Senior Fellow

Mathew J. Konkler serves as Managing Partner at BlackPoint Strategies, LLC. As Managing Partner, Mr. Konkler focuses on strategic vision, long-term strategy, innovation, alliances and partnerships. Mr. Konkler also serves as CEO of Konkler Enterprises, BlackPoint Strategies, LLC parent company.

Prior to assuming his role as Managing Partner at BlackPoint Strategies, Mr. Konkler served as Executive Director for the National Center for Complex Operations (NCCO) and as senior advisor – national security, with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). In his role at NCCO, Mr. Konkler was responsible for developing strategic relationships within the national security sector and establishing a consortium comprised of members from federal and state agencies as well as academic, corporate and non-profit partners. From mid-2009 to 2011, Konkler served as a program manager at Raytheon Company, where he focused on business development within emerging international markets.

In 2001, Mr. Konkler received a Presidential appointment to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, The Pentagon, where he served two Secretaries of Defense, the honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld and the honorable Robert M. Gates. He has traveled to 119 countries in support of the U.S. armed services, including numerous visits to Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as extensive travel throughout the NATO alliance.

Before accepting his Presidential appointment, Mr. Konkler was employed at the corporate headquarters of the U.S. Airways group in Arlington, Va., where he was responsible for managing and developing corporate accounts on the east coast. Mr Konkler’s largest client was the National Football League (NFL). He has also worked in local government in his home state of Indiana.

Mr. Konkler joined Sagamore Institute as a senior fellow in November of 2012 and became a member of the Indiana State University–College of Technology Advisory Board in 2014. He also serves on the board of directors at Mid-America Science Park, is a member of the Indiana Aerospace & Defense Council (IADC), Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and of the Sons of the American Legion. He is a two-time recipient of the United States Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Konkler is an honors graduate of Oakland City University and earned an MBA from ORU in Tulsa, Okla.