Brynt Parmeter Joins Maxwell as Phanstiel Chair in Leadership
September 17, 2025
The decorated U.S. Army veteran and former Department of Defense executive brings deep expertise in leadership, workforce transformation and innovation.
The Maxwell School’s new Phanstiel Chair in Leadership brings expertise from top roles in the military, government and private sectors. He also brings enthusiasm for technology that’s rapidly transforming the workforce.
Brynt Parmeter served as a U.S. Army colonel, chief talent management officer for the U.S. Department of Defense and senior director and head of military and veteran affairs for Walmart. His background also includes entrepreneurial roles and service on national and regional boards.
Parmeter’s role is situated in the Public Administration and International Affairs Department, where he is also a professor of practice. “He has a wealth of experience and has been incredibly innovative with technology use in his leadership roles in the private and public sectors,” says Leonard Lopoo, chair and associate dean of the department. “And, he is highly engaging. I really think our students are going to enjoy his classes and learn how he takes ideas and puts them into practice.”
Parmeter will teach undergraduate and graduate students and engage with national and international security policy courses and participants in Maxwell’s Executive Education program. He has joined Executive Education courses in recent years as a guest speaker on the invitation of Director Steven Lux.
Parmeter is interested in the study and application of emerging technology, most especially artificial intelligence. At the Defense Department, he used AI to streamline work, simplify processes and provide insight.
“It gave me a clear view of both the potential and the pitfalls,” he says, adding, “AI can reduce barriers and speed up decision-making, but it also raises real governance, ethics and implementation questions. My experiences convinced me that understanding AI isn’t optional for public leaders, it’s essential.”
Since joining Maxwell in August, Parmeter has been developing a course called AI, Innovation and Public Institutions that he says will challenge students to think about how AI and other emerging technologies can strengthen public institutions. The course will be offered in the winter session to students across the University.
“I want them to leave with both a healthy skepticism and a sense of possibility and, ultimately be able to ask the right questions, connect policy and technology, and design solutions that actually work,” says Parmeter.
“He has a wealth of experience and has been incredibly innovative with technology use in his leadership roles in the private and public sectors.”
Leonard Lopoo
chair and associate dean
Additionally—as a senior research associate in the Campbell Public Affairs Institute—Parmeter will help conceive panel discussions and guest speakers to expose students to a range of perspectives on timely issues. “The Campbell Public Affairs Institute is thrilled to welcome Brynt to our organization,” says Director Christopher Faricy. “His background will be invaluable in developing our expertise in AI and governance, while also helping our members reach audiences in important communities beyond the academy.”
Parmeter will also serve as a liaison to the Volcker Alliance on the Service to Service initiative that seeks to expand and create career pathways and public service roles for military veterans. Dean David M. Van Slyke is chair of the deans summit, a collaborative network behind the effort.
“We’re delighted to welcome Brynt to Maxwell and excited for the many ways his expertise complements scholarship by faculty and students in our centers and institutes and in externally funded studies,” says Van Slyke. “His strategic insight, public service record and entrepreneurial spirit will greatly benefit our students and the wider University community.”
Parmeter’s position was established in 2006 through the generosity of alumnus Howard Phanstiel ’70 B.A. (PSc) /’71 M.P.A./’22 Hon. and his wife, Louise Phanstiel, and supports teaching, scholarship and public engagement focused on preparing ethical, strategic leaders for public service. Parmeter succeeds University Professor Sean O’Keefe ’78 M.P.A. and Distinguished Professor Rosemary O’Leary.
“I am deeply honored to hold the position and thankful for the generosity and vision of the Phanstiel family,” says Parmeter.
Parmeter holds a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a master’s degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree from the U.S. Army War College. He also completed graduate study in entrepreneurship and innovation at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Parmeter was a Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy from 2015-17 and he served on the National Science Foundation’s Future of Work advisory board from 2018-23.
At the Defense Department, Parmeter directed strategy and reform for the 3.4-million-member civilian and military workforce. At Walmart, he developed initiatives to expand nontraditional hiring, support military veterans and families, and create STEM career pathways. He co-founded the workforce development function at NextFlex, an initiative of the Defense Department; served as principal and partner for the national security consultancy BMNT Inc.; and co-founded a coffee company that shared proceeds with organizations that support military families.
The latter role was especially personal for Parmeter. His military career spanned nearly 25 years in the U.S. Army, where he rose to the rank of colonel. He held command and staff assignments worldwide, including 40 months in Iraq, and was awarded three Bronze Stars and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
Across all roles, Parmeter says he has through lines in “systems thinking, design thinking and behavioral economics.”
“Systems thinking helps us see the whole and anticipate second-order effects. Design thinking puts people and iteration at the center. Behavioral economics reminds us that policies succeed or fail based on how real humans respond,” he says. “I look forward to bringing those disciplines into the classroom and my collaboration with colleagues at Maxwell.”
By Jessica Youngman
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