PMI Carolina Virtual Meeting - Lessons Learned from a US Marine Turned PM
Topic:
In this engaging and insightful session, Russ Parker shares lessons from his career as a U.S. Marine Corps officer and how those experiences laid the foundation for success in project management. The presentation offers a dual perspective: first, it highlights how military personnel - often unknowingly - develop core competencies aligned with project management; second, it provides civilian project managers with a deeper appreciation for the structured, mission-driven skill set veterans bring to the profession. Attendees will walk away with a greater understanding of leadership, risk management, and project execution from a military lens - and how those concepts translate seamlessly into civilian project environments.
Learning Objectives:
- Discover how risk management principles in the U.S. Military align with project risk management practices in the civilian sector.
- Understand how project management skills are developed organically throughout a military career.
- Learn how military training and experience can be effectively translated into recognized project management competencies.
Inputs for PDU Processor:
- Top 5 Skills - Strategic Thinking & Creative Problem Solving
- Highly Desirable/Market Driven Project Skills - Data driven analytics for data driven project management, Aligning projects and organizational strategy
- Talent Triangle - Business Acumen, Business analysis, competitive analysis and market analysis
Speaker: Russell Parker
Speaker Bio:
Russ Parker is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Officer and one of the emerging authorities in project risk management. As the owner of 44Risk PM, LLC and the creator behind “The Bearded PM” YouTube channel, Russ teaches project managers how to elevate their risk maturity with clear, practical methods grounded in real project environments.
He holds the PMP®, PMI-RMP®, and PMI-ACP® certifications and serves as a PMI-ATP Instructor for both the PMP® and PMI-RMP®. He currently teaches with Project Success Academy.
Russ likes to blends his high-stakes military planning experience with deep PMI-aligned expertise, helping teams move beyond checkbox risk processes toward proactive, strategic risk leadership.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio and now based in bright and sunny St. Augustine, Florida, he brings clarity, authenticity, and mission-focused teaching to every event.
