Welcome to my personal website, I was born and raised in Kingsport, Tennessee, where I was active in Church, participated in school functions, boy scouts, played backyard sports, rode bikes with friends, and as a teenager, I enjoyed hanging out at the mall, cruising on Friday and Saturday nights, or at the lake on Sunday. I especially enjoyed playing baseball, basketball, and football, participating in organized and school leagues, lettering in multiple sports in high school, and often playing in two baseball leagues every summer.
On April 27th, 1996, during my senior year at Sullivan North High School (now closed), I went to the Knoxville, TN Military Entry Processing Station and enlisted in the U.S. Army’s Delayed Entry Program, officially becoming a Service Member on October 2nd, 1996. Early in my career, I was recognized for my leadership and advanced through the ranks quickly, spending 17 years, 2 months, and 11 days as a Noncommissioned Officer, and 11 years & 11 months as a Senior Noncommissioned Officer, and held numerous leadership positions, retiring after 20 years and 29 days of faithful and honorable service on October 31st, 2016.
I was fortunate to serve around the world, including 6 ½ years at the White House Military Office, where I traveled under a Diplomatic passport when traveling outside the United States. I also served in Iraq on a Military Transition Team as an advisor to the Iraqi Army and Police Forces, in Afghanistan as a Platoon Sergeant with the 82nd Airborne Division, and as a Liaison to the Combined Joint Task Force-East during the 2012 “military surge.”
In my post-military life, I co-host a weekly radio show called the CommonSense Conservatives, publish articles, host a podcast, and do some political commentary, especially on the Todd McKinley Commentary. Additionally, I’m active with Veterans Service Organizations and have served and continue to serve as an officer at various levels, on top of serving on several local, state, and national boards, councils, commissions, and committees.
I’ve also been active in politics at the local, state, and national levels, running for Congress in TN-01 in 2018, receiving more than 3x the number of votes the “experts” predicted. I've served as a state delegate to the 2017 Young Republicans National Convention, I also served with President Trump's 2017 Presidential Inaugural Committee and then served as a White House Staff Associate, as an Advance Representative, during the Trump-Pence Administration, where I traveled under an Official passport when traveling outside the country. I also served as a Staff Lead for President Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, and I currently serve on the Sullivan County (Tennessee) Republican Party Executive Committee as a Member at Large, and have advised, assisted, and supported dozens of political candidates, campaigns, and conservative organizations across the country.
Included in my military and civilian awards and decorations, are a Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge, Presidential Service Badge, and an appointment as a Kentucky Colonel. My military and civilian education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Homeland Security, a Master of Science in Leadership with a major concentration in Global Leadership from Duquesne University, Certificates in Executive Leadership from Cornell University, and Leaders of Learning from Harvard University.
To find out more about me, look around, email me Todd@toddmckinley.com or message me on my Contact Me page.