John E. “Wolf” Wagner Speaker Bio

John E. “Wolf” Wagner is a combat-decorated Army veteran, senior government executive, award-winning communicator, media entrepreneur, and proven leader whose extraordinary career spans military operations, high-stakes public service, Fortune 100 technology innovation, and groundbreaking media ventures. A dynamic and authentic speaker, Wolf delivers powerful, real-world insights on events such as Saddam Hussein’s arraignment, the GWOT and his role, delivering new businesses, the Trump Campaign, and inside stories of events you’ve never heard — topics drawn directly from his frontline experiences in war zones, the White House, boardrooms, and disaster zones.

A native of Athens, Ohio, Wolf graduated from Ohio University’s College of Communications in 1985 and was commissioned as an Army officer through OU’s ROTC program the same year. He went on to serve more than 35 years in Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard roles, including 22 consecutive months deployed to Iraq and Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom I and II. Serving on the staffs of Lt. Gen. David McKiernan, Lt. Gen. Rick Sanchez, Gen. George Casey, and others, he managed media during Saddam Hussein’s arraignment, acted as Intelligence Liaison to the Interim Iraqi Government, and developed U.S. media strategy to counter anti-coalition propaganda during the battles of An Najaf and Fallujah. For his actions in combat in Baghdad, he was awarded the Bronze Star.

Wolf’s government service includes multiple presidential appointments. In the second Trump Administration he served as Director of Public Health Communications and Strategic Communications at the Department of Health and Human Services, leading all communications for Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA initiatives. He previously served as Associate Commissioner for Public Communications at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Senior Strategy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs, where he directed national marketing campaigns including ChooseVA. He also led advance teams for the 2024 Trump presidential campaign and served as Deputy Director of Communications for the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

In the private sector, Wolf is a serial entrepreneur and technologist. He was a founding partner and CTO of an overseas airline, a senior consultant to Boeing Aerospace on the Future Combat Systems program (C4ISR and UAV platforms), and spent more than twenty years delivering IT solutions for Fortune 100 companies including Accenture, IBM, Sprint, Ford Motor Company, Marriott, DuPont, Caterpillar, and Time Warner Telecom. He was a founding officer of Americano Media Corporation, a national Spanish-language media network targeting the Hispanic audience, where he built the editorial direction, communications culture, and entire staff.

Today Wolf serves as Principal and Chief of Staff for Just Noticias Productions and Executive Producer of the live-action series Bad Hombres, which follows the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement. A pioneer in “New Media,” he wrote for the award-winning military blog BlackFive.net, co-founded SOG Media (Special Observers Guild) to bring soldier stories to mainstream outlets, and helped launch the Warrior Legacy Foundation — now one of the largest veterans organizations in the country with more than 55,000 members — where he serves on the Board and as interim director.

An experienced public speaker and media personality, Wolf has been interviewed by CNN, Fox News, BBC, the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and many others. He has addressed members of Congress, U.S. Senators, corporate audiences, and international forums on leadership under fire, strategic communications, innovation, and the power of resilience.

Whether sharing lessons from the streets of Baghdad, the Situation Room at HHS, the boardroom of a startup airline, or the front lines of new media disruption, John “Wolf” Wagner delivers unforgettable, high-energy presentations that inspire audiences to lead with courage, communicate with clarity, and build with purpose.