major general Tony Cucolo
US Army Retired
OE Advisory board member
Mr. Tony Cucolo is the Executive Director of the National Security Innovation Council, a 501(c)(6) non-profit business, academic, and intergovernmental outreach initiative for the State of Texas enabling support to the national security community. He recently completed over four years of service as Associate Vice Chancellor for the University of Texas System. There his duties included assembling the UT System strategic plan, conducting leader development programs for students, faculty, and staff across the System, and coordinating policy support for all veteran students and employees of the System’s eight universities and six medical institutions.
Commissioned an Infantry officer in 1979, he served worldwide leading organizations varying in size from 100 personnel to 22,000, spending over half of his 35 years in uniform directly leading operations. Most notably, he led organizations in three significant high-risk confidence-building efforts among ethnic and religious antagonists. In Bosnia, he encouraged Muslim, Serb, and Croat leaders to reach agreements on a range of issues, bringing stability to a hotly contested area. In Afghanistan, he led the first tripartite efforts between US, Afghan and Pakistan military leaders in the areas of border disputes and information sharing. And in Iraq, as commander of US forces running counterinsurgency operations in the seven provinces north of Baghdad, he successfully emplaced a grass-roots effort to build confidence between Iraqi Arabs and Iraqi Kurds along the disputed ethnic fault line crossing that nation from Syria to Iran.
The last eleven years of his career serving as a General Officer were remarkably unique. From 2003 to 2014, he led Soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, led analysis teams in combat zones and on natural disaster recovery efforts such as Hurricane Katrina, and commanded the largest Army base east of the Mississippi. Additionally, he developed the $35B equipment program for the Army, served as the US Army’s Chief of Public Affairs, and was president of the US Army War College. He transitioned to civilian life on September 1st, 2014.
Still retained by the US Army as a mentor for several senior leader development programs, he also serves on numerous boards. Most notable among these are the Board of Directors of Texas 2036, a non-profit applying data analytics to assist public dialogue on trending long term issues facing Texas, and the UT MD Anderson Leadership Institute Advisory Board, supporting leadership excellence in medical and healthcare professions.
Commissioned an Infantry officer in 1979, he served worldwide leading organizations varying in size from 100 personnel to 22,000, spending over half of his 35 years in uniform directly leading operations. Most notably, he led organizations in three significant high-risk confidence-building efforts among ethnic and religious antagonists. In Bosnia, he encouraged Muslim, Serb, and Croat leaders to reach agreements on a range of issues, bringing stability to a hotly contested area. In Afghanistan, he led the first tripartite efforts between US, Afghan and Pakistan military leaders in the areas of border disputes and information sharing. And in Iraq, as commander of US forces running counterinsurgency operations in the seven provinces north of Baghdad, he successfully emplaced a grass-roots effort to build confidence between Iraqi Arabs and Iraqi Kurds along the disputed ethnic fault line crossing that nation from Syria to Iran.
The last eleven years of his career serving as a General Officer were remarkably unique. From 2003 to 2014, he led Soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, led analysis teams in combat zones and on natural disaster recovery efforts such as Hurricane Katrina, and commanded the largest Army base east of the Mississippi. Additionally, he developed the $35B equipment program for the Army, served as the US Army’s Chief of Public Affairs, and was president of the US Army War College. He transitioned to civilian life on September 1st, 2014.
Still retained by the US Army as a mentor for several senior leader development programs, he also serves on numerous boards. Most notable among these are the Board of Directors of Texas 2036, a non-profit applying data analytics to assist public dialogue on trending long term issues facing Texas, and the UT MD Anderson Leadership Institute Advisory Board, supporting leadership excellence in medical and healthcare professions.