GENERAL MICHAEL X. GARRETT, UNITED STATES ARMY RETIRED
Guest speaker
General Michael X. Garrett is an executive leadership advisor, public speaker, and military family advocate based out of Charlotte, N.C. He sits on the Board of Directors for both First Command Financial Services, Inc. and the Semper Fi & America’s Fund. He also serves as a Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Security with the Middle East Institute, and a Senior Mentor for the Army War College.
The son of an Army Command Sergeant Major, and the father of two young adults on their own military and military family journeys, Garrett has spent his entire life in and around the U.S. Army.
He is a proud Xavier University alumnus, where he earned his ROTC commission as an Infantry officer in 1984. He served his formative years in the elite 75th Ranger Regiment. Over a decade, he wore the scrolls of the Regimental headquarters and each of its three Ranger battalions, before commanding an Infantry battalion of his own in the 82nd Airborne Division.
His 38-year active military career culminated in three years commanding U.S. Army Forces Command and its 750,000 combat and support personnel across the United States, from 2019-2022. His earlier command tours include U.S. Army Central and its Soldiers serving throughout the Middle East; U.S. Army Alaska; and the Army’s first Alaska-based airborne brigade, which Garrett established and deployed into Iraq in the mid-2000s.
Garrett’s awards include the Ellis Island Honors Society’s Medal of Honor, an honorary doctorate from Methodist University, and multiple U.S. military decorations including the Distinguished Service and Defense Superior Service medals. He is also a Distinguished Member of the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Since retiring from the military, Garrett and his wife Lorelei settled in Charlotte, and enjoy spending time with their two children and first grandchild.Biography