Nicholas J. Armstrong

Dr. Nick Armstrong is the Senior Director for Research and Evaluation at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University where he brings more than 16 years of program leadership, applied research, and evaluation experience in national security and public affairs. At IVMF, Armstrong leads a multi-disciplinary team that conducts applied research to empower government, industry, and philanthropic decision making on veteran- and family-related issues. He oversees a broad portfolio of more than a dozen projects with IVMF partners on topics including higher education, employment, entrepreneurship, human services delivery, and public policy. In addition, his team provides program evaluation, quality, and business intelligence support to the institute and its partners.

Dr. Armstrong is also an adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs at Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. There he teaches graduate courses in public organizations and management and serves as a faculty advisor for team-based MPA capstone consulting projects with external clients and the Renée Crown Honors Program. Armstrong also serves on the advisory board of the Central New York Research Corporation, which oversees the conduct of approved medical research at the Syracuse VA Medical Center.

Before joining the IVMF, Armstrong was a research fellow for six years at the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism where he led public and privately funded projects on topics including security sector reform, wartime contracting, postwar stabilization, and disaster and community resilience. He also led the development and directed Syracuse University’s graduate-level advanced certificate program in postconflict reconstruction. A U.S. Army veteran, Armstrong also served for eight years as a Ranger-qualified artillery officer, including nearly three years deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia. Armstrong held several leadership and staff positions at the platoon, battery, and battalion levels throughout his service. He also served as speechwriter to the 10th Mountain Division’s commanding general and, previously, aide-de-camp to the division’s deputy commanding general.

His avocational pursuits include volunteering and competing in endurance events for the Syracuse chapter of Team Red, White, and Blue, a non-profit organization that enriches veterans’ lives through physical and social activity.

Armstrong received his Ph.D. and M.P.A. degrees with concentrations in public administration and national security policy from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and his B.S. in Engineering Management from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.