Mr. Don Plater (retired Senior Executive Service) began his career in the U.S. Army upon graduation from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1973, as a Distinguished Military Graduate, and retired in 2003 as a Colonel. He commanded at the battery, battalion, squadron and brigade levels. He served in multiple locations around the globe leading soldiers and civilians in ever increasing levels of responsibility and scope. His culminating assignment was as the Staff Group Chief and Executive Officer to the G-4 of the U.S. Army in the Pentagon. Prior to becoming an Army civilian, he was a research fellow for a consulting firm.

As a government civilian, Mr. Plater held progressively more responsible positions in the areas of personnel development, logistics readiness, financial strategy, strategic investments, programming and integration, and strategy. Key civil service and Senior Executive Service assignments were the Deputy Director, Strategy and Integration, Army G-4, Pentagon; Assistant Chief of Staff, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, NC; Executive Director, Joint Special Operations Command. His last assignment before retiring in 2024 was the Executive Director, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fl.