J. Thomas Hennessey, Jr. Ph.D.
Chief of Staff
Office of the President
George Mason University

thenness@gmu.edu

Dr. Hennessey is a career professional with more than thirty years of progressively responsible leadership and management experience in public service, University administration, organizational research, and the classroom. He received his bachelor’s degree in English and History and his Masters of Public Administration from Eastern Kentucky University. He was one of the first doctoral graduates of the Institute of Public Policy, now the School of Public Policy, at George Mason University.

As the Chief of Staff, Dr. Hennessey is responsible for all administration in the Office of the President, serves as the legislative liaison to the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, University Liaison to the Board of Visitors, and chairs multiple University wide committees, including the Privacy and Security Compliance Team and Crisis Management Response Committee.  Externally, Dr. Hennessey serves as Chairman of the Board, Commonwealth Homeland Security Foundation and Vice Chairman of the Board, Virginia Economic Bridge.

His research and teaching center on public service, management of change in public organizations, and organizational theory. He has written and taught extensively on the "Reinvention of Government. Since joining the faculty at George Mason he has been Grant Recipient, PriceWaterhouseCoopers Endowment for the Business of Government, Principle Investigator, Primary support to the Governor’s Task Force on Procurement Assessment, Principle Investigator, Department of General Services and Department of Juvenile Justice, Commonwealth of Virginia, Strategic Planning and Performance Measure Management. National Council Member, Region IV, American Society for Public Administration. 1998-2002. Chairman, American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Regions III/IV, Program Director, Cooperative Research on High Performing Organizations, Prince William County, Virginia. On behalf of the University he has served as Director, Excellence in Government Program, Acting Executive Director, The Northern Virginia Business Roundtable, Executive Director, Congressional Institute for the Future and Program Director, Lead the Future.

Prior to joining George Mason University, Dr. Hennessey served with the United States Army for 28 years in successively responsible leadership positions and retired as a Colonel from the Army’s Intelligence and Security Command. His most recent assignments included Deputy Chief of Staff, US Army Intelligence and Security Command, Chief, European Division. Political-Military Affairs, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and US Military Attaché, American Embassy London, United Kingdom. His military assignments include combat command and staff positions from platoon through theater from Vietnam to the Middle East.