Wilson leads Georgia National Guard

Maj. Gen. Dwayne Wilson '93 serves as the 44th adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard. In this role, he leads over 15,000 soldiers, airmen and civilian employees every day.

But for Wilson, a University of North Georgia (UNG) graduate, getting to lead so many citizen-soldiers who serve admirably both in the state and abroad is not about a rank, a title or even about him.

"As leaders in any capacity, our primary responsibility is taking care of our most valuable asset — our people," Wilson said.  "The Corps of Cadets instilled the importance of servant leadership and leading with humility, helping me realize that regardless of what assets you have or where you lead, it's all about taking care of folks."

Wilson spent his first decade of military service in the active-duty Army before transitioning to the Army National Guard, where he's served for the last 22 years. It's a role where many of the leaders he works alongside are also UNG alumni.

He is consistently humbled by the work he gets to do with the men and women of the Georgia National Guard, which has a wide-ranging and diverse mission set. Over 2,500 members of the Guard deployed around the globe within the past year, with another 2,500 serving in fall 2024 during three hurricane responses: Debby, Helene and Milton.

More than 30 years after graduating from UNG, Wilson is now in elite company as one of four members of the 1993 graduating class to go on to become Army generals. The others are Brig. Gen. Paul Howard, Brig. Gen. Kevin Lambert, and retired Brig. Gen. Charles "Rob" Parker. Wilson sees that legacy of leadership from his class as much more about the mentorship from Army officers who served as military science instructors when they were students. One of those instructors was retired Lt. Gen. James Terry, who is now back at UNG as senior vice president and superintendent of the Cadet Leadership Academy.

During his time as a cadet, Wilson was a member of the Mountain Order of Colombo specialty group. Military-focused experiences mixed with civilian life in America's Corps provided him an unparalleled environment for both personal and professional growth.

"Young freshmen, sophomores and juniors are given incredible opportunities to learn and grow, to train and then retrain. We don't always get things right the first time. It's a great environment to learn from your mistakes and try again before doing it for real in the Army," Wilson said. "UNG is the best leadership factory out there. America's Corps provides outstanding opportunities for our future leaders."

As he enters the final years of the Army career UNG helped him launch, Wilson remains focused on offering similar assistance. 

"I have a responsibility to give back," Wilson said. "One of the most important things I can do at this stage of my career is create conditions for the success of our junior leaders."