Meet Hank Molinengo!

Hank Molinengo was born in Washington, DC and graduated from both Catholic University and Catholic University Law School.  He was awarded an LL.M. in Military Law (subspecialty Criminal Law) from The Judge Advocate General’s School of the Army in 1992.     

His active duty service in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps began in 1982. His career highlights are:

(1) Service with Commander Amphibious Group TWO / Commander Amphibious Striking Force (NATO) where as Staff Judge Advocate he deployed on numerous deterrent national and NATO taskings in the North Atlantic and Caribbean.

(2) In 1988, he was assigned as Staff Judge Advocate, Commander Patrol Wings Atlantic, Brunswick, Maine, where he served as the legal advisor to the Atlantic VP Community.
     
(3) In 1994, he assumed command of Naval Legal Service Office Guam. He was awarded the "Ancient Order of the Chamorri" by the Governor of Guam, The Honorable Carl Gutierrez, for his extensive involvement in community outreach programs. 

(4) Between December 1995 and April 1998, he served as Force Judge Advocate, Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. 

(5) He served as the Executive Assistant to the Judge Advocate General, RADM D.J. Guter, JAGC, USN, until July 2002. He was in the Pentagon in 9-11 and was present for the planning in response to that terrorist attack. 

(6) Legal Counsel to the Chief of Naval Personnel.

(7) In June 2006, he was selected for promotion to Rear Admiral (Lower Half) and to serve as the Assistant Judge Advocate General of the Navy (Operations and Management) / Vice Commander, Naval Legal Service Command, the third ranking officer in the Navy JAG Corps.  He left active service in September 2008, was promoted to Rear Admiral (Lower Half), and retired on 1 November 2008. As an attorney, he developed proficiencies in criminal law, ethics, administrative law, and international and national security law. 

(8) Upon retirement, he served with the Office of the General Counsel of the Navy until August 2009 as an Assistant to the Associate General Counsel (Management$

(9) In August 2009, he became the Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs with The George Washington University Law School (GW Law), On July 12, 2017 he was designated and promoted as the Senior Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs and The John S. Jenkins Family Professorial Lecturer in Law and Policy.  Hank is the first person to hold this appointment.  He retired on January 1, 2021 from this position.  He remains with GW Law as an adjunct professor. 

(10) Currently, he volunteers as a subject matter spokesperson with “Wellness for Warriors”, an organization sponsored by Cox Hospital and United Health Care to support the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of First Responders and the Military.  In May 2024, he was selected as Springfield Public Schools’ Volunteer of the Year for his work at Disney Elementary School. 

Hank is a member of the Bars of the U.S. Supreme Court, District of Columbia, and U.S. Court of Criminal Appeals for the Armed Forces. He is married to Fran and they have one daughter and 5 grandchildren.