Post 148 member Michael Wisecup, a retired commander, 20-year U.S. Navy SEAL veteran and former assistant to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General (retired) Martin Dempsey, has been named vice president for strategic initiatives at Colby College. Prior to this role, he served as the inaugural presidential leadership fellow in the Office of the President at Colby.
“Mike Wisecup brings a range of valuable experience to Colby’s senior team,” said President David A. Greene. “His leadership abilities, expertise in managing projects and processes, and commitment to facilitating cross-departmental alignment will enhance our capacity to execute on an ambitious agenda for the College.”
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Wisecup also earned an MBA from the Indian Institute for Technology and Management in Mumbai, India. Among his many decorations are the Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal with Valor, and Purple Heart.
“In my time as presidential leadership fellow, I found that the mission and purpose of higher education closely align with the values I embraced in the military,” said Wisecup. “Colby is in the midst of transformative growth, and it is my honor to apply my experience to this important work.”
As a commander in the U.S. Navy, Wisecup’s operational assignments included SEAL Team 1, SEAL Team 5, SEAL Team 8, and Special Boat Team 12. His staff assignments included Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command, Afghanistan; Combined Joint Task Force, Iraq; and Joint Interagency Task Force, National Capital Region. In 2011 he was selected as the aide-de-camp to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he later served as the commanding officer of Special Reconnaissance Team 1. Wisecup concluded his military career as the deputy commander of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, Iraq.
As vice president for strategic initiatives at Colby, Wisecup is responsible for operationalizing and managing key strategic initiatives, developing strategies and processes to assess and improve the quality and effectiveness across all areas of the College, coordinating special projects to ensure strategic alignment, increasing organizational focus, and facilitating collaboration regarding strategic planning, execution, and crisis management.
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