Who is Ted Studdard?

 Colonel Ted Studdard has proven himself as a leadership expert with over 30 years of military and corporate leadership experience.  

Ted began his military service as a Marine private before earning his commission as a second lieutenant.  His early career included serving as an artillery platoon commander in Desert Shield and Desert Storm; teaching tactics and leadership as part of the Marine Corps University; commanding an artillery battery; leading the indirect fires team as part of the Marine Corps’ capstone live-fire combat training program; and commanding one of the Marine Corps’ 48 recruiting stations.

As a senior leader, Ted commanded the only artillery battalion in the Marine Corps that is permanently stationed outside the U.S.  He served on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon, leading the current operations team for Afghanistan and Pakistan; he then served in Afghanistan as both the Deputy Operations Officer and subsequently as the Operations Officer for a 20,000-person multi-national force.  He also commanded a recruiting district covering the Western U.S., responsible for over 6,300 Marines, Sailors, and Civilians.  

Ted’s experience as a Marine included work at the national strategic level with multiple U.S. Government Agencies and Departments and senior elected officials.  Internationally, he led Marine Corps negotiations with the Government of Japan; served as a delegate to the French Centre des Hautes Etudes Militaries Colloquium in Paris, France, exploring the impact of culture in conflict; served on a civil-military Sub-Saharan Africa Strategic Studies Team working with government and military leaders from the U.S., the African Union, and the U.N. focusing on Southern Africa – Botswana and Zambia.  He also, conducted training operations with NATO partners in Europe and combat operations with NATO partners in Asia. 

After suffering a heart attack, Ted faced new challenges – retiring and charting a new path. Post retirement, he transitioned to his second career with The Home Depot, a company whose values aligned with his own. Ted has held positions of increasing responsibility in field operations, corporate leadership training, talent acquisition and staffing, and business to business operations. These roles, combined with his service on the Board of Directors for The Home Depot Military Appreciation Group, have given him valuable insight into the intricacies of the corporate world and have provided a unique perspective on optimizing human capital in Corporate America.

Ted has appeared as a featured guest on national TV, radio, and podcasts. He speaks to a variety of audiences about individual and organizational leadership as well as transition and transformation. Ted also speaks to business leaders and their HR partners about the value that veterans bring to the workforce and how to best leverage their talent and experience in Corporate America. 

A graduate of the University of Georgia, Ted earned his Bachelor of Business Arts in Business Management. He also earned a Master of Military Studies from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College.