Alumni
Leadership in Action by Lori L. Ferguson
Colonel Brett Funck ’90 Although Garrison Commander at Fort Bragg, the largest military institution in the country by population, Colonel Brett Funck ’90 is guided by a simple, four-word mantra: ‘Jump first, eat last.’ “That approach was drummed into me from an early age,” he observes with a smile in his voice. “Whatever my position, my goal is to lead by example, ensure that my soldiers and families are taken care of, and never ask anyone to do anything I can’t, or won’t, do myself.” And in his position, that’s not a proposition to be taken lightly—Funck bears responsibility for 53,000+ troops and oversees an installation that constitutes the fourth largest city in North Carolina, even encompassing an entire school district. The base is also the training ground for such renowned entities as the Army’s Special Operations Command, the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division, and the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team.
Brett, Sheelagh, and their three children at West Point in 2014.
“...Colonel Brett Funck ’90 is guided by a simple, four-word mantra: ‘Jump first, eat last.’ ”
Funck’s ‘all in’ philosophy has served him well over the years, leading him from Rye Country Day, which he attended from the 7th through 12th grades, to West Point, and then into a successful military career. A veteran paratrooper, Funck’s tenure in the Army has encompassed seven deployments and a series of increasingly demanding leadership roles, including Operations Officer and later Executive Officer of 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, within 4th Brigade, 82d Airborne Division. Upon completing this assignment, Funck moved to the Joint Special Operations Command and subsequently assumed Command of 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry at Fort Drum. He held that position until returning from Afghanistan in September 2013. Most recently, Funck served as the Division Operations Officer (G3), 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), and as a student at the Canadian National Security Program. In July 2015, he assumed his current role as Fort Bragg’s Garrison Commander. Yet despite his burgeoning responsibilities, Funck asserts that he always approaches new leadership roles in the same way. “On the first day, I sit down with my direct reports and say, ‘Here’s what you can expect from me, and here’s what I expect from you.’ I explain who I am and what makes me tick as a leader.” Next Funck spends a day or so with his direct subordinates, listening to what they have to say about the environment and their roles within it. Finally, he sets up meetings with those he describes as external actors, those he’s not in charge of, and solicits their perception of his organization. “I always glean a lot of valuable information from these conversations,” he notes. No matter the audience, however, Funck says that he approaches everything with his ‘three P’s’ in mind: professionalism in words and actions; a proactive attitude that enables him to anticipate
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Fall-Winter 2015-16