Brigadier General Hagan, from New Orleans, LA, graduated from The Citadel in 1971 with a BS in Business Administration and later earned a Master’s in Psychology from Pepperdine University. Commissioned as a Marine Corps officer, he served in infantry roles, including platoon and company commander, and held assignments at Parris Island, HQ Marine Corps, and Camp Pendleton, with operational tours in Vietnam, Desert Storm, Kuwait, and Somalia, retiring in 1999. Post-retirement, he worked as a Special Agent for the California Bureau of Investigation, Chief of Investigations for the Department of Consumer Affairs, and Director of Safety and Enforcement for the California Public Utilities Commission. In 2003, he joined the California State Military Reserve, becoming its 12th Commanding General and serving as Deputy Director for the California Governor’s Office of Homeland Security. In 2014, he founded E. J. Hagan and Son Company, a leadership and strategic planning consultancy, and in 2018, was commissioned a Brigadier General in the South Carolina Military Department as J-5 Strategic Plans Officer. His decorations include the Legion of Merit, multiple Meritorious Service and Commendation Medals, and various unit and campaign awards, along with parachutist, combatant diver, and emergency management badges.