Col. Thomas J. Gordon assumed the duties as the Commandant of Cadets at The Citadel in July 2021 upon his retirement from the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) after 30-years of active service. Having graduated from The Citadel in 1991, Gordon returned to his Alma mater to educate and develop the next generation of principled leaders. During his 30-year career, Col. Gordon commanded at every level in the operating forces. As a captain, he led a Recruit Training Company at Parris Island and commanded both Bravo & Alpha Company, 2nd Tank Battalion. As a Lieutenant Colonel, he served as the Commanding Officer, 1st Tank Battalion and as the first Commander of the Black Sea Rotational Force, a Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force operating in the Caucasus, Balkans, and Black Sea region. As a colonel, he led a 4,000-member group organized in five battalions executing combat operations and world-wide communications, intelligence, electronic and cyber warfare capabilities, force protection, and supporting arms integration for all Marine Expeditionary Forces out of the East Coast. All of his staff assignments were in operations. and he served as the Assistant Operations Officer, 2nd Tank Battalion and as the Ground Watch Officer for Operation Iraqi Freedom. As the Plans Branch Chief for USCENTCOM, he coordinated force rotations and coalition support. As the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations for the 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Japan he conducted disaster relief operations in Bangladesh; and as the Director of Operations for Marine Forces Central Command, he integrated all U.S. Marine activities in 20 Middle Eastern countries. Col. Gordon is a graduate of the U.S. Army’s Armor Officers Advance Course and the Joint Forces Staff College. He holds an MA from Webster University and completed his senior level education as the Commandant’s Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His last assignment on active duty was as the Director of the Marine Corps’ Command & Staff College in Quantico, VA. He is the author of a best-selling book, “Marine Maxims, Turning Principles into Practice.”