faculty

Expertise

Transformational leadership, leader development, mission command, systems thinking, leading through adversity, organizational and process design, coaching.

Experience

During more than 33 years of military service, including over 6 years as a General Officer, Doug led teams dealing with adversity and solving problems in complex environments around the world during times of peace and war.  

A career infantryman, Doug’s assignments provided uncommon breadth making him uniquely qualified to guide leadership discussions with a variety of teams facing a full range of challenges. From overseeing support to 30,000+ U.S. Army soldiers rotating through the Middle East each year while administering a $7 billion budget, to informing the design and development of the Army’s command and control systems, Doug understands the challenges of scale, scope, and speed. Charged with refining the Army’s Mission Command philosophy, Doug understands the investment necessary to allow these fundamental leadership principles to flourish. Serving as the only U.S. General assigned to the British Army and as the former senior military advisor to the Secretary of the Army, Doug learned the importance of relationships, reputation, timing, and patience in making progress with critical teammates and influencing strategic leaders. 

Doug’s overseas service includes Egypt, Kosovo, Germany, the United Kingdom and multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a Colonel, Doug led a 5000-Soldier brigade with operational responsibility for the southern third of Iraq during the final year of U.S. military-led combat operations. As a Lieutenant Colonel, Doug led an infantry battalion while serving in volatile Anbar Province during the Surge at the height of the Sunni Awakening.

Scholarly Work/Publications

Doug’s published article, “Improving the Leader Development Experience in Army Units,” describes the critical role mid-level leaders serve in raising the next generation of leaders through deliberate and connected efforts to continuously develop those they lead. Key themes include the art of creating meaningful developmental experiences, transformational vs. transactional leadership, cultivating a climate and culture where leader development can flourish, and training/leading at the threshold of failure.

Education

U.S. Army Senior Service College Fellowship; Leadership and National Security Policy; University of Texas

ME, Systems Engineering, University of Virginia

BS, Environmental Engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point

Personal

An avid outdoorsman, Doug enjoys hunting, skiing, and recently backpacked several hundred miles on the Appalachian Trail.