Major Andrew Mueller ’92 (Retired) has spent the last 20 years as an Intelligence Officer and Foreign Policy expert for the United States Marine Corps. After enlisting in 2003 and serving throughout Asia, he began as an officer and was later deployed as an Intelligence Officer Trainer to train Al Anbar Police in Ramadi, Iraq, during the war. He then moved on to receive a master’s degree in international relations from the United States (U.S.) Naval Postgraduate School.

From 2010 to 2018, Maj. Mueller served across Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. As a Foreign Area Officer, he was stationed in Haiti and Colombia, assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Peru for security cooperation and humanitarian assistance, then to the U.S. Embassy in Morocco to coordinate all special operations security cooperation. Later, he served at Marine Forces South as the lead South American Planning Officer in Theater Security Cooperation.

In 2019, Maj. Mueller served as Future Operations Officer at Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, leading the development of an Operations Directive, an End-to-End Intelligence Mission Management process, and safeguarding critical programs and technologies.

After a long and impressive military career, Maj. Mueller decided to retire in 2023. He transferred his skill set to work full-time in the world of private equity. Today, he is Managing Partner at Global Frontier Capital along with Berkshire alums Gilman “Chip” Perkins ’73 and his son, Sam Perkins ’14. The team invests in sustainable forest projects worldwide that generate carbon credits then used for carbon offsetting. These nature-based projects mitigate climate change risks and create positive environmental and social impacts.

Currently, Maj. Mueller is a member of the Berkshire Veterans Memorial Task Force. This volunteer group consists of alumni, faculty, staff, and a current student, all working to recognize and honor the Berkshire alumni and community members who served our country in the U.S. Military. To learn more about the Veterans Memorial Project, contact Berkshire School Archivist Bebe Bullock ’86 at bbullock@berkshireschool.org.

In honor of Veterans Day, read more about Maj. Mueller’s career in the military and beyond.

What initially inspired you to enlist in the Marine Corps?

I was 28 and living in Boulder, CO, on 9/11/2001 when I saw the planes fly into the Twin Towers on TV. I served as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1997–2000 in the Guatemalan Highlands, so I had already experienced the power of service. September 11 gnawed at me for several months, and I figured I had one more adventure in me, so I planned to serve a standard four-year tour before I ‘settled down.’ With my bachelor’s degree, I explored the officer route, but due to supply and demand lags in the government, the next available Officer Candidate School seat was well over a year out. I ended up walking into the Marine recruiter’s office in downtown Boulder, and I can tell you that I made that sergeant's day because, even after 9/11, Boulder was not known for its excitement over military service.

What are the highlights of your military career?

There were so many good and challenging experiences over the 20 years. To my parents’ chagrin, I have always been attracted to the ‘road less traveled’ and the military gave me the opportunity to continue traveling widely and live in many cultures. Being able to play a small part in observing where policy and politics meet implementation in the real world was eye-opening. Whether participating in the war in Iraq, floating on a Marine expeditionary unit throughout Asia, training other militaries in Latin America and North Africa, doing humanitarian and medical responses in disaster areas, or planning and translating for the U.S. Commanding Generals traveling in South America – it all helped inform my perception and my inner map of the world.

The second highlight for me was being part of a true brotherhood/sisterhood, especially during my enlisted time in an infantry platoon. No matter our background, education, race, or politics, everyone sacrificed and cared for one another when it got tough. It is a powerful concept of service that I wish we could simulate to a broader population (minus the military aspect), and it now helps guide how I participate in business post-retirement. 

Tell us more about the sustainable projects your private equity fund is working on.

I started Global Frontier Capital with a few partners, two of whom are Berkshire alumni. Our first fund, the Global Carbon Credit Development Fund, registered this year, invests in nature-based carbon projects worldwide. We establish large-scale reforestation, conservation, and improved forest management projects that will produce verified carbon credits to be sold in the voluntary markets for companies, and in some cases, countries, to offset their carbon emissions. The powerful aspect of these projects is that they’re not only profitable for investors and help the environment, but they also create a positive economic impact down to the rural village level within the project areas.

Informed by my experiences in the Peace Corps, international business, and the Marine Corps, I had a front-row seat in studying historical antecedents and common genesis stories of what makes a ‘rebel’ as well as political uprisings/revolutions. Income disparities and detachment from the domestic and global economy are key driving forces. We are in the midst of a technological revolution and, just like agricultural and industrial revolutions in the past, this can produce a large amount of instability. However, it can also provide an opportunity to profitably do things differently because 20th-century institutions are not solving 21st-century problems. Our vision at Global Frontier Capital is to use private capital to create profitability in frontier markets and resolve some of these problems. Carbon markets are an essential way to put capital to use and help solve environmental issues. Our forthcoming fund will invest in battery metal exploration and mining, ensuring free-market supply while prioritizing social impact and mine reclamation. This approach enables frontier market populations to participate and benefit for generations.

What does Veterans Day signify for you?

The distinction between Veterans Day and Memorial Day becomes convoluted for veterans. For me, it is a day of reflection that often brings back memories and thoughts of friends we have lost or those who came back injured mentally and physically. We are so blessed to be in a period when veterans are honored for their service; it hasn’t always been the case because the U.S. sentiment has ebbed and flowed in its regard to military service.

What is your fondest memory of your time under the Mountain?

It has been over 32 years since my time at Berkshire, so individual events have blended into one another. Of course, I loved my time under the Mountain and on the athletic fields, but as I reflect now, it was also an amazing environment where teachers were more than just teachers on a timecard. My teachers looked at me not just as a student, but as a holistic individual to be mentored and developed. I left Berkshire with the confidence that I can and should strive to be in any profession and am able to accomplish large endeavors. The school sought to teach me a sense of humble empowerment. My two years at Berkshire had such a positive impact on my life.