Noteworthy: U.S. Army Col. Van Wagenen received the Legion of Merit medal for his superior leadership of the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division, also known as the Greywolves, during a change-of-command ceremony March 4 at Fort Hood, Texas,. It was the second time he received the award, one of the military's top honors.
Age: 48
Residence: A New Kensington native, Van Wagenen is at Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Va. Family: Wife, Dr. Stefanie Van Wagenen, 44; son David, 9; Isabel, 11
Education: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Marquette University in 1991; Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the Army's Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., in 2004. He also served as an Army War College Fellow assigned to the Marshall Center for Security Studies in Garmisch, Germany.
Background: Taking charge of the Greywolves on July 3, 2014, following a two-year stint in Afghanistan, Van Wagenen has drawn praise for his creative command style, with fewer staff meetings and more time spent sculpting junior leaders so that they can adapt nimbly to chaotic battlefield conditions. Leading more than 5,000 soldiers in his brigade, the career Armor officer forged an innovative partnership with the Mississippi Army National Guard, streamlined how his command team functioned, and pioneered the deployment of part of his unit to South Korea in a new rotation system for troops there.
Quote: “I wanted Greywolf to be an organization where people want to come to work and be part of an organization where we learn from each other every day.”
