Col. Michael Hertzendorf, chief of staff for the United States Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, will discuss leadership at Ithaca College on Monday, Oct. 17. His 7 p.m. talk in Emerson Suites — titled “Curiosity: Not Why You Want People to Follow You” — is free and open to the public.
His talk will also be streamed live online at www.livestream.com/CCES, and will be available for archived viewing within a week following the lecture.
A 1989 graduate of Ithaca College with a degree in business management, Hertzendorf has had a distinguished military career since being commissioned a second lieutenant in the aviation branch of the U.S. Army. He has extensive combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq and on a number of contingency missions, and is a master aviator with over 3,000 flight hours.
Within the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) — known as Night Stalkers because their missions are usually conducted at night, at high speeds, low altitudes and on short notice — Hertzendorf’s assignments included platoon leader, company operations officer, company commander, battalion operations officer, battalion executive officer and regiment plans officer. In 2016 he assumed his current position with the 82nd Airborne, an elite force of the U.S. Army specializing in parachute assault operations.
Hertzendorf’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Master Aviator Badge and Parachutist Badge. He holds an M.A. in public administration from Murray State University and an M.S. in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.
His appearance is supported by the Jahn Family Civic Leadership Fund, established by Robert Jahn Jr. to support the ROTC program at Ithaca College.