards), the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), and the Navy Commendation Medal (three awards).
On January 3, 2021, Chaplain Kibben was elected by the House and sworn in by Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the 61st Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives.