2020 UofL graduate retires from U.S. Army after 25-year career

Corey Dancy graduated in December 2020 with a Masters in Human Resources and Organization Development from the College of Education and Human Development. Less than a year later, Dancy retired from the U.S. Army as a Sergeant First Class after a 25-year career.

Dancy now serves with Lockheed Martin as a Talent Acquisition Sourcing Recruiter, where he assists Lockheed Martin hire Electrical Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Cleared Technicians and Veterans with the Space Military Relations Team.

He started his military career as a field artilleryman, serving at Fort Riley, Kansas, and Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He then transitioned to being an Army Recruiter and served at Recruiting Battalions in Atlanta, Dallas and Oklahoma. Following these tours, he was chosen to be an instructor for recruiters and recruiting station commanders at the U.S. Army Recruiting and Retention College, Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Among the many awards Dancy earned during his career was the prestigious Glen E. Morrell Award, the highest recruiting award in the U.S. Army. He is also the recipient of several Meritorious Service Medals, which are presented  to individuals who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States.

Dancy chose UofL due to its unique partnership with the U.S. Army Recruiting and Retention College. Through this partnership, soldiers and instructors at the U.S. Army Recruiting and Retention College are offered an opportunity to pursue their master’s degree at UofL. The program is designed to help advanced instructors enhance their facilitation skills with adult students. Although the program is offered to every soldier, the U.S. Army Recruiting and Retention College has a screening process designed to identify soldiers most likely to succeed.

Prior to choosing UofL, Dancy had an opportunity to talk with previous students of the program. They all stressed how the faculty made themselves available to students even if the students contacted them late in the evening. 

Although he was a UofL student during the COVID epidemic, Dancy said the Department of Educational Leadership was ready to meet the challenges and restrictions of COVID, while ensuring students were challenged. He intends to use the skills acquired in his master’s program to help him grow his second career with Lockheed Martin.

UofL is proud to call Dancy an alum, and also to celebrate the 246th birthday of the United States Army on June 14. 

Story submitted by Kyle Hurwitz, UofL's director of Military and Online Initiatives.