Lieutenant General Joe N. Ballard, US Army (Retired)
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Ravens Group, Inc.

LTG Ballard is the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Ravens Group, Inc., an exceptionally successful business services corporation with an impressive array of both Federal Government and private sector clients. The Ravens Group is a private, mature, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) with its corporate headquarters located in Lanham, Maryland. Through his long-term vision and commitment to quality, LTG Ballard continues to lead The Ravens Group to experience consistent growth by providing its nationwide clients support in: program integration and project management; financial resource management; healthcare and hospitality services; administrative and professional staffing support; human resources and training support; and logistics and facilities management.

LTG Ballard’s last military assignment was as the 49th Chief of Engineers and Commander, United States Army Corps of Engineers. He was appointed to this prestigious position in 1996 by William Clinton, the President of the United States. In that capacity, LTG Ballard managed all missions for the Corps of Engineers including the nation’s vast civil works program, environmental restoration and construction on military installations with a budget totaling more than $16 Billion. His strong leadership guided the Corps in assisting recovery from natural disasters, regulating work in the nation’s waterways and wetlands, conducting research and development, serving as the Army and Air Force real estate agent, and providing engineering services to 60 other federal agencies and more than 80 other nations.

Prior to his appointment as Chief of Engineers, LTG Ballard was the Chief of Staff for the United States Army Training and Doctrine and as such was responsible for headquarters and installation operations, training and budget management for over twenty major training and operational bases throughout the United States. Immediately before being selected as Chief of Staff, he served as the Commander of the United States Army Engineer Center in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. In that role, he was the Army’s engineer proponent for combat and combat support systems, training and doctrinal matters.

LTG Ballard commanded the 18th Engineer Brigade in Germany which at the time was the Army’s largest and most experienced combat, construction and topographic engineer troop unit. Additionally, he commanded the 82nd Combat Engineer Battalion also located in Germany. He served two combat tours in Viet Nam. LTG Ballard's military honors include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (three awards), Bronze Star Medal (two awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal (four awards).

He graduated from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1965 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, and was immediately commissioned into the Army Corps of Engineers. He later earned a Master's Degree in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri. He is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College and the Army War College. He is a registered professional engineer in civil engineering. He holds a number of honorary degrees, including an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri, an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering Degree from the University of Missouri in Rolla, Missouri and an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering from Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

In addition to his military honors, the Council of Deans of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the Career Communications Group recognized LTG Ballard as the 1998 Black Engineer of the Year.  He was also the 1998-1999 President of the Society of American Military Engineers and a member of the National Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi.