Dr. Mogren completed a 27-year career as an Army engineer officer in June 2001. His final assignment was to serve as the Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff for the Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division headquartered in Portland, Oregon. He provided oversight of the Corps hydropower and salmon recovery programs in the Pacific Northwest and managed relationships between the Corps, regional Indian tribal governments, and other federal agencies.
He later served as program coordinator for the Columbia River Federal Caucus, facilitating the actions of ten federal agencies with overlapping jurisdictions over Columbia Basin fish and water resources.
One of the lessons he took away from these experiences was that solutions to the complex natural resource policy issues in the Northwest rarely fall within the jurisdiction of any one agency or level of government. Rather, they require a coordinated network of government, non-profit, and private entities working together to craft mutually acceptable plans and actions.
In teaching, he integrates experience with academic theory to provide students with practical tools and concepts.