Department of Management

Jonathan “Jon” Bleakley served 25 years in the U.S. Army (1995-2021), rising from a Private First Class to Lieutenant Colonel. He teaches Team Building and Organizational Change, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, and Leadership Perspectives and Skills. He is also a Leadership Instructor and Executive Coach for The Program, LLC. Jon holds a Master of Science from the US Naval Postgraduate School and Troy University. He graduated from Cornell University’s Executive Leadership and Performance Leadership certificate programs. He holds International Coach Federation Associate Certified Coach accreditation and a graduate certificate in Performance Coaching from Lipscomb University. He is also a graduate of some of the US military’s toughest training programs: Ranger School, Parachute Jumpmaster, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE Level C), Special Operations Language Training in Russian, the Advanced Negotiations and Mediation Course, and more. He finished his career as commander of a Special Operations Civil Affairs Battalion at Fort Bragg, NC. During his military career, he earned the Legion of Merit and two Bronze Star medals, along with the Red Cross Military Hero Award and the Order of Lewis and Clark Gold Medal. He has served on and led elite teams through intensive training, high-risk deployments, and sensitive low-profile missions in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and numerous Eastern and Southern European countries. His success in these areas came by building up confident, highly capable teammates and forming them into high-performing, world-class teams. He was trusted by the Commanding General of the US Army Special Operations Command to manage the Young Lions, the premier executive leadership development program for top mid-career officers in that 33,000-person organization. He and his wife Ann-Marie live in the mountains of Western North Carolina with their three sons.