Matthew Weinshel
Located in: North Carolina
Position: Director
Matt Weinshel is a retired Army helicopter aviator with 26 years of service, attaining the rank of Colonel. He led large, complex, geographically dispersed organizations during multiple combat tours and in peacetime as a conventional and special operations aviator. He is rated in 7 different rotary wing aircraft. He successfully commanded at the Troop, Squadron, Group, and Brigade levels. Matt operated worldwide, including Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Central America. Additionally, Matt led executive efforts with the US Army Special Operations Command in appropriately resourcing Army Special Operations Aviation.
Matt brings a unique blend of conventional and special operations aviation leadership experience, especially in a highly dynamic combat environment that required careful risk management and consistent, unparalleled support to the most demanding, elite ground forces in the world. As an Aviation Brigade Commander, he led a 3200 Soldier, 120+ aircraft multi-functional organization, responsible for its employment, training, logistics, administration, and a myriad of other functions. In this role, he managed a $65 million annual operating budget, maintained over $3.4 billion in assets, and set the path for the organization for the next decade.
Throughout Matt’s military career, he interacted with and led service members from many countries, allies, and partners. His experience allowed him to lead with non-service members, including contractors, foreign allies, Department of Defense civilians, other US Departments, and senior policy makers in the US Government. As the SMW SOAG Commander, he commanded and led a diverse team of 72 joint service members and over 500 contractor personnel across multiple locations in Afghanistan. He employed 50 foreign aircraft to train Afghanistan’s Special Mission Wing. In this capacity, Matt oversaw a complex training and logistics contract of over $310 million.
As the Deputy at the US Army Special Operations Aviation Command, Matt led a staff that resources and trains special operation aviation to support the most elite special operations forces globally. Matt assisted in oversight of a $750 million annual budget and the $3.9 billion Future Years Defense Program (FYDEP) for an organization composed of 4200 personnel and 204 aircraft, including specially modified helicopters, fixed wing, and unmanned systems worth in excess of $6.1 billion.
Matt continued a second career in business in 2021 with Raytheon Technologies, where he leads as an Associate Director for Requirements and Capabilities.
Matt is most comfortable leading large, diverse, complex, geographically dispersed, cross-functional and dynamic organizations. He is passionate about leadership and leadership development to optimize large organizational performance. He brings extensive experience in problem solving, strategy development, driving elite cultural excellence, and setting a clear vision with milestones to achieve desired results.
Matt graduated from Boston University as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1995 with a degree in economics. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Webster University and studied as US Army War College fellow at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Matt resides in North Carolina with his wife and two sons, where he enjoys many outdoor activities.