Michael (Mike) C. Schexnayder is the Deputy to the Commander for Research, Development and Acquisition (RD&A) at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command / U.S. Army Forces Strategic Command (USASMDC/ARSTRAT) located in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.. As the deputy to the commander, Mr. Schexnayder manages SMDC/ARSTRAT’s RD&A activities and is responsible for overseeing all materiel development functions, test and evaluation activities, and simulations support including the Space and Missile Defense Future Warfare Center, the Space and Missile Defense Technical Center which includes the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site in the Marshall Islands and the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility located at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., and the Technical Interoperability and Matrix Center. He also serves as the Head of Contracting Activity.

Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Schexnayder served as the Associate Director for Systems in the Aviation and Missile Research and Development Center and as the Director of the Technical Management Directorate. He was responsible for all reimbursable scientific and engineering work performed by the AMRDEC for external customers, to include industry – approximately $600M in fiscal year 2003. Mr. Schexnayder served as the Deputy Director of the Army Objective Force Task Force (OFTF) from February to December 2002. Mr. Schexnayder has also served as the Acting Deputy to the Commander of the Research, Development and Engineering Command – a major subordinate command of the Army Materiel Command.

Mr. Schexnayder was born in New Orleans, La. He received a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University in 1971, a master of science in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1979, and an MS in management as a Sloan Fellow from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1988.

Mr. Schexnayder was a Regular Army Officer (Field Artillery) from 1971 - 1983 with experience in Honest John, 8-inch and 155-millimeter self-propelled units. Military training included airborne, ranger, and nuclear/chemical munitions delivery and effects.

Mr. Schexnayder joined the Army Missile Lab in 1979. He initially served as an electronics engineer in the millimeter wave radar branch of the Advanced Sensors Directorate. He joined the Structures Directorate in 1981 to establish a capability to support the synergistic integration of missile delivery technology with warhead and fuze technology. Mr. Schexnayder received the Army Research and Development Award in 1988 and 1993. He served as the deputy director of the Systems Simulation and Development Directorate, Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center from May 1997 until February 1999. Mr. Schexnayder was selected to the Senior Executive Service in February 1999.

January 2005