Michael Ware joined DEQ as the Chief Information Officer in October 2016. He provides leadership, strategic direction, innovation and day-to-day operational oversight for all IT functions across DEQ. Michael has 22 years of IT leadership experience and is a 24-year veteran of the US Air Force.
Over the years, Michael has accumulated a robust range of IT experience with numerous domestic and international business partners across a diverse portfolio of technologies. Michael joined the Air Force in 1990 and served 11 years as a B-1B avionics technician before commissioning as a Second Lieutenant through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in August 2002.
Michael served in multiple IT leadership positions in the Air Force, including as the Director of Operations for the 83rd Network Operations Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. In this role, he directed operations for over 600 cyber professionals to ensure seamless network operations across the Air Force. His team provided security, availability and maintenance for half of the Air Force’s Information Network that supported over 850K Airmen worldwide.
Prior to serving with the 83rd Network Operations Squadron, he served as the Operations Flight Commander for the largest Communications squadron in the Air Force, the 86th Communications Squadron, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. In this role, he led 265 military and civilian personnel to perform all network operations and maintenance on the Air Force’s largest base network supporting 22K users over six bases, NATO, and the United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE) Headquarters with service to three Areas of Responsibilities (AOR).
Michael led IT operations during deployments to Bosnia and Iraq (twice). The roles found him supporting IT networks in dynamic situations working with a host of international contractors to meet various United States, Bosnian, and Iraqi mission requirements.
Michael holds an MBA from Webster University and a BS in Management Information Systems from National American University. He completed the Certified Government Chief Information Officer program at UNC Chapel Hill.