Civil Engineer, Attorney, Advocate

When bottlenecks and bureaucracy get in the way of the larger purpose, the friction can either make or break a career. Nobody knows that more than former Air Force Captain, Kyle DeThomas. Currently a real estate attorney in Washington, D.C., DeThomas started his military career in 2005 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy. The experience that DeThomas went on to have as an Air Force civil engineer encouraged him to look for ways to bridge the gaps that he encountered in the development and construction process.

Initially stationed at Okinawa, Japan, DeThomas worked as a civil engineer on construction project management, shaping the built environment, and base planning. “There were strategic challenges we had to overcome, especially when it came to the difference between the home station and deployed environment,” DeThomas reflected. While some of the rules and regulations of the development process – especially in the deployed setting – put roadblocks to completing a mission, it also taught DeThomas the value of innovation and leaning on his counterparts when looking for solutions. “The nuances of land occupation in two theaters, coupled with the force structure, as well as managing a community of military personnel and their families, pushed me to think outside the box to find a solution.”

Whether it was working on putting roofs over heads or getting a school opened, DeThomas saw an opportunity to ease the friction for developers and real estate owners that he experienced in the Air Force when he transitioned to civilian life. “The genesis of the idea to go to law school was my experience as an engineer and the desire to make the process easier for engineers to build things in any environment,” said DeThomas.

Law school made for an organic transition into civilian life where he is now able to utilize the lessons learned working on construction projects to propel change on a larger scale for multifamily and mixed-use developers in the D.C. Metro area. “These were formative experiences that made me who I am in a lot of ways and contributed to my successes since I left,” DeThomas said about his time as an Air Force civil engineer. “Law school seemed like the right next step in a career that I enjoyed but also saw a lot of opportunity to improve.”

One of the biggest lessons DeThomas learned during his time as a civil engineer in the Air Force was to let go of expectations and focus on the larger goal at hand. “Don't let perfect be the enemy of good,” DeThomas emphasized. “By the time a project gets through different approvals, building codes, inspectors, and zoning boards, it's going to look completely different than when it was initially drawn up.” Rather than getting stuck on perfecting something, DeThomas tries to focus on getting it done well. In his current job, DeThomas has seen his clients get stuck on the small details rather than focusing on the big picture. “I emphasize the value of keeping it simple and moving forward with what works rather than getting lost in the noise.”

When DeThomas was deployed to Balad Air Base in Iraq in 2007, one of the projects he worked on was repairing the runway at the installation to ensure it was always operational. However, because of the extreme heat in Iraq, the pavement would expand and pop out, creating rubble FOD on the runway. After exhausting different scenarios to try and fix the runway, DeThomas turned to his dad, who was a general contractor, to ask for advice. “After explaining the issue to my dad, he just asked me this commonsense question one time: ‘have you ever tried pouring at night? Try doing everything at night for a couple of days and see if that changes anything,’” his dad said. While it was still close to 100 degrees at night, DeThomas decided to follow his advice and it worked. “I always come back to that story when I encounter new challenges and remember that keeping it simple and using common sense is often the best way forward.”

DeThomas continues to utilize the lessons learned during his time in the Air Force to make an impact in his community. Today, he works closely with nonprofits and advocates for legislation that will incentivize investment in low-income neighborhoods to revitalize businesses and provide affordable housing. To DeThomas, public-private partnerships like these present “an opportunity to fill in gaps in the community where projects can be transformative, instead of transactional.”

While DeThomas stays connected to his military family to this day, he also recognizes that it is different outside of the Air Force. “I miss the camaraderie [of the Air Force] and having the sense that we're all on the same team,” he said. Since separating from the Air Force in 2010, community has been an important aspect of DeThomas’s life. He and his family moved to Northern Virginia from Los Angeles in 2018. While the move was prompted by a desire to be closer to his wife’s family, it has also allowed DeThomas to stay connected to the civil engineer community. “I feel at home here more than I've ever felt anywhere else because of the different routes between family and my military community,” he said. “It's been a really interesting intersection of my past lives, my current passions, and my growing family that has made a place feel like home.”

If he met his younger self now and could give him a piece of advice that he learned from the military, he would stress the importance of taking on as much responsibility as the Air Force will give you. “People expect that it's going to take some time for you to figure out what you're doing when you are just starting out in your career, so explore and take as many chances as you can,” DeThomas said.

Another piece of advice he would have stressed is the importance of having and utilizing mentors in the military. “If people are willing to take you under their wing, take advantage of it and make sure it’s worth their while,” he said. “Don’t take it for granted because mentors are a lot harder to come by in the civilian world.”

The passion that was first born in the Air Force fuels DeThomas’ career to this day. With the support of his civil engineer community, DeThomas continues to look for innovative ways to turn adversity into opportunity.