Michael Leslie

About Michael Leslie

As a retired soldier after 22 years and transitioning into the civilian market, I am excited. I have experience in high-level communications, operations, event planning and project coordination for the Army. I have been to several qualification courses as I moved up in the ranks for the Mass Communications field and spent my time learning the technical and strategic nuances to become a subject matter expert for commanders and leadership, and mentor soldiers to become the best versions of themselves. I have been in the Texas Army National Guard since high school beginning as a Broadcast Journalist moving my way up to the senior public affairs non-commissioned officer for the entire state of Texas. With the National Guard, there are two jobs, your full-time job and your Guard job, so I am more than capable of handling large amounts of workloads. In my current and last Army full-time job, I am the Public Affairs non-commissioned officer for the Texas National Guard Joint Counterdrug Task Force. My job is to fully communicate our message in collaboration with the more than 50 partner law enforcement agencies we support, the National Guard Bureau Counterdrug Program, and the Texas Military Department Public Affairs Office. I created a recognizable brand for our state program and the national program. Previous to that, I was the Operations Team Leader for the program. My role was simple: manage operations for more than 250 personnel spread throughout the state, manage special projects from activities to logistics to funding, organizational restructure, metrics database administration and lead a team to succeed. In my current Guard job, I am the 36th Infantry Division Senior Non-commissioned Officer acting in the role of our Division Public Affairs Officer. Our branding and messaging for the nearly division soldiers reaches far and wide with only a staff of three personnel, so I know how to maximize our efforts with minimal resources. My years of experience has helped honed my leadership abilities to understand that leadership starts with the subordinates you work with. Understanding their capabilities, strengths and weaknesses determines how to best utilize your personnel to accomplish your goals and mission. I am an outside-the-box candidate, however, my experience within the Army, my ability to continue to learn and grow, my passion to be a better version of myself and help my team excel make me a perfect fit for any position.

Experience

1. Director of Operations

   Texas-Israel Alliance

   May 2023 — Present · Austin, TX, US

   Assist with all aspects of the non-profit, including operations management, program design and project management, event planning and management, engagement & outreach. Oversee the day-to-day activities of the company, ensuring that the organization is managed and performing efficiently and effectively.

Education

• Defense Information School

  Certificate, Public Affairs Senior Leaders Course

  2016 — 2016

• Defense Information School

  Certificate, Public Affairs Advanced Leaders Course

  2012 — 2012

• Defense Information School

  Certificate, Broadcast Journalism

  2003 — 2003