Victor Grycenkov, the son of Russian immigrants, was born and raised in Vineland NJ. In 1989, he graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in History. He also holds a BS in Marine Science (Biology and Geology concentrations) from Stockton State College, which he received in 1991. After graduating from Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base in 1994, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the United States Air Force and was on his way to become a nuclear launch officer. In November 1994, Victor completed Nuclear Launch training and was assigned to F.E. Warren AFB. He served on a Missile Combat Crew in the 320th Missile Squadron, first as a Deputy then as a Commander. During his tenure at F.E. Warren AFB, he set up the START Treaty Office, and served as a treaty escort. Additionally, Victor was the Vice President of the Company Grade Officers Council, established a nuclear war fighting exchange program with the US Navy, and frequently volunteered his time with the Special Olympics.
In December of 1999, Victor accepted an offer to serve at Schriever AFB in Colorado Springs, Co. He was a GPS Subsystems Engineer responsible for the day-to-day operations of the GPS satellite system. After his tour of duty at Schriever AFB, Victor volunteered for an assignment as an Orbital Analyst in Cheyenne Mountain where he tracked all high interest space items. In April of 2001, after suffering an injury, Victor resigned his commission and moved to Northern Virginia, where he worked various assignments with NGA and NRO. He worked as an image scientist, product quality engineer and configuration manager where he established a compartmented engineering review board. It was at this time that he completed his Master’s degree in Basic Science in Geography and Environmental Studies (concentrating in GIS and Digital Image Processing). After finishing his degree, he also obtained a HAM radio license.
In 2006, Victor re-entered government service. He served as a management execution officer with the Office of Special Programs integrating multiple programs into the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s baseline, supported the Space and Information Operations EXCOM at the Pentagon, worked as NGA’s space lead, supported AT&L performing acquisition oversight and managing the OPIR portfolio, performed advanced satellite engineering and managed imagery throughput for the agency. In 2011, he elected to join NGA’s Office of the Inspector General serving as an inspector. He is a graduate of the DoD’s Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) and in 2017, Victor returned to his technical and scientific roots by accepting a position as the Station Manager at the Wallops Island Command and Data Acquisition Station. After 5 years of service leading the Wallops team, Victor accepted a position as the LEO Deputy Director.
Victor currently lives in Maryland, is married and enjoys astronomy, photography, fishing, boating, hiking, biking, HAM radio, fitness activities, is a Hospice volunteer, and various other activities too numerous to list.