Roderick W. Sumpter, a native of Monrovia, Liberia, received a commission in the U.S. Army Transportation Corps from Augusta State University Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). Prior to his military career, he attended Paul Quinn College (PQC) from 1995 to 1996, where he began his collegiate studies before entering full-time military service. His civilian education also includes a Master of Business Administration in Human Resources Management, and he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Troy State University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a minor in Military Science. He has been designated a Master Logistician, is a Level III Certified Contracting Officer from Defense Acquisition University, and holds a Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance.

Roderick’s 24 years of military service include multiple combat and overseas tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–2004, 2008–2010), Operation Joint Guard and Operation Joint Forge (Bosnia, 1998), Task Force Hawk (Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, 1999), USARPAC Coordination Element (South Korea, 2014), and Operation Spartan Shield (Syria, 2018), as well as tours in Alaska, Hawaii, and Kuwait, along with numerous assignments throughout the United States.

His leadership assignments include serving as Platoon Leader of the 62nd Transportation Company, Logistical Director for a Forward Support Company, and Battalion-Level Budget and Sustainment Manager for the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion at Joint Base Richardson–Elmendorf, Alaska. He later served with the 130th Engineer Brigade as Assistant Brigade Budget and Sustainment Manager and as the 65th Engineer Battalion Budget and Sustainment Manager at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Roderick also served as Commander of the 545th Transportation Company at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, Hawaii.

In 2014, he supported the USARPAC Coordinating Element Officer (TCS) in Daegu, South Korea, and later served as the Operations Officer for the Defense Coordination Element–Hawaii, directly supporting FEMA Region IX. He subsequently served as the Deputy Defense Coordination Officer for the Defense Coordination Element–Hawaii.

Roderick later served as a Contracting Officer with the 408th Contracting Support Brigade in South Carolina and Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, where he worked for six years. He retired from Army Contracting Command as an Acquisition Officer at Aberdeen Proving Ground and currently serves as the Program Manager of the Joint Service Provider (JSP) Warehouse supporting the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).

Roderick’s humanitarian values were shaped through his deployments, witnessing firsthand the U.S. military’s mission of assisting communities around the world. Inspired to continue serving after returning home, he began volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club and leading a community-based nonprofit organization.

In 2017, partnering with another U.S. Army officer, he co-founded Anytime Fitness Moncks Corner in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. Since its opening, the gym has helped promote healthier lifestyles and community wellness, working to address the 58% obesity rate in Berkeley County through accessible fitness programs.

He is married to the former Ms. Damonica C. Ray of Memphis, Tennessee, and they are the proud parents of two daughters. Roderick and his family remain actively involved in community service, volunteering monthly to feed the homeless and supporting organizations such as Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.