The Army Historical Foundation announces the retirement of its president, retired Lt. Gen. Roger Schultz, after eight years leading the organization and its campaign for the National Museum of the United States Army. The Foundation’s Board of Directors named retired Brig. Gen. Burt Thompson as the incoming president, effective April 1.
Schultz led the Foundation during the most consequential period of the capital campaign to support the construction of the National Army Museum. He was first named president before the land for the Museum was cleared. During his tenure, the Foundation marched in lockstep with the Army’s Museum Director to complete the Museum, and then opened the doors to popular acclaim – welcoming Soldiers, veterans, Army families and visitors from around the world.
“The Foundation is grateful to Lt. Gen. Schultz for his unwavering commitment to this historic project, and we thank him for his leadership and service,” said Foundation Chairman retired Gen. Eric Shinseki. “As we prepare for the Foundation’s next chapter, we are pleased to announce retired Brig. Gen. Burt Thompson as the Foundation’s next President. He will bring an accomplished military career and private sector leadership to the Foundation as we continue to move our mission forward.”
Thompson joins the Foundation after holding senior roles in the tech industry and dedicating his early career to the U.S. Army. He retired from the military in 2015 after his last assignment as Deputy Director of Strategic Plans and Policy of U.S. Pacific Command, where he led initiatives supporting the Department of Defense’s rebalance in the Pacific Region. Most recently, he served as president at Data Machines Corporation which specializes in cloud architectures, machine learning and data science. In addition, Thompson has served as a director, coach, and instructor for the U.S. Army and Navy general and flag officer transition courses, where he advises senior leaders retiring from the military on transitioning their skills into a civilian environment.
