Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret), PhD spent 37 years in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of 4-star Admiral. Among Admiral Stavridis’ (Ret) many commands were four years as the 16 th Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, leading the NATO Alliance in global operations and where his responsibilities included cybersecurity. He was the longest serving Combatant Commander in recent U.S. history. In the course of his Navy career, Admiral Stavridis (Ret) served as senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense. He led the Navy’s premier operational think tank for innovation, Deep Blue. Following his military career, Admiral Stavridis (Ret) served for five years as the 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. While Dean, he created a blended master’s degree in cyber and international relations at Tufts. He is a nationally recognized cybersecurity expert and routinely teaches on cyber challenges and offers insights via speaking appearances. He is currently Managing Director and Vice Chairman, Global Affairs of The Carlyle Group and is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation. Admiral Stavridis (Ret) attended the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and earned a PhD in international relations from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and has published thirteen books and hundreds of articles in leading journals around the world.

Admiral Stavridis (Ret) has extensive government and leadership experience as a result of his military service.