Speaker: Admiral James G. Stavridis, USN (Ret.), Former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO

Tags: Strategic Leadership, Courageous Leadership

Admiral James Stavridis is a retired four-star U.S. naval officer. He led the NATO Alliance in global operations from 2009 to 2013 as Supreme Allied Commander with responsibility for Afghanistan, Libya, the Balkans, Syria, counter piracy, and cyber security. He also served as Commander of U.S. Southern Command, with responsibility for all military operations in Latin America from 2006-2009. He earned more than 50 medals, including 28 from foreign nations in his 37-year military career.

Admiral Stavridis earned a PhD in international relations and has published eight books and hundreds of articles in leading journals around the world. He is a monthly columnist for TIME Magazine and Chief International Security Analyst for NBC News.

In this opening keynote, Admiral Stavridis will offer an intimate, human accounting of the lessons of leadership and character contained in the lives and careers of history's most significant naval commanders, based on his new book, Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character.