Lieutenant General Joe N. Ballard, US Army (Retired)

The President of the United States appointed him to this prestigious position in 1996. In that capacity, LTG Ballard managed all missions for the Corps of Engineers including the nation’s vast civil works program, environmental restoration and construction on military installations. His strong leadership guided the Corps in assisting recovery from natural disasters, regulating work in the nation’s waterways and wetlands, conducting research and development, serving as the Army and Air Force real estate agent, and providing engineering services to 60 Federal agencies and more than 80 nations.

Prior to his appointment as Chief of Engineers, LTG Ballard was the Chief of Staff for the US Army Training and Doctrine Command. He was responsible for headquarters and installation operations, training and budget management for over twenty major training and operational bases throughout the United States. Immediately before being selected as Chief of Staff, he served as the Commander of the US Army Engineer Center at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. In that role, he was the Army’s engineer proponent for combat and combat support systems, training and doctrinal matters. LTG Ballard's military honors include the Distinguished Service Medal (two awards), Legion of Merit (three awards), Bronze Star Medal (two awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal (four awards).

LTG Ballard graduated from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1965, with a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, and was immediately commissioned into the Army Corps of Engineers. He later earned a Master's Degree in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri. He is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College and the Army War College. He is a registered professional engineer in civil engineering. He holds a number of honorary degrees, including an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri, an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering Degree from the University of Missouri in Rolla, Missouri, and an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering from Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In addition to his military honors, the Council of Deans of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the Career Communications Group recognized him as the 1998 Black Engineer of the Year. He was also the 1998-1999 president of the Society of American Military Engineers and a member of the National Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi.

Currently, LTG Ballard is an Advisory Board Member of the School of Engineering at Southern University, a Board Member of the University of Maryland System Foundation Board, as well as a Board Member and Chair of the Londontown Historical Society in Edgewater, Maryland. He is an Advisory Board Member of the School of Engineering Management at Missouri University of Science and Technology (MS&T), where he donates to scholarships for minority STEM students. He is also a former Board Member of Maryland’s Columbia Bank, Pennsylvania’s Fulton Financial Corporation, Stronghold Advisors and Goucher College.

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