Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert (Ret.)

ESLC Co-Chair; 30th Chief of Naval Operations, US Navy (RETIRED)

Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1975 and completed studies in nuclear power for service as a submarine officer. His career as a submariner includes assignments aboard USS Flying Fish (SSN 673), USS Tautog (SSN 639), Submarine NR-1 and USS Michigan (SSBN 727 – Gold Crew), culminating in command of USS Honolulu (SSN 718) from March 1991 to July 1993.

Subsequent fleet command assignments include Commander, Submarine Squadron 11; Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Marianas; Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet (August 2004 to September 2006); and, Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (September 2007 to July 2009). Greenert has served in various fleet support and financial management positions, including deputy chief of Naval Operations for Integration of Capabilities and Resources (N8); deputy commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet; chief of staff, U.S. 7th Fleet; head, Navy Programming Branch and director, Operations Division Navy Comptroller. Most recently he served as 36th vice chief of naval operations (August 2009 to August 2011).

He is a recipient of various personal and campaign awards including the Distinguished Service Medal (6 awards), Defense Superior Service Medal and Legion of Merit (4 awards). In 1992 he was awarded the Vice Admiral Stockdale Award for inspirational leadership. He considers those awards earned throughout his career associated with unit performance to be most satisfying and representative of naval service. Greenert became the 30th Chief of Naval Operations Sep. 23, 2011.

Adam M. Goldstein

ESLC Co-Chair; Executive Chairman, KNNX Corp.

Adam Goldstein is Executive Chairman of KNNX Corp. (formerly DLT Global). Prior to this, he was named President of Royal Caribbean International in February 2005 and in September 2007 expanded his role to include CEO. Mr. Goldstein oversaw fleet operations, sales and marketing, brand development, supply chain management, government and community relations and Royal Celebrity Tours. Mr. Goldstein also served as Royal Caribbean’s Executive Vice President, Brand Operations, with similar responsibilities from 2002 to 2005.

Mr. Goldstein was with Royal Caribbean since 1988. Prior to 2002, he held the positions of Senior Vice President, Total Guest Satisfaction; Senior Vice President, Marketing; Vice President, Marketing; Vice President, International Sales and Marketing; Director, Market Development; and Corporate Secretary to Royal Caribbean’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Goldstein serves on the Board of Directors of the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), and was National Chair of the organization in 2001. Mr. Goldstein also serves on the Board of Trustees of Our Kids, Inc., the nonprofit with oversight responsibility for foster care and related services for approximately 5,000 children in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

In 1998, Advertising Age named Mr. Goldstein to the “Marketing 100,” the magazine’s annual roundup of the best and brightest American and international marketing minds.

Mr. Goldstein graduated with honors from Princeton University, majoring in public policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He also has a law degree from Harvard and a master’s degree in business administration with distinction from INSEAD, the European business school in Fontainebleau, France. Mr. Goldstein and his wife, Cheryl, have two children, David and Julie, and live in Miami-Dade County, Fla.

Frederick W. Smith

ESLC Chairman; Emeritus Chairman, FedEx Corporation

Born in 1944 in Marks, Mississippi, Frederick W. Smith, Yale College 1966, is the founder of FedEx Corporation and Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. The original analyses about the logistic needs of a highly automated future society were done during his tenure as an undergraduate.

After four years of service in the Marines, including two tours of duty in Vietnam, he launched the original air-ground Federal Express network, which began operations in 1973 to serve the rapidly growing high-tech, high-value-added sectors of the economy Smith had predicted. The company has since grown into a global enterprise that serves more than 220 countries and territories.

As Executive Chairman, Smith focuses on Board governance, as well as issues of global importance, including sustainability, innovation, and public policy. FedEx operations include 714 aircraft, more than 215,000 vehicles, and 5,178 operating facilities. More than 550,000 employees worldwide currently handle approximately 15 million shipments each day.

FedEx has been widely acknowledged for its commitment to total quality service. FedEx Express was the first service company to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1990.

FedEx has been recognized by Time magazine as one of the “Time100 Most Influential Companies” and has consistently been ranked on FORTUNE magazine’s industry lists, including “100 Best Companies to Work For” and “World’s Most Admired Companies.”

Smith is a trustee for the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a member of both the Business Council and Business Roundtable. He served as chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council and co-chair of the French-American Business Council. Smith has served on the boards of several large public companies — Malone and Hyde (AutoZone), First Tennessee, Holiday Inn, EW Scripps, and General Mills — and charitable organizations including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Mayo Foundation. He was formerly chairman of the Board of Governors for the International Air Transport Association and chaired the executive committee of the U.S. Air Transport Association.

Smith has received several honorary degrees and numerous civic, academic, and business awards including the Global Leadership Award from the U.S.-India Business Council; the George C. Marshall Foundation Award; the Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Business Leadership Award; the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy; and the Circle of Honor Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. In addition, Smith is a member of the Aviation Hall of Fame and the Business Hall of Fame. He served as co-chairman of both the U.S. World War II Memorial project and the campaign for the National Museum of the Marine Corps. He was cited in Forbes “100 Greatest Living Business Minds” and has been named a top CEO by both Barron’s and Chief Executive magazines.

Admiral Dennis C. Blair (Ret.)

SAFE Chairman and ESLC Member; Director of National Intelligence and Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (Ret.)

Admiral Blair served as Director of National Intelligence from January 2009 to May 2010.  He led sixteen national intelligence agencies, administering a budget of  $50 billion and providing integrated intelligence support to the President, Congress and operations in the field.  Prior to rejoining the government, he held the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies with the National Bureau of Asian Research, served as deputy director of the Project for National Security Reform, and as a member of the Energy Security Leadership Council of Securing America’s Future Energy.

From 2003 to 2006 Admiral Blair was president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), a federally funded research and development center based in Alexandria, Virginia that supports the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the Intelligence Community.  He has been a director of two public companies, EDO and Tyco International and served on the boards of many non-profit organizations.

Prior to retiring from the Navy in 2002, Admiral Blair served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command, the largest of the combatant commands. During his 34-year Navy career, Admiral Blair served on guided missile destroyers in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and commanded the Kitty Hawk Battle Group.  Ashore, he served as Director of the Joint Staff and held budget and policy positions on the National Security Council and several major Navy staffs.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Admiral Blair earned a master’s degree in history and languages from Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar, and was a White House fellow at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  He has been awarded four Defense Distinguished Service medals, three National Intelligence Distinguished Service medals and has received decorations from the governments of Japan, Thailand, Korea, Australia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

William Bohnett

President, Whitecap Investments, LLC

Mr. Bohnett is the President of Whitecap Investments, LLC, a private family investment firm, and a retired partner of the international law firm of NortonRoseFulbright, where he maintained an extensive international  corporate and securities practice.

Mr. Bohnett is currently the Chair of the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and served from 2009-2018 as a member of the National Board of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex.   He is a member of SAFE’s Energy Security Leadership Council, a non-partisan organization working to enhance the nation’s energy security and supporting U.S. economic resurgence and resiliency and reducing dependence on oil, by advancing transformative transportation and mobility technologies. Bill sits on the Executive Committee of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, a non-partisan NGO working on national competitiveness issues, and is a member of its Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils.  He is a Board member of American Forests, the nation’s oldest conservation organization, and Chair of the Board of Little Sun, Inc., a solar energy non-profit working in Africa. He has served on the Boards of The Synergos Institute, City Harvest, the Island School and New York Sun Works, and has been a member of the National Council of the Environmental Defense Fund and a Visiting Fellow of the World Resources Institute.  Bill is also a member of the National Committee on U.S. – China Relations.

Bill is married with three grown children and has homes in Jupiter Island, Florida and Princeton Junction, New Jersey.  He was a founding investor and board member of GeoCities, an internet community company which went public in 1998 and subsequently was acquired by Yahoo! He is a 1970 graduate of Princeton University and its School of Public and International Affairs and a 1974 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He maintains an active speaking schedule on climate change mitigation, sustainability and related topics.

Admiral Vern Clark (Ret.)

27th Chief of Naval Operations, US Navy (Ret.) 

Admiral Clark completed a distinguished 37-year Navy career in 2005. His Navy experience spans his early days in command of a Patrol Gunboat as a Lieutenant and concluded in the halls of the Pentagon as the Chief of Naval Operations and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In between, he commanded ships, two destroyer squadrons, the Atlantic Fleet’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center, a Carrier Battle Group, the Second Fleet, NATO’s Striking Fleet, and the Atlantic Fleet.

His career is also marked by an unusual amount of joint service. In the decade of the 1990’s, seven of the 10 years were in the joint and combined area culminating in his assignment as the Director of the Joint Staff in Washington D.C.

Admiral Clark’s tenure as CNO was a period of significant change and renewed vision. In addition, he was the first CNO to be extended in office under the Goldwater-Nichols framework and he became the second longest serving CNO in history. In 2002 he charted a course for the future by publishing Sea Power 21, a vision for the first part of the 21st century to exploit the advantages of operating from the world’s oceans. His number one priority was to “win the battle for people,” which led to the development of a 21st century human capital strategy and revolution of the training, development and assignment processes within the Navy. The result was the best recruiting and retention in history. Finally, he forged an effort to build the Navy into an enterprise which would be able to compete in the 21st century market place leading to billions of dollars in savings for the taxpayers of the nation and the highest operational readiness the Navy had witnessed in decades.

Admiral Clark has received numerous military decorations for his service including four awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, three Navy Distinguished Medals, and three awards of the Legion of Merit. Along with his Navy and Joint awards, he was honored by Distinguished Service Medals received from the United States Army and United States Air Force and international awards received from Germany, Italy, France, South Korea, Japan, Portugal, Singapore, and the Netherlands. Since his retirement he has been honored with the Eisenhower Award from the Business Executives of North America and the Distinguished Sea Service Award from the Naval Order of the United States.

Admiral Clark earned his undergraduate degree from Evangel College in Springfield, Missouri, and an MBA from the University of Arkansas. He has since received Honorary Doctorate degrees from the University of Toledo, Old Dominion University, Northwest University and Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Admiral Clark now serves on the Board of Directors of Raytheon Company, Rolls Royce North America, Stanford Research Institute International, Horizon Lines, the Armed Forces YMCA and the World Board of Governors of the USO. In the world of education he was named a Distinguished Professor in the schools of Government and Leadership at Regent University and elected to the Board of Trustees. He is also a member of the Board of Visitors at Air University. He serves on the Defense Policy Board, the advisory boards of @Monster.com, Computer Science Corporation, Whitney, Bradley & Brown, Inc., the Comptroller General’s Advisory Board of the GAO, and serves on the Executive Committee of Military Ministry.

Admiral Clark and his wife, Connie, live in Chesapeake, Virginia.

General Richard A. Cody (Ret.)

31st Vice Chief of Staff, US Army (Ret.)

General (USA, Ret) Richard A. Cody was born in Montpelier Vermont. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point on 6 June 1972 with a BS. He is a graduate of the Transportation Corps Officer Basic and Advance Course, the Army’s Aviation Maintenance Test Pilot School, the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College. He is a master Army Aviator, rated in over 19 Helicopters and has over 6000 hours of flight time.

During his 36+ years of service, General Cody served in six of the Army’s combat divisions, the 25th Infantry Division, the 2nd Infantry Division, the 24th Infantry Division (MECH), the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), the 1st Cavalry Division and the 4th Infantry Division (MECH). General Cody’s command time includes Company Commander, E Company, 24th Aviation Battalion; Company Commander, B Company, 229th Attack Helicopter Battalion; Battalion Commander, 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment (AH-64); Commander, 4th Brigade (Avn) 1st Cavalry Division; Commander, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment; Deputy Commanding General, Task Force Hawk and Commanding General, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell, Ky.

General Cody held several key staff positions to include Assistant Division Commander, 4th Infantry Division (MECH); Deputy Commanding General, Task Force Hawk in Albania; Director of Operations, Plans and Mobilization, Department of the Army; Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Department of the Army; and he served as the 31st Vice Chief of Staff, Army from June 2004 to August 2008.

General Cody is the Chairman of Homes For Our Troops, a National nonprofit that has built over 354 new, specially adapted, mortgage free homes for the severely Wounded of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. He is also Chairman of the National Commission on Military Aviation Safety, Board Trustee of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and lead pilot of Operation Flying Heroes. General Cody is a 2009 inductee into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame and in 2016 he was inducted as a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Military Academy.

General Cody is married to the former Vicki Lynn Heavner, author of “Your Soldier, Your Army-A Family Guide”, “Army Wife” and “Fly Safe” and they have two sons, Col Clint and Col Tyler, who are active duty Army Helicopter pilots, who have several combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

General James Conway (Ret.)

34th Commandant, US Marine Corps (Ret.) 

General James T. Conway served as the 34th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. As Commandant, General Conway served as the senior uniformed Marine responsible for the organization, training, and equipping of over 250,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel throughout the United States and overseas, as well as the management of the $40 billion annual Marine Corps budget.

Prior to becoming the Commandant, General Conway served for four years on the Joint Chiefs of Staff as J-3, or senior operations officer in the U.S. military, where he oversaw the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Conway functioned as a military advisor to the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, and the President.

Previously, Conway was the President of the Marine Corps University, Commanding General of 1st Marine Division, and Commander of 90,000 U.S. and British forces during the invasion of Iraq.

During his tenure, the Marine Corps experienced growth of 27,000 additional personnel, undertook major military construction efforts at bases and stations throughout the United States, and the integrated multiple next-generation weapons systems into the inventory.  General Conway initiated new programs for the care of wounded warriors and brought Marine Corps family programs onto a war-time footing.  He is best known for his out-going manner, pragmatic approach, and effective communication skills. General Conway retired from active duty in late 2010 after 40 years of service.

He attended Southeast Missouri University; the Seminar XXI M.I.T. Fellowship Program; and the JFK School of Government, Harvard University, Seminar of International Relations.  He has been married to his wife, Annette, for 41 years.  They have three children: two sons who are serving as majors in the Marine Corps, and a daughter, who is married to a Marine Cobra pilot.

General Conway enjoys fly-fishing, hunting, golfing, kayaking, and grandchildren.

General Joseph F. Dunford Jr. (Ret.)

19th Chairman, US Joint Chiefs of Staff (Ret.) 

General Joe Dunford, Jr. served as the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. In this role, he was the principal military advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council from 2015 to 2019.

General Dunford was commissioned in 1977 and served as an infantry officer at all levels, to include commanding the 5th Marine Regiment during Operation Iraqi Freedom.  He served as the 36th Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and Commander of all U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

General Dunford graduated from Boston College High School and Saint Michael’s College. He also earned master’s degrees in Government from Georgetown University and in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

He currently serves as Chairman of the Board for the Semper Fi Fund & America’s Fund which supports our wounded, ill, and injured active duty personnel and veterans from all services.  He is a Partner at Liberty Strategic Capital and a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bessemer Securities, the Atlantic Council, and the Travis Manion Foundation.

General Carlton D. Everhart (Ret.)

12th Commander, US Air Mobility Command (Ret.) 

General Carlton D. Everhart II served as Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. He was responsible for providing rapid global mobility and sustainment for America’s armed forces and partner nations. AMC projects U.S. military power to any point around the world and provides humanitarian response at home and abroad. As the Air Force’s lead command for air mobility, the 120,000 men and women of AMC – active duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and civilians – provide combat airlift, aerial refueling, air mobility support, and aeromedical evacuation with more than 1,100 aircraft from nine bases, 18 Wings, and 116 total force air mobility operating locations.

General Everhart received his commission in 1983 through the Air Force ROTC program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is a command pilot with more than 4,700 flight hours in numerous aircraft including the C-130E/H, C-17A, C-21A and KC-46A. He was the Air Force aide to the president of the United States and has commanded a squadron, group, wing, air operations center, two numbered air forces, and a major command. General Everhart has served in several senior staff positions at the White House, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, U.S. Transportation Command, and Headquarters Air Education and Training Command. Prior to being Commander, Air Mobility Command, General Everhart was the Commander of Eighteenth Air Force, the Air Force’s largest numbered Air Force.

General Everhart’s joint assignments included a deployment to Afghanistan as the Deputy Commander of Political-Military Affairs, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, where he was the direct liaison for the U.S. Ambassador and the Commander, International Security Assistance Force.

Admiral Craig S. Faller (Ret.)

31st Commander, U.S. Southern Command (Ret.)

Craig Faller is a retired four-star Admiral who has successfully led large, complex organizations with billion-dollar annual operating budgets.

He currently serves on the board of directors of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), Sigma Defense and VIKEN Detection. He is an advisor to other companies with diverse portfolios ranging from energy to financial technology.

Additionally, he is Chairman of the Board of the Surface Navy Association, a Trustee at the Center for Naval Analysis, on the Advisory Board of the Penn State Applied Research Laboratory (ARL), a Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council, Senior Fellow at the National Defense University, and a Senior Fellow at Florida International University (FIU).

From 2018 to 2021 he Commanded United States Southern Command in Miami, Florida where he led a diverse team of 7000 people with an annual operating budget of over $1 billion. In this role, he enhanced Western Hemisphere security by building strong, trusted partnerships between the United States military and Latin American and Caribbean security forces.

Previously, Faller served as the top-most military assistant to the Secretary of Defense, James N. Mattis. He assisted the defense secretary on all matters from military operations, national security strategy development, management of the department’s $700 + billion budget, and global engagement with world leaders.

As the Department of the Navy’s Chief of Legislative Affairs, and the top Navy liaison with Congress, he engaged with Congress on the Navy’s annual budget and all Navy programs from research and development to acquisition.

As the Department of the Navy’s Chief of Legislative Affairs, and the top Navy liaison with Congress, he engaged with Congress on the Navy’s annual budget and all Navy programs from research and development to acquisition.

He is a 1983 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering and a distinguished graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School with a Master’s in National Security Affairs (Strategic Planning). A nuclear trained surface warfare officer, Faller was a student, instructor, and operator in the Naval Nuclear Power Program.

Sam Gilliland

Former CEO, Sabre Holdings 

Sam Gilliland the former CEO, Sabre Holding. Sabre is the world’s leading travel technology company. Sam previously served as Chairman and CEO of Sabre for 10 years, where his love of travel, entrepreneurial spirit and technical expertise inspire him to lead more than 10,000 employees in 60 countries, spanning all segments of the travel industry. He was appointed to the role in 2003.

Prior to that, Sam served in several senior leadership positions atSabre Holdings including president and CEO of Travelocity®, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Sabre Holdings, group president of Sabre Airline Solutions, and senior vice president and general manager of Sabre Business Travel Solutions, a start-up venture within the company.

Before joining Sabre Holdings in 1988, Sam worked as an electrical engineer for Lockheed Missiles and Space in Austin, Texas.

A recognized leader in the travel and tourism industry, Sam was appointed to the President’s Management Advisory Board by U.S. President Barack Obama in March 2011. In 2012 he was appointed to serve as vice chair during a third term on the U.S. Commerce Department’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Committee to Secretary of Commerce John Bryson. Business Travel News named Sam as one of the top 25 most influential executives in the industry for 2011. Sam holds an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Dallas and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kansas.

Maurice R. Greenberg

Chairman and CEO, C.V. Starr & Co. 

Mr. Maurice R. Greenberg is Chairman and CEO of C. V. Starr & Company. He joined the firm as Vice President in 1960 and was given the additional responsibilities of President of American Home Assurance Company in 1962. He was elected Director of C. V. Starr and Company in 1965, President and CEO in 1968 and Chairman and CEO in 2005.

Mr. Greenberg retired as Chairman and CEO of American International Group, Inc. (AIG) in March 2005, after serving as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from May 1989 until March 2005. He became President and Chief Executive Officer of AIG in l967.

Mr. Greenberg served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II and in the Korean conflict, rising to the rank of Captain. He is a recipient of the Bronze Star.

Mr. Greenberg received his pre-law certificate from the University of Miami and an LL.B from New York Law School in 1950. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1953. He has been granted honorary degrees from a number of institutions, including New York Law School, Brown University and Middlebury College.

Mr. Greenberg is former Chairman of the Asia Society. He is the founding Chairman of the U.S.-Philippine Business Committee and Vice Chairman of the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council. Mr. Greenberg is Honorary Vice Chairman and Director of the Council on Foreign Relations, former Chairman and current member of the U.S. – Korea Business Council, and a member of the U.S. – China Business Council and The Business Council. Mr. Greenberg served on the Board of Directors of the New York Stock Exchange, the President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and The Business Roundtable. He is the past Chairman, Deputy Chairman, and Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Mr. Greenberg is Chairman Emeritus of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the New York-Presbyterian Hospital Foundation, Inc. He serves as a member of the Board of Overseers of the Weill Medical School of Cornell University, Trustee Emeritus of The Rockefeller University, Life Trustee of New York University, Trustee for the School of Risk Management, Insurance, and Actuarial Science and is Chairman of the Academic Medicine Development Company (AMDeC). Mr. Greenberg is an Honorary Trustee of The Museum of Modern Art. He is on the Board of Directors of the International Rescue Committee and is active in a number of other civic and charitable organizations. He was a Trustee of the American Museum of Natural History. As Chairman of The Starr Foundation, Mr. Greenberg oversees the disbursement of major financial support to academic, medical, cultural, and public policy institutions.

General Michael W. Hagee (Ret.)

33rd Commandant, US Marine Corps (Ret.) 

A native of Fredericksburg, Texas, General Hagee served as the 33rd Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. His military career took him to innumerable foreign countries in combat and peace. His numerous military assignments included Commanding General, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Deputy Director of Operations at the U.S. European Command and Executive Assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence.

Besides his military assignments, he has served in a number of diplomatic missions. In addition to his government service, he also serves on several boards of directors and advisory boards, both national and international, in areas that include government services, manufacturing, electronics and communications.

He remains active in public service and foreign policy debates and has been one of the leading proponents of “Smart Power”, testifying before Congress and providing advice to Senators, and Congressmen on both sides of the aisle. He serves as the Co-Chair of the National Security Advisory Council for the Center for U.S. Global Engagement and U.S. Global Leadership Campaign.

He has a Master Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters Degree in International Relations. He participates in numerous educational, civic and charitable organizations.

General John W. Handy (Ret.)

7th Commander, US Transportation Command; 6th Commander, US Air Mobility Command (Ret.)

After retiring from the Air Force with 39 years of service and after serving as the Executive Vice President of Horizon Lines, Inc, General Handy currently manages his own advisory and consulting service in Charlotte, North Carolina.

While at Horizon Lines, General Handy applied his exhaustive experience and expertise in defense, transportation, logistics, and global supply chains to significantly improve processes and customer focus.

The general retired from the Air Force in October 2005, where he served his last four years as Commander, U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) and Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. His subordinate commands included the USAF Air Mobility Command, the US Navy Military Sealift Command, and the Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. As commander of USTRANSCOM, General Handy directed all global air, land, and sea transportation for the Department of Defense (DOD).  When the Secretary of Defense named USTRANSCOM DOD’s “distribution process owner” in September 2003, General Handy took on the responsibility of integrating many diverse supply chains into an unprecedented single entity. General Handy also collaborated with major transportation businesses in the private sector to develop and manage a more sophisticated and efficient supply chain to distribute materials to DOD customers around the world.

While serving the in the Air Force, General Handy logged over 5,000 hours as a command pilot.

General Handy has a B.A. degree in History from Methodist University and an M.S. degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.

Of his many diverse business endeavors, General Handy is the Vice Chairman of the management committees of American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier, LLC and American Auto Logistics, LP. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of AAL’s General Partner, American Shipping and Logistics Group, Inc.

Admiral John C. Harvey (Ret.)

31st Commander, US Fleet Forces Command (Ret.) 

Born and raised in Baltimore, Md., Adm. John C. Harvey was commissioned from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1973 and immediately commenced training in the Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion program.

Harvey has served at sea aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65), USS Bainbridge (CGN 25), USS McInerney (FFG 8), as reactor officer aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68), and as executive officer on USS Long Beach (CGN 9). He commanded USS David R Ray (DD 971), USS Cape St. George (CG 71) and Cruiser-Destroyer Group Eight/Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group. He has deployed to the North and South Atlantic; the Mediterranean, Baltic and Red seas; the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and the Persian Gulf.

Ashore, he served three tours at the Bureau of Naval Personnel in a variety of billets including surface nuclear officer detailer, CGN/CVN placement officer, surface nuclear program manager in N13, legislative adviser to chief of naval personnel (CNP), executive assistant to CNP and as director, Total Force Programming and Manpower Management Division (OPNAV N12). He has also served as the senior military assistant to the undersecretary of defense (Policy), and on the Navy staff as deputy for Warfare Integration (OPNAV N7F). Most recently, he served as the 54th chief of naval personnel/OPNAV N1 and as the director, Navy staff (OPNAV).

In his final assignment, Harvey assumed command of U.S. Fleet Forces Command in July 2009.

Harvey’s education includes Phillips Exeter Academy, 1969; U.S. Naval Academy, Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, 1973; Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government Master’s degree in Public Administration, 1988.

Admiral Michelle J. Howard (Ret.)

38th Vice Chief of Naval Operations; Commander, US Naval Forces Europe, US Naval Forces Africa, and Allied Joint Force Command Naples (Ret.)

Michelle J. Howard served 35 years in the United States Navy. She led Sailors and Marines multiple times in her career as the Commander of:  a ship, an Expeditionary Strike Group, Task Force, and a Naval theater. Her last command was from 2016 to 2017 as U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa. She simultaneously led NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Naples with oversight of missions from the Western Balkans to Iraq.  Operations in her career include NATO peacekeeping, West African Training Cruise, Indonesia Tsunami Relief operations, and the rescue of Maersk Alabama from Somali Pirates.  Michelle is a Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran.   

In 1999 Michelle J. Howard became the first African American woman to command a ship in the Navy. In 2014, she was the first woman to become a four-star Admiral in the U.S. Navy and the first woman to be appointed to the position of Vice Chief of Naval Operations (number two in a Military Service).  She is the first African American woman to reach the rank of three-star and four-stars in the Armed Forces.

Michelle J. Howard was the Shapiro Visiting Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University from 2018 to 2020. She taught courses on cyber and policy. She is on the board of directors for IBM. She is on the board of directors for the STIMSON CENTER, and on an advisory panel to the US Institute of Peace.  Michelle was the Chair of The Naming Commission from March 2020 to October 2022. The congressionally mandated Commission identified and made recommendations to remove, rename or modify Department of Defense Assets that commemorated the Confederacy or individuals who voluntarily served the Confederacy.

Governor Jon Huntsman

Admiral Gregory G. Johnson (Ret.)

Commander, US Naval Forces Europe and Allied Forces Southern Europe (Ret.)

Admiral Gregory “Grog” Johnson, is a native of Westmanland, Maine. In 1968 he graduated from the University of Maine with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. He was commissioned in 1969 following Aviation Officer Candidate School, and designated a Naval Aviator in 1970.

His initial sea duty assignment was in VA-66 flying the A-7E Corsair II and deploying in USS Independence. Subsequent squadron and sea duty assignments included VA-86 (USS Nimitz); VA-174; Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of VA-105 (Marine Air Group Twelve and USS Forrestal); Deputy Commander, Carrier Air Wing SIX (USS Forrestal); and Commander, Carrier Air Wing Three (USS Dwight D. Eisenhower). Shore duty assignments included: Command and Staff Course, Naval War College (graduating with highest distinction); Systems Analysis Division (OP-96) of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; F/A-18/A-7 Readiness Officer on the staff Commander Naval Air Force, U. S. Atlantic Fleet; Joint Chiefs of Staff as Head of the European Command/Central Command Branch of the Joint Operations Division (JOD), Operations Directorate (J-3); and Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the Executive Assistant to the Chairman.

Admiral Johnson was selected for flag rank in February 1995. His initial flag assignment was as the Director of Operations, Plans, and Policy (N3/N5) on the Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet staff. In February 1996, he reported as Commander, Carrier Group Eight/USS Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group where he served until August 1997. In September 1997 he reported as the Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense and was subsequently assigned as the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense in May 1999. Adm. Johnson assumed command of the U.S. Sixth Fleet and Naval Striking and Support Forces Southern Europe in October 2000. Adm. Johnson next commanded U.S. Naval Forces, Europe and Joint Force Command, Naples from October 2001 through October 2004. He retired from active duty 01 December 2004.

Admiral Johnson’s decorations and awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with three Bronze Oak Leafs), Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with two Gold Stars), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with two Gold Stars), NATO Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, and various service and campaign awards.

Since retiring in Dec 2004, Admiral Johnson has founded Snow Ridge Associates, which provides strategic advice and counsel. He resides in Harpswell, ME.

Mark Joseph

Admiral Timothy J. Keating, (Ret.)

21st Commander, US Pacific Command (Ret.)

Admiral Timothy J. Keating retired in December 2009 after serving for three years as the Commander, United States Pacific Command, headquartered in Honolulu Hawaii.  His area of responsibility included over 3.4 billion people and half  the surface of the earth.  While in command, Admiral Keating visited over 30 countries, meeting diplomats, military officials and commercial leaders to emphasize active engagement with national and international partners in preserving the security and stability upon which the Asia-Pacific region’s success depends.

Prior to his tour at Pacific Command, Admiral Keating was Commander of the United States Northern Command, responsible for protecting the United States homeland and providing support to federal, state and local officials in time of crisis.  Simultaneously, he was Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, providing aerospace warning, air sovereignty and defense for the United States and Canada.

Previous tours include service as the Director of the Joint Staff in the Pentagon, command of the United States Fifth Fleet and all naval forces in the United States Central Command headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Plans, Policy and Operations) in the Pentagon, command of the USS Kitty Hawk Battle Group stationed in Yokosuka Japan, and Deputy Director for Operations (Current Operations) on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon.

Admiral Keating held command positions at the Naval Strike Warfare Center, a Carrier Air Wing and an F-18 Squadron.  Admiral Keating is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and was a Chief of Naval Operations Fellow with the Strategic Studies Group in Newport Rhode Island.  He has accumulated over 5,000 hours of flight time in tactical jets and has landed on Navy aircraft carriers over 1,200 times.  In addition to numerous awards from the United States, he has received military decorations from Great Britain, Bahrain, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan and Singapore.

Richard J. Kramer

Former Chairman, CEO, and President, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company 

Rich Kramer served as the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company until his retirement in January 2024. He became CEO in 2010 and was elected Chairman by Goodyear’s Board of Directors later the same year.

Kramer’s tenure as CEO – the second longest in company history – has coincided with an inflection point in transportation that has led to the evolution of Goodyear into a technology-driven mobility company. While it continues to supply customers with a portfolio of high-quality tires and services, Goodyear has established itself as a leader in providing services, tools, analytics and products for evolving modes of transportation, including electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles and fleets of shared and connected consumer vehicles.

Starting in 2017, Kramer also increased Goodyear’s leadership in mobility of the future. That year, Goodyear opened its first office in Silicon Valley to take advantage of growing technology opportunities and create new business partnerships to spur breakthrough innovation. Also, Goodyear has developed “intelligent” tires featuring proprietary technology that will allow the tires to gather and share important information about inflation, road conditions, and other external forces that influence vehicle performance.

Upon taking over as the chief executive, Kramer was responsible for establishing Goodyear’s Strategy Roadmap, the long-term business vision and plan that is still being executed today. He also spearheaded construction of new state-of-the-art manufacturing plants and a product development center.

In addition, he was responsible for driving strategic initiatives that delivered the five highest annual segment operating income marks in the company’s history. Among the major achievements were fully funding and de-risking the US salaried and hourly pension plans, refinancing company debt and divesting unprofitable businesses.

Under Kramer’s leadership, Goodyear has been recognized among Newsweek’s Most Responsible Companies, Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies and Forbes’ World’s Best Regarded Companies. The company regularly appears on annual “Top Employer” lists around the world. Goodyear also has earned recognition for its commitment to sustainability and employment of military personnel and people with disabilities. Goodyear also has been named one of America’s most reputable companies and a top company for leaders.

Additionally, Kramer oversaw the complete modernization of the iconic Goodyear blimp, introducing a new generation of airships. The fleet’s three blimps feature the latest in aviation technology, greater range and faster speeds.

Kramer’s appointment as CEO culminated a steady rise through the company in a series of key leadership roles over the course of a decade. After joining Goodyear in 2000 as vice president of corporate finance, he served as vice president of finance for the company’s North America business from 2002 to 2003. He was executive vice president and chief financial officer from 2004 to 2007. As president of Goodyear North America from 2007 to 2010, Kramer guided the business through the global recession and positioned it for sustained profitability in the years that followed.

Before joining Goodyear, Kramer was a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he spent 13 years including a three-year assignment based in France.

Born in Cleveland, Kramer attended John Carroll University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in 1986. He remains active as a JCU alumnus and served on the school’s Board of Trustees, 2007-2019. Kramer is an Executive Committee member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Manufacturers, the largest manufacturing association in the United States. He previously served as the chairman of the Rubber Manufacturers Association (now the US Tire Manufacturers Association).

Kramer also serves on several boards of directors. Since 2012, he has served on the board of directors of The Sherwin-Williams Company, an industry leader in the development of technologically advanced paint and coatings and the largest specialty retailer of paint and painting supplies in the US.

Currently, Kramer also serves on the board of directors for the Cleveland Clinic and The Cleveland Orchestra and is a member of The Business Council. He also is deeply engaged in community leadership roles with the Akron Regional Chamber of Commerce and Akron Tomorrow.

Secretary John F. Lehman

65th Secretary, US Navy 

Secretary John Lehman is Chairman of J.F.Lehman & Company, a private equity investment firm. He is also Chairman of OAO Technology Solutions, Director of Ball Corporation, Insurance Services Office, SDI Inc., Elgar Inc., and Racal Instruments, Inc. and a member of the Advisory Board of Paribas Affaires Industrielles. Dr. Lehman was formerly an investment banker with Paine Webber Inc. Prior to joining Paine Webber, he served for six years as Secretary of the Navy. He served 25 years in the naval reserve.

He has served as staff member to Dr. Henry Kissinger on the National Security Council, as delegate to the Force Reductions Negotiations in Vienna and as Deputy Director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

Dr. Lehman served as a member of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

Dr. Lehman holds a B.S. from St. Joseph’s University, a B.A. and M.A. from Cambridge University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently an Honorary Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University. Dr. Lehman has written numerous books, including On Seas of Glory, Command of the Seas, and Making War.

He serves as Chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation USA and is a member of the Board of Overseers of the School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.

General Joseph L. Lengyel (Ret.)

28th Chief, National Guard Bureau (Ret.)

General Lengyel began his service in 1981 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of North Texas. a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours primarily in the F-16 and has served in various operational and staff assignments.

His experience in the F-16 includes tours in Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces, United States Air Forces in Europe, and the Texas Air National Guard. He has commanded a fighter squadron, operations group, air expeditionary group and the Air National Guard Readiness Center. Additionally, General Lengyel served as the Senior United States Defense Official; Chief, Office of Military Cooperation; and Defense Attaché, Cairo, United States Central Command, Cairo, Egypt.

Before retiring in 2020, he served as the 28th Chief of the National Guard Bureau and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General Kenneth F. “Frank” McKenzie, Jr. (Ret.)

14th Commander, US Central Command

General (Ret.) Kenneth F. “Frank” McKenzie, Jr. became the Executive Director of the University of South Florida’s Global and National Security Institute in May 2022. In July 2022, he also became the Executive Director of the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, also known as Cyber Florida.

He served as the 14th Commander of United States Central Command. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, upon graduation from The Citadel in 1979, General McKenzie was commissioned into the Marine Corps and trained as an infantry officer.

He has commanded at the platoon, company, battalion, Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and component levels. As a lieutenant colonel, he commanded First Battalion, Sixth Marines. As the Commanding Officer of the 22d MEU (SOC), he led the MEU on combat deployments to Afghanistan in 2004 and Iraq in 2005-06. In 2006-07 he served as the Military Secretary to the 33rd and 34th Commandants of the Marine Corps.

Upon promotion to Brigadier General in July 2007, he served on the Joint Staff as a Deputy Director of Operations within the National Military Command Center. In June 2008, he was selected by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be the Director of the Chairman’s New Administration Transition Team (CNATT). In this capacity, he coordinated the efforts of the Joint Staff and the combatant commands in preparing for and executing a wartime transition of administrations.

In June 2009, he reported to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, Afghanistan, to serve as the Deputy to the Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS) for Stability. Upon his return from Afghanistan, in July 2010, he was assigned as the Director, Strategy, Plans, and Policy (J-5) for the U.S. Central Command. In August 2012, he reported to Headquarters Marine Corps to serve as the Marine Corps Representative to the Quadrennial Defense Review. In June 2014, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and assumed command of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command.

In October 2015, he was assigned to the Joint Staff to serve as the Director, J-5, Strategic Plans and Policy, Joint Staff.

In July 2017, he was named the Director, Joint Staff. General McKenzie was promoted to the grade of General and assumed command of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in March 2019. He relinquished command of CENTCOM and retired from the Marine Corps on 1 April 2022, completing over 42 years of service.

General McKenzie is an honors graduate of the Armor Officer Advanced Course, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the School of Advanced Warfighting. He was selected as a CMC Fellow in 1999, and served as a Senior Military Fellow within the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University. He has a master’s degree in teaching with a concentration in history. He is currently the President of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Applied Engineering at the University of South Florida, a Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Security at the Middle East Institute, a Member of the International Advisory Committee of the National Council on U.S. Arab relations, and a Member of the National Security Advisory Council, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.

General Craig R. McKinley (Ret.)

26th Chief, National Guard Bureau (Ret.)

General McKinley received his commission in 1974 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Southern Methodist University. He is a command pilot with more than 4,000 hours, primarily in the T-38, F-106, F-16 and F-15, as well as in the C-131 and C-130 operational support airlift aircraft. He has served as Commander, 1st Air Force, Air Combat Command, and Commander, Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.

He has also served as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., and Director, Mobilization and Reserve Affairs Directorate, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany, and as Director of the Air National Guard.

Before retiring in 2012, General McKinley served as 26th Chief of the National Guard Bureau and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General Duncan J. McNabb (Ret.)

9th Commander, US Transportation Command (Ret.)

General Duncan J. McNabb served as Commander, United States Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. USTRANSCOM is the single manager for global air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense (DOD).  Gen McNabb had command over $56B in strategic transportation assets, 150,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and civilians, and a worldwide command and control network.  He also served as DOD’s Distribution Process Owner, overseeing DOD’s end to end supply chain, transportation and distribution to our forces worldwide.

General McNabb graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1974. A command pilot, he amassed more than 5,600 flying hours in transport and rotary wing aircraft and held command and staff positions at squadron, group, wing, major command and Department of Defense levels.

In his most recent assignments, General McNabb served as the USAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs and had responsibility for all Air Force Programs and over $500B in funding over the five year defense plan (FYDP). He then served as Director for Logistics on the Joint Staff and was responsible for operational logistics and strategic mobility support to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense. He then commanded the USAF Air Mobility Command and led 134,000 airmen in providing rapid global mobility, aerial refueling, special airlift and aeromedical evacuation for America’s armed forces. Before his final command at USTRANSCOM, Gen. McNabb served as the 33rd Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

EDUCATION
1974 Bachelor of science degree, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1977 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1983 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence
1984 Master of science degree in international relations, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
1993 Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
1994 Air War College, by correspondence
1995 Program for Senior Officials in National Security, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
1998 Executive Program for General Officers of the Russian Federation and the United States, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2000 National Security Decision-Making Seminar, Center for Strategic Education, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, D.C.

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Achievement Medal
Combat Readiness Medal with oak leaf cluster
National Defense Service Medal with two bronze stars

General T. Michael Moseley (Ret.)

18th Chief of Staff, US Air Force (Ret.) 

In 2008, General Teed Michael Moseley completed a distinguished 40+ year military career as the 18th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. In that capacity he served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organizing, training and equipping of over 700,000 Active Duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and Civilian forces. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Moseley and the other service chiefs served as the principled military advisers to the President, the National Security Council and the Secretary of Defense. In this capacity, General Moseley also served as the Nation’s senior Airman.

A native of Grand Prairie, Texas, General Moseley graduated from Texas A&M University with both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts Degree in Political Science with a focus on Northeast Asia. He is a graduate of the Pilot Instructor Course at Randolph AFB, TX as well as the prestigious Air Force Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB, NV where he later served as an instructor and squadron commander. He also attended the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School (“Top Gun”) at Naval Air Station Miramar, CA. He is a graduate of the Air Force’s Squadron Officers’ School and the Air Command and Staff College, both at Maxwell AFB, AL as well as the National War College in Washington D.C. where he also later served as the Chief of Staff’s personal representative to the faculty. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1995 and served as a general officer for over 13 years. General Moseley is a career fighter pilot with close to 3,000 hours of total flying time.

His family is sixth-generation Texan with a long history of stockmen, cotton farmers and lawmen. General Moseley is married to his high school sweetheart – Margaret Virginia. “Jennie’s” family is fifth generation Texan and operates one of the State of Texas’ designated “Centennial Farms” that has been in her family for well over 160 years, raising cattle and producing State of Texas award-winning pecans! He and Jennie have two children and three wonderful granddaughters. General Moseley is an avid big game hunter, wing shooter and sport fisherman. He is also an avid reader of history and has a personal library

Nirmal Mulye

Founder and Chairman, Nostrum Group

Nirmal Mulye, Ph.D., is the Founder and Chairman of Nostrum Group of companies focused on energy and pharmaceutical sectors.  The Nostrum Family of Companies includes Nostrum Energy, which is developing a high-efficiency internal combustion engine for power generation as well as automotive application, and a novel hydrokinetic device for power generation. Nostrum Energy has two subsidiaries, Nostrum Motors and Nostrum Power.  Dr. Mulye founded Nostrum Pharmaceuticals, LLC (NPLLC) in 1995 to develop and commercialize prescription pharmaceuticals utilizing novel drug delivery technologies. NPLLC subsidiaries include:  Nostrum Laboratories, Inc.,  which has a state of the art manufacturing plant in Kansas City, MO  and  markets several generic products in the U.S.;  Symmetrix Biotech, Inc. which  develops novel clot buster therapeutic proteins using recombinant DNA technology   that has  proved safe in human trials;  Nostrum Technologies LLC develops medical devices as well as drug delivery devices for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis where currently lung transplant is the only other approved therapy;  Kemxtree Inc. develops novel compounds for immune suppression used to prevent organ rejection in patients receiving transplants and for bone  growth and treatment for osteoporosis, fracture healing, etc;  EnEm Nostrum Pvt. Ltd. based in Mumbai, India , which is  a fully-recognized research arm of Nostrum with a state-of-the-art research facility to conduct pharmaceutical and energy systems development.

General John “Mike” Murray (Ret.)

1st Commander, US Army Futures Command (Ret.)

General Murray was born in Kenton, Ohio and began his military career in 1982 after being commissioned as a U.S. Army Infantry Officer upon graduation from the Ohio State University’s Army ROTC program. He is the only graduate in the 150-year history of the program to reach the 4-Star level while serving in the Army.

General Murray has served in leadership roles with command positions and various staff assignments at the highest levels of the Army. In 2018, he became the first Commanding General of United States Army Futures Command, a new four-star Army Command headquartered in Austin, TX. General Murray and his wife, Jane, retired from active duty in 2022 after nearly 40 years of service.

Among his numerous awards and decorations are the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, the Ranger Tab, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and 5 Bronze Stars. He has a total of 4 combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

General Robert B. Neller (Ret.)

37th Commandant, US Marine Corps (Ret.) 

General Robert B. Neller served as the 37th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. Prior to that assignment, he served as the Commander, Marine Forces Command from July 2014 to September 2015 and Commander, Marine Forces Central Command from September 2012 to June 2014.

A native of East Lansing, Michigan, General Neller graduated from the University of Virginia and was commissioned in 1975. He has served as an infantry officer at all levels, including command of Marine Security Force Company Panama during Operations JUST CAUSE and PROMOTE LIBERTY; 3d Light Armored Infantry Battalion during Operation RESTORE HOPE; 6th Marine Regiment; and 3d Marine Division.

General Neller also served as Deputy Commanding General, I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (05-07); Assistant Division Commander for 1st and 2d Marine Divisions; and President of Marine Corps University.

His Joint assignments include service in the Policy Division of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Casteau, Belgium, and as the Director of Operations (J-3) of the Joint Staff in Washington, D.C.

General Neller is a graduate of the Armor Officer Advanced Course, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, NATO Defense College, and the Armed Forces Staff College. He holds a master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Pepperdine University.

General Michael E. Ryan (Ret.)

16th Chief of Staff, US Air Force (Ret.) 

General Michael E. Ryan retired from the military in 2001 after 36 years of service. He served his last four years as the 16th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, responsible for organizing, training and equipping a force of over 700,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian members.

General Ryan is currently president of Ryan Associates, a consulting firm focusing on national defense, as well as Chairman of the Board of CAE USA, Inc., and the Air Force Village Charitable Foundation. He serves on the Board of Directors of United Services Automobile Association, Circadence Corporation, Alion Science and Technology Corporation, VT Griffin Corporation and SELEX Sensor and Airborne (US) Inc. He is a senior trustee of the Air Force Academy Falcon Foundation.

General Ryan holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Air Force Academy and an MBA from Auburn University.

Eric S. Schwartz

CEO, 76 West Holdings 

Eric Schwartz graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S.E. (summa cum laude) and M.B.A. in 1984 and 1985, respectively.  He joined Goldman Sachs as a summer associate in 1984 and retired from there 23 years later in 2007. During his career at Goldman Sachs he served in leadership positions in three of the four revenue-producing divisions of the firm. In 1994 he became a partner in the Equity Capital Markets unit of the Investment Banking Division, and later served as co-head of the Global Equities and Investment Management Divisions. He joined the Management Committee in 2001 and was named co-head of the Partnership Committee in 2005, tasked with supervising the process of promoting new partners.

In June of 2007 he retired from Goldman Sachs, at which point he founded a private company to manage his personal investments.  He served as Chairman-elect of Nikko Asset Management, the third-largest asset manager in Japan, from 2008 until its sale in 2009.  Schwartz is married, has two teenaged children, and lives in New York City.  He serves on the Board of Trustees of the New York Public Library and is Chairman of SAFE.

David Schwarz

Founder, President, and CEO, DMS Architects 

David Schwarz is founder, President and CEO of David M. Schwarz Architects, a national architectural firm with projects including The Ballpark in Arlington in Arlington, TX; The Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall and Cook Children’s Medical Center, both in Fort Worth, TX; The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, NV; and Yale Environmental Science Center in New Haven, CT. Mr. Schwarz currently serves as Chairman of the Yale School of Architecture Dean’s Council.

Ambassador Josette Sheeran

President and Director, Canoo

Josette Sheeran is a board member and President of Canoo, an American high-tech advanced mobility company and manufacturer of award-winning electric vehicles. Josette is an internationally recognized business, humanitarian, national security and sustainability leader who has directed successful trade, supply chain, technology, energy, labor and environment negotiations worldwide. As head of the World Food Program, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, she led the world’s biggest humanitarian supply chains, with more than 15,000 staff and logistics serving more than 90 nations faced with disasters and wars. She has raised financial support for public and private partnerships worth more than $1b – bringing innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Previously, Josette served as Executive Chair of the McCain Institute for International Leadership; Vice Chair of the World Economic Forum; UN Special Envoy, leading a successful effort to end a cholera epidemic in Haiti; Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program; United States Under Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs under President George W. Bush; Deputy U.S. Trade Representative and Ambassador covering Asia, Africa, labor, environment, intellectual property, and trade capacity building. She also served as the President and CEO of the Asia Society, a global non-profit focused on policy, sustainability, conflict resolution, culture, and education and as a fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center. In 2011, she was recognized by Forbes as the 30th most powerful woman in the world.

Eric Silagy

Former President and CEO, Florida Power & Light 

Eric Silagy is president and CEO of Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc., and one of the largest investor-owned electric utilities in the nation. He was appointed president in December 2011 and CEO in May 2014.

Mr. Silagy has worked for NextEra Energy companies for more than a decade. For FPL, he served as senior vice president of regulatory and state governmental affairs and as chief development officer, managing all generation development, including solar, natural gas and nuclear energy projects. At NextEra Energy Resources, Mr. Silagy served as vice president and general manager of business management, and vice president of business development.

Prior to joining NextEra Energy, Mr. Silagy served as vice president, mergers, acquisitions & divestitures at Entergy Wholesale Operations, and as vice president and managing director, Southeast Asia, for The Wing Group, a subsidiary of Western Resources. He also worked for U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnston of Louisiana in several capacities, including chief of staff.

Mr. Silagy served as 2013-2014 Chair of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He is an executive board member of Enterprise Florida, Inc., Vice-Chairman of the Benjamin School Board of Trustees and a member of the Florida Council of 100. Mr. Silagy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center.

General Larry O. Spencer (Ret.)

 37th Vice Chief of Staff, US Air Force (Ret.)

General Spencer most recently served as the Air Force Association’s top executive, where he set records for revenue generation, membership growth and technology symposium revenue, sponsorships, exhibit sales and attendance.  He also held the position of publisher of Air Force Magazine, the official journal of the Air Force Association, which has approximately 100,000 members.

Retiring as a four-star general, Spencer spent over 40 years in the Air Force. His last assignment was as the Vice Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, Washington, DC. In this capacity, Spencer was the second highest-ranking military member in the Air Force.  He presided over the Air Staff and served as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Requirements Oversight Council and Deputy Management Advisory Group. He assisted the Chief of Staff of the Air Force with organizing, training, and equipping 690,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. 

Spencer began his career in the enlisted ranks and rose to become a four-star general. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering technology from Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale. Spencer was commissioned through Officer Training School in 1980 as a distinguished graduate. He has commanded a squadron, group and wing, and he was Vice Commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. He was also the first Air Force officer to serve as the Assistant Chief of Staff in the White House Military Office. He served as the Chief Financial Officer and then Director of Mission Support at a major command; and held positions within the Air Staff and Secretariat. Prior to his assignment as Vice Chief of Staff, the general was Director, Force Structure, Resources and Assessment, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, DC reporting directly to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General Spencer participated in contingency Operations Desert Shield/Storm, Desert Thunder, Desert Fox, Allied Force, and Iraqi Freedom. 

Spencer has two Master of Science degrees in business management from Webster College and industrial resource strategy from the National Defense University.  He also completed post-graduate courses at Harvard University, and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from SIU.

General Spencer has two named awards:  The Air Force General Larry Spencer Innovation Award and the Air Force General Larry Spencer Special Acts and Services Award.  General Spencer is also a Distinguished Senior Fellow of Fels Institute of Government, University of Pennsylvania.  General Spencer is the author of the book, The Green Eyeshades of War, a historical review of financial management during war, published in 2016. 

Larry and his wife, Ora, reside in Lorton, Virginia

Patricia Splinter

Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director, VantagePoint Capital Partners

Pat has distinguished herself during an extensive career in Silicon Valley as a key executive at top-tier manufacturers and component suppliers, as a distinguished venture-capital investor, as a noted fundraiser and as an active participant in educational organizations, industry trade groups and philanthropic enterprises. At VantagePoint, Pat is responsible for executing the firm’s global strategy and overseeing worldwide operations which includes managing deal flow, initiating and tracking investment activity and leading the merger and acquisition team. She travels extensively to Europe, Asia and elsewhere as a Board member of numerous companies in the Information Technology, Clean Energy and Financial Technology sectors. In her role as Director of VantagePoint’s Asia investment team headquartered in Beijing, Pat frequently visits China to advise on regional investments, liaison with government officials and help develop strategic relationships with Asia-based corporations and distribution partners. Pat also heads up VantagePoint’s Washington strategy and oversees corporate lobbying efforts.

For much of her career Pat was an executive at Intel Corporation, where she held a variety of executive management roles and was responsible for worldwide human resources for the Microcomputer Components and Technology Group. Subsequently, she was a Senior Vice President at disc-drive manufacturer Maxtor and software provider NetManage, then one of the fastest-growing technology companies in Silicon Valley.

Pat currently serves on the Board of Directors for El Camino Hospital Foundation and as a Director of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, a non-profit that provides advocacy, programs and resources for students and educators in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Paul H. Stebbins

Chairman Emeritus, World Fuel Services 

Mr. Stebbins served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of World Fuel Services Corporation since July, 2002 and became Executive Chairman in January of 2012.  He has served as an executive and director of the company since 1995.  A graduate of Georgetown University (B.A. Government, 1979), Mr. Stebbins started his career in public policy in the energy sector with the Forum for Resources, a non-profit organization established to better inform the public about the need to manage scarce fuel and non-fuel mineral resources. In 1981 he became involved in private business where he was introduced to the marine fuel industry.  In 1985 he and his partner, Michael Kasbar, co-founded New York City-based Trans-Tec Services, Inc., a global marine fuel services company acquired by Miami-based World Fuel in 1995.  Prior to being named Chairman of World Fuel, Mr. Stebbins served as President and Chief Operating officer from 2000-2002 and President of the marine segment and Executive Vice President of the parent company from 1995-2000.  For 23 years Mr. Stebbins has traveled extensively throughout the world helping to build and support the company’s global network

Since November 2006, Mr. Stebbins has also served as a director and Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee and member of the Audit and Compensation committees of Phoenix, Arizona-based, First Solar, Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of thin film solar panels.  Mr. Stebbins has served as a member of the Business Round Table, an influential association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies and currently serves on the Leadership Council of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget’s “Fix the Debt” campaign.  He is a member of the board of trustees of Amigos de las Americas Foundation, a youth leadership development program headquartered in Houston, Texas and the New World Symphony, a world renowned orchestral academy based in Miami, Florida and founded / directed by Michael Tilson Thomas.

Mr. Stebbins has authored numerous industry articles and lectured frequently around the world on fuel procurement strategy, derivatives, fuel quality, entrepreneurship, general business and the national debt.  He was a participant in the Herbert A. Wertheim lecture series at Florida International University’s Graduate School of Business.

World Fuel Services is a global leader in the marketing, finance and supply of aviation, marine and land based fuel products and related services. With 1,900 people operating from 60 offices in 26 countries, World Fuel specializes in spot and contract purchasing; providing delivery logistics and operational support at over 1500 airports and 1,000 seaports in 190 countries.

David P. Steiner

Former CEO, Waste Management

David Steiner was Chief Executive Officer for Waste Management, and remains on the Board of Directors since his retirement as CEO in 2016. Prior to being elected CEO in March 2004, Mr. Steiner was Waste Management’s Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Steiner joined Waste Management in November 2000 as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel and was appointed Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in July 2001. In April 2003, he was elected CFO. He joined WM from Phelps Dunbar, a law firm in New Orleans, La. Prior to that, he was an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in San Jose, California.

General Charles F. Wald (Ret.)

Deputy Commander, US European Command (Ret.) 

General Charles F. “Chuck” Wald served as Deputy Commander, Headquarters United States European Command, Stuttgart, Germany. USEUCOM is responsible for all United States forces operating across 91 countries in Europe, Africa, Russia, parts of Asia and the Middle East, and most of the Atlantic Ocean. He is currently a senior fellow of the Bipartisan Policy Center.

General Wald earned his commission through the Air Force ROTC program in 1971. He has combat time as an O-2A forward air controller in Vietnam and as an F-16 pilot flying over Bosnia. The general has served as a T-37 instructor pilot and F-15 flight commander. Other duties include Chief of the United States Air Force Combat Terrorism Center, support group commander, operations group commander, and special assistant to the Chief of Staff for National Defense Review. He was also the Director of Strategic Planning and Policy at Headquarters United States Air Force, and served on the Joint Staff as the Vice Director for Strategic Plans and Policy.

General Wald commanded the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy, where on Aug. 30, 1995, he led one of the wing’s initial strike packages against the ammunition depot at Pale, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in one of the first NATO combat operations. He also commanded the 9th Air Force and United States Central Command Air Forces, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., where he led the development of the Afghanistan air campaign for Operation Enduring Freedom, including the idea of embedding tactical air control parties in ground special operations forces.

Prior to retiring as a command pilot, the general logged more than 3,600 flying hours, including more than 430 combat hours over Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Iraq and Bosnia.

Today, General Wald is a director and senior advisor to the Aerospace & Defense Industry practice for Deloitte LLP. Prior to that, he was vice president, International Programs for L-3 Communications Corporation. He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations at the Pentagon.

General Thomas D. Waldhauser (Ret.)

4th Commander, US Africa Command (Ret.)

General Waldhauser was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Throughout his 43 years of military service, he participated in various operations and contingencies, including Afghanistan and Iraq. He also served as Chief of Staff, United States Special Operations Command, Commander Marine Forces United States Central Command/I Marine Expeditionary Force, and Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. Prior to his retirement in 2019, he served as the Combatant Commander for United States Africa Command where he was responsible for all United States military engagements and operations across the African continent.

Waldhauser’s post-military career includes a positions on the Board of Governors for the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, the Board of Directors for Girl Security, the Board of Directors for the Military Officers Association of America, and a Senior Fellow at National Defense University. He also serves as a member of the Advisory Board and Senior Advisor for Jones Group International.

Josh S. Weston

Honorary Chairman, Automatic Data Processing 

Josh S. Weston was the Chief Executive Officer of Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP), an international computer service company that aids the management of industrial, retail, non-profit, financial and government organizations. He retired from ADP in 1998 and now serves as its Honorary Chairman.

Mr. Weston holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from the City College of New York and a MA in Economics from the University of New Zealand, completed as a Fulbright Scholar. He holds Honorary Doctorate Degrees from the City College of New York (Humane Letters), Farleigh Dickinson University (Law), Montclair State University (Humane Letters), the Stevens Institute of Technology (Engineering), and Yeshiva University (Humane Letters).

Josh Weston is active in business and communal life. He currently serves on the J. Crew Board. He also is an active Pro Bono member of numerous local, national, and international boards, assuming past and present leadership roles with the Committee for Economic Development (CED), Business Executives for National Security (BENS), the United Nations Association (UNA), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and the Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC). He also served on the President’s Task Force to Improve Veteran’s Health Care and the National Commission to Restructure the IRS.

Josh and his wife, Judy, live in New Jersey and have four children.