Tom Donatelle is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds master’s degrees from Kansas State University and the U.S. Army War College. He brings more than 25 years of executive-level leadership experience, guiding large, complex organizations in high-consequence environments, with responsibility for thousands of personnel and operational resources valued at over $200 million.
Throughout his career, Tom has served in leadership roles overseeing multi‑department organizations, where he consistently translated strategy into actionable plans, aligned diverse stakeholders around shared objectives, and delivered results under conditions of uncertainty and pressure, especially during deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. His leadership experience spans organizational transformation, workforce development, operational planning, and cross‑organizational coordination with domestic and international partners.
In his final operational role, Tom served as the senior leader for future operations within a large joint organization, where he directed long‑range planning, synchronized current and emerging initiatives, and advised senior decision‑makers on risk, readiness, and resource allocation.
After retiring from active service at the rank of Colonel, Tom transitioned to higher education and public leadership development. He currently serves as a University Professor of Intelligence Studies at Fayetteville State University and Director of the Gillis‑Jones Institute for Ethics and Leadership, where he leads curriculum development, programming, and community engagement focused on ethical leadership and professional excellence.