Tony Cucolo joined the University of Texas System in April 2015 as Associate Vice Chancellor for Leadership Development and Veterans Affairs.
In this role, Mr. Cucolo is responsible for working with all academic and health institutions in the areas of leadership development for undergraduate and graduate students, leadership development programs for mid-level and senior campus leaders, and the establishment of an executive level leadership institute. Additionally, he is responsible for the coordination and integration of veterans affairs and veterans support activities across all institutions. He serves as the system’s liaison to campus ROTC programs and is also a member of UT System’s Department of Defense Advisory Group.
Mr. Cucolo served more than 35 years in the U.S. Army, retiring at the rank of Major General in September 2014. Before joining the UT System, his final tour of duty was spent leading the US Army War College, an accredited institution for strategic studies, whose student bodies include senior US and foreign national security professionals preparing for leadership positons at the strategic level of the government and the military.
While serving as a General Officer for the last eleven years of his military career, Mr. Cucolo led Soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, led analysis teams in combat zones and on natural disaster recovery efforts such as Hurricane Katrina, commanded the largest Army base east of the Mississippi, developed the $35B equipment program for the Army, served as the US Army’s Chief of Public Affairs, and was the Commandant of the US Army War College. In the eight months since his transition to civilian life and joining the UT System, he was the senior advisor to a strategic studies group and a mentor to three executive leader development courses.
Commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in 1979, he served worldwide leading organizations varying in size from 100 personnel to 22,000, commanding units from company through division level, and spending over half of his career directly leading operations. Most notably, three times in the last 20 years of his service he led organizations in significant high risk confidence-building efforts between ethnic and religious antagonists. In Bosnia, he encouraged Muslim, Serb, and Croat leaders to reach agreements on a range of issues, bringing stability to a hotly contested region. In Afghanistan, he led initial tripartite efforts between U.S., Afghan and Pakistan military leaders. In Iraq, as commander of U.S. forces in the seven provinces north of Baghdad, he successfully initiated a grass-roots effort to build confidence between Iraqi Arabs and Iraqi Kurds along their disputed ethnic fault line crossing that country from Syria to Iran.
Mr. Cucolo had four assignments at the Pentagon: three with the Army Staff at varying times in Congressional Activities, Public Affairs, and Program Analysis, and one tour with the Joint Staff from 2001-2003 in the Operations Directorate immediately after 9/11, and then in the Strategy and Policy Directorate working European issues. His professional military education includes the US Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College.
Mr. Cucolo had four assignments at the Pentagon: three with the Army Staff at varying times in Congressional Activities, Public Affairs, and Program Analysis, and one tour with the Joint Staff from 2001-2003 in the Operations Directorate immediately after 9/11, and then in the Strategy and Policy Directorate working European issues. His professional military education includes the US Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College.
Mr. Cucolo and his wife Ginger have three grown children, a devoted Great Dane, and recently made their 27th move together to a home in East Austin.
