Michael Mullins is the Director of the North Carolina State Industry Expansion Solutions (IES) Defense Industry Initiatives. Michael is a former Marine and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and spent most of his career at Fort Bragg. He has extensive experience executing and managing Department of Defense training contracts in Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. During the execution of these training programs, Michael worked closely with the Department of State, various foreign ministries, non-governmental organizations, the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Additionally, he served as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University.
Michael has a comprehensive understanding of the processes and procedures North Carolina businesses face in acquiring and executing U.S. government contracts. In Fayetteville, he served as an international program manager with General Dynamics Information Technology, a project manager with American Systems Corporation and an operations officer with a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB). Michael has a B.S. in Political Science and an M.S. in International Relations. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
Before joining the team at IES, he says his most interesting jobs were when working in the defense industry. “I spent 21 years in the Marine Corps and Army and as a defense contractor after I retired from the service. Throughout this 30 + year period, most of these jobs involved training foreign military or government officials. I have worked and lived in 33 countries in Africa, Europe, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and, one of my favorite regions, the Caucasus. I enjoyed working and living overseas for many years; it was an excellent opportunity to learn about many different cultures, meet so many wonderful people and enjoy fabulous food.” Mullins says.
When asked what his proudest moment at IES is, Mullins responded, “I can’t think of one specific moment. I would say that what makes me most proud of being at IES is the experience of delivering various services to North Carolina’s defense contractors and seeing the positive impact that many of the services have had on the companies. It’s been a real pleasure to work with so many great companies across the state!”
Mullins enjoys spending time with family, running, watching collegiate sports, listening to 70’s classic rock, working out and traveling to the beach or the mountains in his free time.
Contact him at michael_r_mullins@ncsu.edu or 919-515-5735 for more information on how IES can help you.
