Chief of Staff

Mr. Jesse W. McKinney has served as the Chief of Staff for the NCO Leadership Center of Excellence (NCOLCoE) and Sergeants Major Academy (SGM-A) since January 2017. Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Human Resources director for NCOLCoE & SGM-A from 2005 to 2017.

Mr. McKinney is a retired Sergeant Major from the U.S. Army, serving from 1980 to 2005. He entered the Army as an Electronic Warfare Signal Interpreter and German Translator (MOS 98G). Upon graduation from the Defense Language Institute, he was reclassified as an Administrative Specialist/German Linguist, attended Advanced Individual Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and remained there for his first permanent party assignment. During his active duty military career, he served in three overseas tours in Germany as a Drill Sergeant in both Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Jackson, SC, and as a First Sergeant for Advanced Individual Training, also at Fort Jackson, SC.

Mr.McKinney’s military education includes all levels of NCO Professional Development, the Drill Sergeant Course, and the Battle Staff NCO Course. He is a graduate of the Sergeants Major Course (Class 50). Mr. McKinney's civilian education includes equivalency credit for the Advance Course of the Civilian Education System, and he is a recent graduate of the "How the Army Runs Course - HTARC" from the Army Force Management School at Fort Belvoir, VA. He possesses an Associate in Liberal Arts Degree with Honors from City Colleges of Chicago, a Bachelor of Science Degree (Cum Laude) from Excelsior College, and a dual Masters Degree with Graduation Honors in Management & Leadership and Human Resource Development from Webster University.

Mr. McKinney is married to his lovely bride, Ana Maria, and they reside in El Paso, TX. They are the proud parents of four adult children.