Meet Mike “Woody” Woodhouse
A life of service.
A habit of adapting.
Retired Army lieutenant colonel. Defense strategist. Author, speaker, husband, and father.
From Corning, New York, to commands and coalitions around the world, Woody’s work has been shaped by one constant: helping people move forward when circumstances change.
Leadership & adaptability
Experience that shapes the message.
Mike “Woody” Woodhouse is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, certified defense strategist, and award-winning author of SEAM: The Adaptive Strategy Framework for Leaders.
Over more than two decades, his work spanned air and missile defense, operational testing, coalition planning at NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, and warfighter integration at the Space Development Agency.
Today, he brings those lessons to leaders navigating uncertainty—connecting strategy, execution, assessment, and adaptation as the situation demands.
A life, in moments
The experiences behind the perspective.
Family, friendships, teammates, and moments along the way. This portrait brings together 213 personal photographs from Woody’s life.
Look closer to see the people and experiences behind his approach to leadership, adaptability, and service.
Explore the mosaic ↗Opens the full-resolution image. Zoom in to explore the individual photos.
Roots & service
From Corning to a global mission.
Woody’s Army career gave him a global perspective shaped by living and working across the United States, East Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. From operational assignments to joint commands and NATO collaboration, he learned to build trust across cultures, navigate different ways of thinking, and adapt to unfamiliar environments. Those experiences continue to shape his approach to leadership, strategy, and service.
Roots, teamwork, and a commission.
Born and raised in Corning, Woody graduated from Niagara University in 2006. He was a member of a state championship rugby team, student government, and ROTC, through which he commissioned into the U.S. Army.
Republic of Korea
Served in the Republic of Korea, building experience in air defense and leadership overseas.
Southwest Asia
Served on multiple deployments to Southwest Asia.
Testing the Army’s future air defense.
Established the Air Defense Test Detachment and served as its first commander to operationally test IBCS, the Army’s future air defense command-and-control system.
A return to Southwest Asia
Deployed again in support of the mission in Southwest Asia.
Planning with NATO
Served at NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, contributing to space and missile defense planning in an allied environment.
Connecting space to the warfighter.
Concluded his military career at the Space Development Agency, working on space kill chains and the integration of space capabilities with warfighting.
Education & professional development
A foundation for lifelong learning.
Bachelor of Science
Marketing / Commerce
Niagara University
State championship rugby team, student government, and Army ROTC.
Master’s in Organizational Leadership
University of Texas at El Paso
Defense Strategist Certification
U.S. Army War College
Master of Military Arts and Sciences
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
Military decorations
Recognition through service.
- Defense Meritorious Service MedalTwo awards
- Meritorious Service MedalFive awards
- Army Commendation Medal
- Joint Service Achievement MedalTwo awards
- Army Achievement Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
- Korea Defense Service Medal
Family & community
Service beyond the uniform.
Woody lives in Northern Alabama with his wife, Stacey, and their two sons. Family and community remain at the center of his work.
He co-founded The Patriot Bros. Association to support the Air Defense community, co-founded SPEDUCATION Inc., and runs Casa di Legno Design. His creative work includes mission artwork flown on SpaceX Falcon 9 fairings for the Space Development Agency.
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