Senator Barbara Boxer to Brigadier General Michael Walsh "Call Me Senator" VIDEO

BIOGRAPHY: Brigadier General Michael J. Walsh

Brigadier General Michael Walsh assumed command of the Mississippi Valley Division, Vicksburg, Miss., February 20, 2008. He also serves as President-designee of the Mississippi River Commission. General Walsh came to MVD from Baghdad, Iraq, where he was the Commander for the Corps’ Gulf Region Division.

As MVD Commander, Walsh is responsible for a $7.5 billion civil works program. In addition, he plays a vital role in managing the Corps water resources program in the Mississippi River Valley. The boundaries of the Mississippi Valley Division extend from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, include portions of 12 states, and encompass 370,000 square miles.

The programs and activities overseen by the MVD and MRC are conducted by six district offices located in St. Paul, Minn., Rock Island, Ill., St. Louis, Mo., Memphis, Tenn., Vicksburg, Miss., and New Orleans, La. He also serves as Commander of Task Force Hope. TF Hope is the designation given to the Corps’ effort in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s national response plan to Hurricane Katrina. Engaging more than 3,800 personnel at its peak, TF Hope was among the largest disaster recovery operations in the history of the Corps of Engineers.

Previous assignments include: Commander of the Corps’ South Atlantic Division, Atlanta, Ga., from June 2004 to September 2006, Chief of Staff at Corps headquarters, Washington, D.C., from May 2003 to June 2004, Executive Director of Civil Works at Corps headquarters, Washington, D.C., from August 2001 to May 2003, District Commander of the Corps’ Sacramento District, Sacramento, Calif., from 1998 to 2001, and District Commander of the Corps’ San Francisco District, San Francisco, Calif., from 1994 to 1996.

Brig. Gen. Walsh has held a wide variety of Army command and staff assignments, to include: project management officer for Engineer Branch, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE); Environmental Task Force Leader, Fort Stewart, Ga.; Executive Officer, 92nd Engineer Battalion, Fort Stewart, Ga., and Saudi Arabia; Project Engineer and Assistant Area Engineer, Baltimore District; Construction Officer, 18th Engineer Brigade, Darmstadt, Germany; and Commander, Company B, 94th Engineer Battalion, Darmstadt, Germany.

Brig. Gen. Walsh graduated from Polytechnic Institute of New York in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. He also earned a master's degree in construction management from the University of Florida. His military education includes the Engineer Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. He was born in Brooklyn, NY, and is married with two children.