Colonel MICHAEL T. MCGINLEY

Col. Michael T. McGinley is the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He plays a key role in directing the Air Force’s $3 billion science and technology program and an additional $3 billion in externally funded research and development. Previously, Col. McGinley created and led DoD’s Gig Eagle talent marketplace, served as the Innovation Advisor at SAF/AQ, and ran the Defense Innovation Unit’s Boston operations and DIU’s engagements across the Department of Defense.

Col. McGinley is a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he graduated with Distinction and Highest Honors. He earned his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was Co-Managing Editor of The Georgetown Law Journal. Col. McGinley has deep experience leading advanced technology development groups and Public-Private Partnerships in concert with venture capital and tech firms and with academia. He is a Level III, Joint Qualified Officer.

Before being recalled to active duty to serve at DIU, he practiced law, specializing in cybersecurity and international financial sanctions. He also has civilian experience as a defense contractor and as a technology consultant and is currently an executive at a global technology company.

EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Highest Honors), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
1998 Air & Space Basic Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2001 Language and Foreign Area Studies Immersion, Málaga, Spain
2003 Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Auburn University, Ala.
2004 Squadron Officers School, by correspondence
2006 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
2009 Juris Doctor, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.
2013 Outstanding Graduate, Air War College, by correspondence
2018 Joint and Combined Warfighting School (Hybrid), Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2021 High Potentials Leadership Program, Harvard Business School, Cambridge, MA

ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1998 – August 1998, Student, Air & Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2. August 1998 – September 2000, Command and Control Combat Systems Test Manager, Test & Evaluation Directorate, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
3. October 2000 – July 2001, Deputy Program Manager, Joint Precision and Approach Landing System, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
4. July 2001 – November 2003, Training Commander, Officer Training School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
5. November 2003 – July 2006, Flight Commander, Squadron Officer College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
6. August 2006 – August 2009, Chief, Acquisition of Services, Program Executive Office for SATCOM, Teleport, and Services, Defense Information Systems Agency, Arlington, Va.
7. August 2009 – March 2014, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Director, Air Force Reserve Policy Integration Division, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
8. April 2014 – August 2016, Joint Cyber Planner, U.S. Cyber Command, Ft. Meade, Md.
9. August 2016 – October 2020, Director, Defense Innovation Unit Boston, Boston, Mass.
10. November 2020 – January 2022, Innovation Advisor to the Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
11. February 2022 – Present, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. April 2014 – August 2016, Joint Cyber Planner, U.S. Cyber Command, Ft. Meade, Md., as a lieutenant colonel
2. August 2016 – October 2020, Director, Defense Innovation Unit Boston, Boston, Mass., as a colonel

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Achievement Medal

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 27, 1998
First Lieutenant May 27, 2000
Captain May 27, 2002
Major May 27, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel Aug. 23, 2011
Colonel July 26, 2016

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Air Force Association
Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA), Life Member
Connecticut Bar (Active); Washington, D.C. Bar (Inactive); Pennsylvania Bar (Inactive)
New England Super Lawyers Rising Star: 2014, 2015, 2016
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) Bar

(Current as of July 2022)