Michael Belcher

Colonel (Ret.) Michael Belcher, USMC, is an executive-level leader, educator, consultant, and coach with over 40-years of experience in the public and private sectors.

From 2011 to 2025, Mike served as a senior Professor of Practice at the Federal Executive Institute, an elite educational institution for the development of government employees. His areas of expertise included applied leadership, organizational change, inter-organizational collaboration, crisis management, and strategic planning. Concurrently, he managed the organization’s holistic Health and Wellness Program. 

During his 28-year military career, Mike served in a wide array of command and staff positions, obtaining the rank of Colonel. As an Infantry Officer, he commanded units ranging in size from a 35-man rifle platoon to a 3,500-person infantry regiment to include leading ground combat forces during three conflicts (Operations Desert Storm, Restore Hope, and Iraqi Freedom). His other areas of expertise include joint and coalition operations, strategic planning, systems acquisitions, and adult education.

Mike’s last assignment was as the Director of the Marine Corps War College, a graduate-level national security program which educates senior military officers and government officials to serve as strategic leaders, planners, and policymakers. In this role, he led the design, development and delivery of a rigorous, 10-month experiential-learning curriculum which challenged students to think critically and creatively about the complex issues facing the Nation in the 21st Century. In addition to teaching strategic leadership at the College and the prestigious Commandant’s Commanders Course, Mike authored several journal articles and presented testimony before Congress on professional military education. He has also authored articles and scholarly studies on the topics of combat stress, resiliency, and military sociology.

Mike then accepted a position as the first Vice President for Defense Strategy and Operations at MetroStar Systems, Inc., a commercial IT services and solutions firm. Supervising thirty-five technicians, managers, and administrators, he managed a portfolio of seven projects for the firm’s largest strategic account while spearheading the firm’s business development efforts across the Defense sector.

Mike holds M.S. degrees from the Naval Post-Graduate School and the National Defense University as well as two B.A. degrees from the Pennsylvania State University. He earned certification as an Associated Certified Coach (International Coaching Federation), Conflict Management Consultant (Eckerd College), StandOut Advantage Facilitator (The Marcus Buckingham Company), Emotional Intelligence Consultant (MHS Assessments), Program Management Professional (Program Management Institute), and Corporate Athlete Trainer (Human Performance Institute).