User:Napsut1/Michael J. Snyder (Marine Corps Officer, Elected Official)

Mike is the oldest of six children and is a native of southern New Jersey, moving there from Philadelphia when he was three years old. He attended public schools in Mantua and Mullica Hill area before heading off to serve his country just fifteen days after graduating from high school. What was supposed to be a four-year stint turned into a 26.5 year career in the Marine Corps.

Military duty took Mike to various jobs throughout the world. He served in headquarters, corrections, artillery, security, and infantry units located in such places as California, Egypt, Munich, Texas, Virginia, Washington, DC, Okinawa, Japan, Korea, Kenya, Turkey, Greece, Spain, and North Carolina.

Once Mike decided to remain past his initial four-year enlistment, thoughts turned to furthering his education. He began by taking college courses at night. He eventually applied for and was accepted into a very competitive program for enlisted men and women seeking to achieve officer commissions. Acceptance, full-time attendance while remaining on active duty, and graduation from a major college/university were the requirements of this program before being commissioned a second lieutenant. Mike attended the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em Horns!) where he received a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (BBA).

Later, after tours at Camp Lejeune and Washington, DC, Mike was looking to advance his education. He applied for and was accepted into a program that would eventually lead to this. He received a Master of Science degree from the Naval Postgraduate School. Both degrees’ foci of study were in Management, with the master’s degree curriculum concentrated in manpower, personnel, training, and analysis (MPTA). It was this expertise that led to his assignment at Headquarters, Marine Corps in Washington, DC where he was the manpower end-strength planner for all 190 Marine Corps Reserve units at over 300 sites in the U.S., and 40,000 personnel; quite a daunting task by any imagination! It was during this tour that Mike had the opportunity to routinely prepare and brief General officers in Washington, and at Marine Reserve headquarter sites in Louisiana and Kansas many times. He prepared documents for Congress and was even called upon to brief a congressional budget subcommittee.

His last job in the Corps, from 1997-2001, was as an assistant professor at Duke, NCSU, and UNC teaching military history to Marines, Naval ROTC students and the general student population. He was awarded for his leadership skills, performance, and management ability on numerous occasions during his Marine Corps career. He is the recipient of two Meritorious Service Medals, a Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal, two, Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals and numerous other service medals, letters, and certificates of achievement.

After his retirement in 2001, Mike decided to settle permanently in North Carolina, specifically in the Triangle area, where he found the people down-to-earth. The area just had so much to offer, from the theatre, to sports, to the climate…and then there are the mountains 2.5 hours to the west and the beach 2 hours to the east.

Mike has worked at Duke University's Facilities Management Department (FMD) as the Training Coordinator and Safety manager since 2001. While at FMD, he has been recogn1zed for various awards to include: NCDOL's Best Apprenticeship Program at a college or university in the State of North Carolina, Unsung Hero at FMD (2008), Leadership and Safety Award at Duke (2010), and.

Mike and his wife, Dianne, have five children: Melissa, Jennifer, Scott, Tim, and Patrick. Mike’s hobbies and interests are varied and include: first and foremost-family, volunteer service to his community and church, sports--golf, playing softball, running, just about anything to do with a ball, watching NASCAR, collecting ball cards and coins, and traveling with Dianne. Here are just a few of the things Mike is and has been involved with over his adult life:

1. Current/Ongoing Volunteer Efforts:

a. WUNC radio fall/spring pledge drive volunteer;

b. NC Senior Olympics volunteer;

c. Knights of Columbus Adopt-a-Highway coordinator;

d. Town Hall Residents Adopt-a-Highway co-coordinator;

e. Duke Children’s Miracle Network volunteer;

f. USO volunteer at RDU airport;

g. High school class reunion golf outing chair/coordinator;

h. Vice-chair of Industrial Systems Technology Program Advisory Committee at Durham Technical Community College;

i. Member, Office Of Institutional Equity Diversity Advisory Committee;

j. Volunteer for the Carolina Hurricanes NHL hockey team;

k. Triangle Flight of Honor chaperone.

2. Current Volunteer Organizations:

a. Knights of Columbus - Past Grand Knight; http://www.stmm.net/church/kofC7186.htm;

b. Military Officer’s Organization of America (MOAA)– Triangle Chapter Past President; http://www.trianglemoaa.com.

3. Other Volunteer Efforts – Past:

a. Little league baseball coach;

b. Little league baseball umpire;

c. Youth soccer coach;

d. USSFA Soccer referee;

e. Co-coordinator of St Mary Magdalene blood drive;

f. Presidential Classroom volunteer instructor for High school juniors and seniors;  http://www.presidentialclassroom.org/;

g. Trained mediator at Duke University;

h. Dispute Resolution Team at Duke University.