Pilar McDermott is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She served in a variety of command and staff positions, both stateside and overseas, during her 27-year Army career, including command of the largest field artillery battery in the Army at the time.

Pilar retired from active military duty at the rank of Colonel and was a full Professor of History and Chief of the Department of History's International Division at the United States Military Academy. She has published two books and numerous essays in the United States and Europe on history and teaching history.

For over twenty years, Pilar has spoken about history, leadership, and leader development for organizations in the United States, Canada, Korea, Peru, England, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Poland, and Singapore. Pilar now works with Thayer Leadership, empowering organizations to adapt and thrive. She is particularly interested in the role of trust, accountability, authenticity, and vulnerability in leadership, based on her three decades in uniform. In addition to her work in the field of leadership and leader development, Pilar serves as an educator at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.