2011 US Black Engineer & Information Technology | HOMELAND SECURITY - VOL. 35, NO. 4

Lieutenant General

Willie J. Williams Director, Marine Corps Staff

General James F. Amos Commandant of the Marine Corps Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

CONTENTS

Retired Air Force Gen. Lester Lyles talks about his rise to the top of the U.S. Military.

A look at the most senior African Americans in the military today and how they protect our nation. Their achievements in STEM are given special attention.

Learn more about a group of elite individuals who face some of the greatest challenges in our nation’s defense.

1997 Black Engineer of the Year appointed to Booz Allen Hamilton Board of Directors... U.S. Navy names new ship in honor of Medgar Evers... and more.

A review of “Zero to Breakthrough” by Vernice Armour that deals with having a successful career in the military and defense industry.

General Lester L. Lyles Retired Four-Star Air Force General

CONTENTS

Volume 35 Number 4

BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESS

Darnell Washington is founder and CEO of an information security risk management company that gets paid for being a little paranoid.

SCIENCE SPECTRUM

of Science

Meet Jesse Russell, AT&T inventor and the father of today’s cell phone.

CAREER OUTLOOK

Spotlight on the Computer Security Industry and Special Veterans Hiring Section 1. Cyber Security Visionaries 2. Careers in Information security 3. Vulnerabilities in cyber

of

Practically every field from medicine to education, finances to online shopping is affected by the need to ensure that personal, institutional and corporate information is protected and that those who are active on the Internet do not fall victim to predators and scammers. That’s what Internet security involves. It also includes domestic and international intelligence related to protection and defense.

Outlined in a conversation with USBE&IT magazine, inventor Jesse E. Russell talks about how cellular networks will respond in the future to the wildly voracious demands of highly expectant wireless communications users.

For Darnell Washington, anticipating national security and cyber threats is both business, and a family legacy. As founder and CEO of an information security risk management company, the firm gets paid for being a little paranoid.

It is money well-earned. In 2012 the Georgia Tech Information Security Center projects that hackers will target mobile devices, cloud computing, personal information and search engines. Last September, Symantec Corp. reported that global cybercrime costs $114 billion annually.

Washington, 47, is a second-generation cryptographer. In 1962, his father, a Morgan State College grad, was one of the first mathematicians recruited by the National Security Agency from a historically black school. He spent 30-plus years there, became a senior executive and represented the agency at the Department of Defense.

Retired Air Force Gen. Lester L. Lyles calls his rise to the very top of the U.S. military establishment the result of a career of hard work and a determination to do every task as well as possible. Along the way, he said, mentors and opportunities appeared to help him along.

In this Homeland Security and Defense issue of USBE&IT magazine, we bring you the latest chapter in the careers of officers in aviation, armor, infantry, military intelligence, and civilian life. Almost a hundred commissioned officers are featured in USBE&IT magazine’s Top Blacks in the Military roll call. They may be in different services and on different paths, but all have one thing in common: exciting and rewarding careers in the United States Armed Forces.

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PROFILES IN INNOVATION

We celebrate the men and women who are reinventing and reenergizing STEM, business, and government.

One on One

RETiRED fOuR-STaR gENERaL SaYS haRD wORk TOOk hiM TO ThE TOP

Retired Air Force Gen. Lester L. Lyles says he never set out to spend a career in the Air Force, or become a four-star General. After graduating from Howard University, the District of Columbia native says his plan was to serve four years to work off his ROTC commitment before venturing into civilian life.

General Lyles calls his rise to the very top of the U.S. military establishment the result of a career of hard work and a determination to do every task as well as possible. Along the way, he said, mentors and opportunities appeared to help him along.

After receiving a degree in mechanical engineering from Howard University in 1968, Lyles went on to earn a Master’s of Science in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology Program at New Mexico State University in 1969. Throughout his postgraduate education he continued in the Air Force, serving in a string of assignments in what became a decorated, 35-year military career. Some of his leadership posts include a stint as Vice Commander and later Commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Center in Utah. He later commanded the Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles, before being named director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.

by Michael A. Fletcher mfletcher@ccgmag.com

In 1999, Lyles was named Vice Chief of Staff for the Air Force, and later he was named commander of the Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where he served until retiring in 2003.

Since leaving the Air Force, Lyles has worked as a consultant and served on the boards of several corporations including KBR, General Dynamics, USAA, and Battelle

General Lester L. Lyles Retired Four-Star Air Force General

One on One continues

Memorial Institute. He has also served on two commissions to assess the United States space program, and was in the running to be NASA Administrator before bowing out to focus on his corporate and consulting work.

Most recently, Lyles led a commission created by Congress to examine a puzzling lack of diversity atop the U.S. military—an organization long hailed for its successful diversity efforts. The Military Leadership Diversity Commission laid out a series of recommendations for how the Pentagon can improve

become more acute as the … makeup of the United States continues to change.”

U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine recently caught up with Lyles to discuss the report and other matters.

USBE : The diversity report said that 75 percent of young people are ineligible to join the military because of physical, educational or criminal shortcomings. Is that number higher than it was years ago?

Gen. Lyles: I don’t think people kept good statistics on that years ago. In all

“The first place that everybody in the world, I think, looks toward for bringing that support and help is the United States. And where does the United States turn? It turns to the military. Our size is greater than most countries, but more importantly, what is expected of us is far greater.

–—General Lester Lyles

the promotion of women and minorities at a time when the nation is expected to become increasingly diverse.

“The armed forces have not yet succeeded in developing a continuing stream of leaders who are as demographically diverse as the nation they serve,” the report says.

The disparity between the numbers of racial and ethnic minorities in the military and their leaders “will become starkly obvious without the successful recruitment, promotion, and retention of racial/ethnic minorities among the enlisted force,” it continues. “Without sustained attention, this problem will only

honesty, when we had a draft I don’t think that was something people kept close tabs on. It is more of a question mark today when we have an all-volunteer force. If you consider the percentage of people who meets the criteria, and qualifications for even getting into the military that limits who can even volunteer if they want to volunteer. So it is very, very much of question mark in today’s society that was not even considered back when I came into the Air Force.

USBE : We hear so much about the military being an exemplar of equal opportunity in our society. This is a place where affirmative action

worked. This is a place that is a true meritocracy. Why, then, are minorities underrepresented in the top leadership ranks?

Gen. Lyles: That was obviously the focus of this military leadership diversity commission that I chaired. And it was the question posed by Congress. It was a question mark as to why there is such a disparity when we historically have an organization that is supposedly noted for equality, for opportunity for all. Our rather exhaustive study pointed out several things, not the least of which is mentoring, or lack of mentoring across the board for all people in the military. It is something we think needs to be done more so than anybody considered in the past. A lack of role models. People not seeing those who are like them assimilate to the highest ranks of the military and opting to do other things and get out. You can’t blame a person for wanting to do something like that if they have some other opportunities. There are no biases or prejudices that we can find in the institutions themselves. But there definitely was a situation where there needs to me more done to provide guidance, particularly to women and minorities, about the opportunities that they have ahead of them.

USBE : Some people also say that minorities often lack combat leadership experience and that combat leaders rise to the top ranks of the military. Is that accurate?

Gen. Lyles: Yes. That is part of the mentoring aspect that we pointed out. Of making sure that guidance is given to people—literally everybody, not just women and minorities—as to the career path that they might want to choose, the career paths that have the greatest chance of allowing somebody to get to the most senior ranks. The career paths that might be desirable for somebody’s personal interest—you never want

One on One continues

to discourage that. But they need to understand that in some career paths in the military the most senior rank is colonel. Or the most senior rank might be a one-star general. Or a one-star admiral. So just making sure people really understand the consequences of their choices and understand what it may mean in terms of those opportunities is important.

USBE : What are the fields that will lead to the top military positions of the future?

Gen. Lyles: One of our report’s recommendations is that all of the services open up their thought process relative to what qualifies a person to be a four-star, as an example. And to look in greater detail at leadership characteristics, other things that a person has done, and not just that a person filled a certain niche. One area we do think is going to be more prevalent in the future is the technical career fields in every aspect. We think that is going to become more of a factor in the future than it even is today.

USBE : As you know, our country is in the midst of a wrenching fiscal debate. One of the things you hear mentioned often is the defense budget and how it has grown so much and as a consequence it should be cut substantially. What do you think would be the result of the deep cuts some people are talking about?

Gen. Lyles: I hope we don’t make the kinds of cuts that would essentially do away with the seed corn that we are going to need to maintain our technological superiority and leadership for the future. Those kinds of cuts would be very, very drastic and would hurt not only our military and national security posture, but I think they would hurt our country generally in the future. I’d be the first to tell you that there are still opportunities to make some smart cuts and trims.

USBE : Often when people talk about cutting military spending they say the country’s military budget is larger than the next 17 nation’s combined. Does that state overstate the situation?

Gen. Lyles: It slightly overstates the military edge and, more importantly, it ignores what obligations and expectations are forced upon the United States for worldwide commitments in any number of areas. It is not just war fighting. It is whenever there is a tragedy, a natural disaster of some type, famine, need for evacuating people. The first place that everybody in the world, I think, looks toward for bringing that support and help is the United States. And where does the United States turn? It turns to the military. Our size is greater than most countries. But more importantly, what is expected of us is far greater.

USBE: I read where you were involved NASA. From where you sit, what does the future of the U.S. space program look like?

Gen. Lyles: Today, the NASA budget is being challenged. But there is still an opportunity for the United States to maintain its leadership where it has leadership in space. Perhaps, not take any further steps back to where we lost leadership in space. Whatever we do has to be done in a fiscally responsible way. I think there are some opportunities to do things, but we have to do them in a more measured manner.

USBE : What is the next frontier in space for the United States?

Gen. Lyles: Right now it is taking advantage of what we have today. For example, the international space station. We just literally with the conclusion of the space shuttle finished building the space station to the point where it is now legitimately a national laboratory with tremendous capabilities up there to do research in

science and technology. So to me, the next frontier is to take advantage of what we already have. We should do the kind of research and development that it was meant to do so we can learn more not just about the cosmos, but about doing things here on earth more effectively.

USBE : To you harbor any regrets about withdrawing from contention to be NASA administrator?

Gen. Lyles: No. I was asked by the White House a couple times in 2009 when President Obama came on board to consider running NASA. I did have some concerns about my family and financial gains I had earned by serving on boards and other things that I would have had to give up. So I made the right decision by my family, in all honesty. But, more importantly, I think the current leader is the perfect guy for it. Charlie Bolden, besides being a former astronaut who flew four times in space, is just a natural leader who came from the Marine Corps. I think the absolute perfect person is running this organization.

USBE : Why did you join the Air Force and the military at all?

Gen. Lyles: When I went to Howard University, ROTC was mandatory in the first two years of college for males. I was in Air Force ROTC and I was very much interested in the space race and all the space activities that were going on. So I entered ROTC formally as a junior and a senior and got a ROTC scholarship, in addition to my other scholarships at Howard. So it was a natural segue. In all honesty, I only planned to spend four years—my ROTC commitment time, but I ended up with lots of great opportunities, lots of great mentors, lots of great assignments in the research, development, science and technology area, and the next thing I knew, it was 35 and a half years later.

Top Blacks

miliTary in the

Almost a hundred commissioned officers are featured in USBE&IT magazine’s Top Blacks in the Military roll call. They may be in different services and on different paths, but all have one thing in common: exciting and rewarding careers in the United States Armed Forces. Many enlisted first and then trained to be officers; others started ahead of the game and went straight into the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). After graduating from college and completing the ROTC program, each member who entered active duty was awarded an officer rank. Depending on what type of military jobs piqued their interest, different branches of the U.S. armed forces allowed them to pursue the careers and the experience they were looking for.

In this Homeland Security and Defense issue of USBE&IT magazine, we bring you the latest chapter in the careers of officers in aviation, armor, infantry, military intelligence, and civilian life. Less than one-half of one percent of commissioned officers in the American military make it into the top echelon.

Gene RAL LLoy D J. Au Stin iii Commander, United States Forces - Iraq

General Lloyd J. Austin III, who hails from Thomasville, Georgia, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry in June 1975 from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. General Austin is confirmed to be the next Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. Assumption of this position will position him as the secondhighest uniformed officer in the Army. General Austin has served in a myriad of command and staff assignments throughout his thirty-five-year career. In September 2010, he became the Commanding General of US Forces Iraq. This assignment marks his third tour of duty in Iraq. As assistant division commander for maneuver, General Austin earned a Silver Star for valor while leading the division's march to Baghdad in 2003. Five years later, he was the second highest ranking officer in Iraq, taking command of Multinational Corps-Iraq and directing 152,000 Joint and Coalition forces. General Austin graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy in 1975, and earned a Master of Science degree in Education Administration from Auburn University. He also earned an M.B.A. from Webster University and is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College.

M AJoR Gene RAL

MARci A M . A n D e RS on Deputy Chief of Staff (IMA) Office of the Chief of the Army Reserve, Washington, D.C.

Marcia Anderson is a citizensoldier. She is the first-ever AfricanAmerican female officer to obtain the rank of major general. Major General Anderson received her second star on September 29, 2010. She has commanded at all levels: company, battalion, brigade and division. General Anderson’s own military career started by accident. As a student at Creighton University, she signed up for ROTC after being told the “military science” course would fill her science requirement. She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and was commissioned in 1979. General Anderson also holds a J.D. from the Rutgers University School of Law and a master’s in strategic studies from the Army War College. As a citizen-soldier, she is employed by the United States Courts, where she serves as clerk of the Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Wisconsin.

MAJoR G ene RAL RoD ney o. A n D e RS on Deputy Commanding General, XVIII Airborne Corps

Rodney Anderson is the deputy commanding general for XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. General Anderson has commanded at the battery, battalion, and brigade levels. He has also held numerous senior staff positions: Deputy Chief, War Plans Division, Strategy, Plans and Policy Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, Washington, D.C.; Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C.; and Deputy Commanding General (Support), 82d Airborne Division/Deputy Commanding General (Support), Combined Joint Task Force-76, Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan. General Anderson’s most recent duty was as the Director of Force Management, Office of the Deputy Chief

of Staff, G-3/5/7, Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of Wofford College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College.

M AJoR Gene RAL By Ron S . BAGBy

Director of Operations, Allied Joint Force Command

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Major General Byron S. Bagby graduated from the Army ROTC program in 1978 as a Lieutenant with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.

In his thirty-two year career in the military, Major General Bagby has served in various command and staff positions. While on active duty in 1987 at Fort Bragg, he earned a Master’s degree in Education from the University of North Carolina.

Currently, he supervises over two hundred people from twenty-six nations in matters relating to NATO—an alliance of countries from North America and Europe committed to fulfilling the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty signed on 4 April 1949—and the Security and Assistance Force in Afghanistan. In 2010, he served as Chief of Staff at U.S. Army Europe and the Deputy Commander of U.S. Army NATO. Other career highlights include managing one of the largest U.S. security assistance offices in the world, based in Cairo, Egypt—with programs costing $1.3 billion a year; directing a defense institution that educates over 2,500 students annually, and serving at the U.S. Military Academy from 1987 to 1990.

MAJoR G ene RAL FRA nk BAttS Commander, 29th Infantry Division

Major General Frank E. Batts is Commander, 29th Infantry Division. He assumed command of the division on 5 January 2010. General Batts was commissioned through the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps

program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina on 17 December 1976. He served in both the West Virginia and Tennessee Army National Guard before joining the Virginia Guard in 1985. He has served in command positions from battery through brigade level. In his last command assignment the General served as the Deputy Commander of the 29th Infantry Division. From May 2004 through April 2005, General Batts served with the 54th Field Artillery Brigade Headquarters as the mobile liaison team chief in Kabul, Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

BR iGADie R G ene RAL

ALton B e RRy

Deputy Commanding General 88th Regional Support Command

Alton Berry is a 1978 graduate of the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the Army War College. Early in 2009, he was promoted to brigadier general and an appointed as the commander of the 70th Training Division. A citizen soldier, Brig. Gen. Berry has held a career with the Social Security Administration for years, in addition to his military assignments, which include commanding 2nd Brigade (basic combat training) 84th Division and the 9th Brigade (basic combat training) 100th Division; prior to becoming director of mobilization resource requirements in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Reserve Affairs in July 2008. Later, he was assigned as the Commanding General of 86th Training Brigade (Operations).

B R iGADie R Gene RAL

Gwen DoLyn B in GHAM 51st Quartermaster General Commandant, U.S. Army Quartermaster School

Brigadier General Bingham graduated from University of Alabama in August 1981, as a distinguished military graduate, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and commissioned into the Quartermaster Corps as a second lieuten-

ant. Her military schooling includes the Quartermaster Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Personnel Management Course, the Combined Arms and Services Staff School; Commissary Management Course; Army Command and General Staff College; the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and the Army Inspector General Course. She holds a Master of Science degree in administration from Central Michigan University and a Master of Science degree in national security strategy and resources from National Defense University. Brigadier General Bingham has served in staff and leadership positions throughout her career to include Deputy Inspector General, Joint Staff, The Pentagon; commander, United States Army Garrison, and Chief of Staff, United States Army Combined Arms Support Command and Sustainment Center of Excellence. Brigadier General Bingham recently returned from a deployment in support of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently, she is responsible for training U.S. soldiers, civilians, and members of other nations in general supply, mortuary affairs, food service, petroleum and water distribution, and material and distribution management.

BR iGADie R G ene RAL

BARBARA nette t. BoLD en J-8, Mobility Assistant, Director of the Resources and Assessment Directorate U. S. Pacific Command

nel; and Director of Plans, Operations, Training & Military Support at the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Commander, 260th Military Police Command; Commander, Land Component Command; and Commander, Joint Task Force for District of Columbia. Brig. Gen. Bolden is currently responsible for advocating capabilities to accomplish the mission, and overseeing studies and analysis to fill capability gaps. She also assists with planning and programming efforts.

Lieuten A nt Gene RAL

tHo MAS p. BoStick

Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1, U.S. Army

Lieutenant General Thomas P. Bostick was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1978 upon graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He has served in a variety of command and staff assignments, both in the Continental United States and overseas.

Lieutenant General Bostick served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanics at the U.S. Military Academy and was later he was selected as a White House Fellow and with duty at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Brigadier General Barbaranette T. Bolden started her military career as an enlisted member of the 567th Engineer Battalion of the National Guard in Arkansas. She joined the District of Columbia National Guard after she arrived in Washington to attend Howard University Law School. She received her commission in 1978.

Since that time, Brigadier General Bolden has served in numerous positions, including Company Commander; Battalion Commander; Director of Person-

Lieutenant General Bostick was Executive Officer to the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, served as Deputy Director of Operations for the National Military Command Center, J-3, the Joint Staff, in the Pentagon, including the events of September 11th and initiation of operations in Afghanistan. More recently, Lieutenant General Bostick served as the Assistant Division CommanderManeuver, and then as Assistant Division Commander-Support, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, deploying with the division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; Commander of the Gulf Region Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Deputy for Construction, Project and Contracting Office in Baghdad, Iraq where he was responsible for over $18 billion in reconstruction and Commander, U.S. Army Recruiting Command. Lieutenant General Bostick holds a Master of Science degree in both Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. He is also

a Licensed Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a graduate of the U.S. Army War College.

Lieuten A nt G ene RAL

vincent k. BRookS

Commanding General, Third Army/U.S. Army Central Coalition Forces Land Component Command

Lieutenant General Vincent K. Brooks

graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy in 1980, and later earned a Master’s degree in Military Art and Science from the School of Advanced Military Studies at the Army Command and General Staff College. During his thirty-one years as a Commissioned Officer, he has served in Command and Staff positions in the United States, Germany, Korea, Kosovo as well as the Middle East.

In June 2011, Lieutenant General Brooks took command of the Third Army and Army Forces Central based in South Carolina, with portions deployed to Kuwait, Qatar, Afghanistan and Iraq. As the commanding general of the Army service component of the Central Command, Lt. Gen. Brooks exercises administrative control over U.S. Army forces in the Central Command, conducts operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and engages with eighteen countries throughout North Africa, Southwest Asia and Central Asia.

BR iGADie R G ene RAL AR no LD n. GoRDon- BRAy

Deputy Director of Operations, United States Africa Command

Brigadier General Arnold Gordon-Bray

graduated from the University of Central Missouri in 1978 as a distinguished military student in the university’s ROTC program. He commissioned into the Infantry after graduation and went on to earn two Master of Science

degrees in International Strategic Studies from the Air War College and the Naval War College. He has served as Deputy Commanding General, United States Army, Cadet Command; and completed a second tour in Iraq as a principal advisor to the Iraqi Ground Force. Most recently, Brig. Gen. Gordon-Bray served as Installation Management Command’s Deputy Director of G-3/5/7 (Operations, Plans, and Training).

MAJoR Gene RAL JoS epH

cARte R

The Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard

Major General Joseph Carter entered the Massachusetts Army National Guard in January 1974 and rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant, prior to his commission as a Second Lieutenant at the Massachusetts Military Academy in July 1979. Currently, Maj. Gen. Carter oversees the administration and operation of the Massachusetts National Guard to ensure troops are trained, equipped and mission-ready to support national security objectives. He also ensures that troops are trained to protect life and property, and preserve peace, order and public safety as directed in times of natural disaster and civil emergency. The General holds a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management from Lesley University, a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Administration from Atlanta University and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL pH i Lip

cH u R n

Deputy Commanding General 200th Military Police Command

Brigadier

General Philip Churn graduated from Mount Saint Mary’s College in 1983 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. He currently has

a career in global supply chain management and military leadership with Agility Logistics, a leading provider of integrated logistics with more than 22,000 employees in over 550 offices and 100 countries. He has most recently served as a commander of the 3rd Brigade (Professional Development), 104th Division (Leadership Training). The 3rd Brigade is charged with supporting and training the next generation of officers in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) for the U.S. Army, National Guard and the Army Reserve. Brigadier General Churn’s has also served as a Director of the Afghanistan Detention and Corrections Advisory Team. He assumed his current duties as the Deputy Commanding General of the 200th Military Police Command in May 2011. Churn holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.

BR iGADie R G ene RAL J e SS e R . c RoSS

Brigadier General Jesse R. Cross was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, Quartermaster Corps through ROTC in 1979. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing from West Texas State University and a Master’s degree in Logistics Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. He is also a graduate of the Quartermaster Basic and Advanced Courses, the Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. Cross was promoted to the position of Brigadier General in December 2005. At age fifty he became the 50th Quartermaster General, with the wide responsibility of the training and professional development of Quartermaster soldiers. He relinquished that command on November 22, 2010. He also commanded the Combined Arms Support Command / Sustainment Center of Excellence from June 11, 2010 to September 9, 2010.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL

GRAcu S Dunn Commander, 87th Army Reserve Support Command

Brigadier

General Gracus Dunn served as the deputy commander of the 377th Theater Sustainment Command from February 2009 to May 2011. Prior to that assignment, he served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the Principal Assistant to the Director of OperationsJ3 for Reserve Operations. A veteran of contingency and peacekeeping operations, Brig. Gen. Dunn deployed in 1993 with the 10th Mountain Division Task Force to Mogadishu, Somalia, and again in 1994, serving in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait with the Third U.S. Army. In 1998, he deployed to Sarajevo, Bosnia and served as NATO Liaison Officer and Assistant Brigade S3 for Italy’s Paramilitary Force.

In his civilian career, Dunn is a Force Management Consultant with Intrepid Solutions, which provides technology solutions and professional services to the intelligence, defense, and national security communities. Brigadier General Dunn is a 1982 Music graduate of Arkansas Tech University. He holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.

MAJoR G ene RAL

RoB e Rt Fe RR e LL Commanding General of United States Army Communications and Electronics Command (CECOM)

Africa Command, Germany. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce Marketing Merchandising from Hampton University. He also holds a Master’s degree in Administration from Central Michigan University, and a second Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.

BR iGADie R G ene RAL

M ic HA e L x. GARR ett

Chief of Staff of XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg

Brigadier

and is responsible for joint training and deployment.

Brigadier General Gorham was commissioned in 1980 through Officer Candidate School, North Carolina Military Academy at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Prior to receiving his commission, he served as an enlisted member, both on active duty and with the North Carolina Army National Guard, for a total of 6 years. His previous military assignments include commanding at the company, battalion, and brigade levels, as well as various staff positions. Brigadier General Gorham’s most recent assignments include mobilization in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as Commander, 130th Finance Battalion; Deputy Commander, 130th Combat Support Brigade (Maneuver Enhanced), and he has served as Commander, 113th Sustainment Brigade and Assistant Adjutant General-Army, North Carolina National Guard.

MAJoR G ene RAL

M ic HA e L t. HARR i S on Commander, United States Army Japan and I-Corps (Forward)

Major General Robert Ferrell has been Director for Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems for U.S. Africa Command since 2009. In July 2011, Brigadier General Ferrell was nominated for appointment to the rank of major general. He is currently serving as director for command, control, communications and computer systems, U.S.

General Garrett’s most recent duty was as Deputy Commanding General, United States Army Recruiting Command; after serving as a senior military fellow at the Center for New American Security in Washington, D.C. Brigadier General Garrett’s previous duties included command at the platoon, company, battalion and brigade level and staff assignments at company through corps level. He has served two tours on Fort Bragg, including an operations tour to Afghanistan as the chief of current operations, Combined Joint Task Force180. He also commanded the 4th Brigade Combat Team (airborne), 25th Infantry Division. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the Senior Service College Fellowship. Garrett also holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Xavier University. He was a regimental tactical officer and director of the Department of Military Instruction at the U.S. Military Academy. In addition, he commanded the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division during a military operation in Iraq..

BR iGADie R G ene RAL

JAM e S GoRHAM

Commander, North Carolina National Guard Joint Task Force

Brigadier General Gorham assumed duties as Director, Joint Staff, North Carolina Joint Force Headquarters, Raleigh, North Carolina on 15 January 2009. He also serves as Commander, North Carolina National Guard Joint Task Force

Major General Michael T. Harrison entered the U.S. Army in 1980. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Howard University. He also holds a Master of Science degree in General Administration from Central Michigan University, and a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College. His operational assignments as a general officer include duty as Deputy Commanding General for the 10th Mountain Division and Deputy Commanding General for the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan. Previous assignments include service as a commander and staff officer with air assault, light infantry, and training units. Maj. Gen. Harrison assumed his current duties in October 2010.

MAJoR G ene RAL SA n FoRD e. HoLMA n Commanding General, 200th Military Police Command

Major General Holman was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry in 1978 after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy. He began active service as a platoon leader in the 197th Infantry Brigade, and later served as branch chief and instructor in the weapons department of the Army Infantry School. Major General Holman has held numerous command and staff positions both on active duty and in the Army Reserves. He recently returned, 2007-2008, to serve as Deputy Commander, Combined Joint Task Force in Djibouti. In 2011, Major General Holman assumed command of the 200th Military Police Command with responsibility for 15,000 soldiers in forty-three states. Major General Holman earned a Master of Science degree in Operations Research from the Florida Institute of Technology and a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL c HARLe S w. H oope R

Director of Strategy, Plans, and Programs

U.S. Africa Command

Kennedy School of Government student selected as graduate commencement speaker at Harvard. Following his promotion to the rank of Brigadier General, Hooper was appointed as a defense attaché to the People’s Republic of China, where he herved from 2007 to 2009. Eight years earlier, he served as a country director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In June 2011, the Department of Defense announced that Brigadier General Hooper has been assigned to the post of Director of Strategy, Plans, and Programs in the U.S. Africa Command.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL H en Ry L . H untLey

Deputy Commanding General

U.S. Army Recruiting Command

BR iGADie R G ene RAL

LeoD i S t. J ennin GS

Brigadier General Charles W. Hooper is a 1979 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy. Following graduation, he served as a company officer at the Army Armor Center before he was assigned, in 1981, to the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. In the 1st Brigade, he served as a platoon leader, a battalion air operations officer, a brigade air operations officer, and an infantry company commander. In 1989, he earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University. While at Harvard, he was awarded the Don K. Price Award for Academic Excellence and Public Service and was the first

Brigadier General Henry L. Huntley has been Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command since August 2011. Before coming to the recruiting command, he served for two years as Director of Public and Congressional Affairs for the U.S. Army Materiel Command. He has held a number of public affairs assignments, including Media on the Battlefield Observer Controller at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, and United States European Command Public Affairs-Africa Team Chief. He was commissioned as Second Lieutenant, Infantry, in August 1983 and went on to serve in Operational and Staff assignments, with two tours in the Pentagon. His military education includes Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Command and General Staff College, the Joint Public Affairs Advanced Course and Joint Professional Military Education, Pentagon Staff Officer Course, and the U.S. Army War College. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Kentucky State University, a Master of Science degree in Public Administration from Central Michigan University and a Master of Strategic Studies from the Army War College.

Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff G 8 Headquarters, Department of the Army Brigadier General Jennings currently serves as the Military Deputy to the Director, G-8, Headquarters, Department of the Army. His most recent assignment was as the Global War on Terror Operational Assistant to the Director, Army National Guard. He has served in various other senior level positions in the Army National Guard to include the G-3, and Chief, Force Management Division. Prior to his return to the Army National Guard Readiness Center in 2006, he served as Chief, Force Assessment in the Force Structure, Resources, and Assessment Directorate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (J-8), where developed analysis to assist in implementing the National Security Strategy. Brigadier General Jennings is both a force manager and strategic planner, having served in numerous and various positions at the Army National Guard Readiness Center, Headquarters, Department of the Army and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brigadier General Jennings earned his commission from the Reserve Officer Training (ROTC) Program at North Carolina State University in 1983 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Engineering. Prior to receiving his commission Brigadier General Jennings enlisted in the Army in 1975.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL wi LLi AM

J. JoH n S on

Assistant Adjutant General - Army, Arkansas National Guard

Brigadier General Johnson assumed duties as Assistant Adjutant General - Army, Arkansas National Guard on January 1, 2008. As the Assistant Adjutant General, he serves as the chief advisor and principal assistant to The Adjutant General, Arkansas. Brigadier Gen-

eral Johnson acts in the capacity of the Adjutant General in his absence. General Johnson served as an enlisted Soldier in the Arkansas National Guard for five years prior to attending the Arkansas National Guard’s Officer Candidate School at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Arkansas, where he received his commission. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Management from Philander Smith College in 1994, and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College in 2001. Brigadier General Johnson’s military experience includes Executive Officer, 1st Battalion, 153d Infantry, 39th Infantry Brigade; Chief Operations Officer, Marksmanship Training Unit; Deputy Military Personnel Director; and Commander, 212th Signal Battalion. His most recent assignment was Director, Joint Staff, Arkansas, Joint Force Headquarters.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL k AFFi A Jone S Commander, 335th Signal Command

and provides network and key communication systems for coalition and joint commanders. Since joining the U.S. Army as an enlisted soldier in 1976, Brig. Gen. Jones has served in a diverse array of assignments as a communications, administrative and operations officer as well as a company, battalion and brigade commander. Brigadier General Jones has deployed numerous times to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operations New Dawn and Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Studies from Excelsior College, and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy Degrees in Psychology from Saybrook University.

M AJoR Gene RAL R eu B en D. Jone S

Deputy Commanding General for Operations

Installation Management Command

BR iGADie R G ene RAL

e Lton Lewi S

Assistant Adjutant General - Army, Virgin Islands National Guard

Brigadier General Elton Lewis has given distinguished military service in the Virgin Islands since he joined the Virgin Islands National Guard (VING) in 1976.

He entered the military as an enlisted soldier in the 661st Military Police Company, before receiving a direct commission in July 1985 into the Military Police Corps.

Brigadier General Jones is a native of Beaufort, South Carolina and the first female officer in the 335th Signal Command (Theater) to obtain the rank of general officer. Brigadier General Jones currently serves as Commander, 335th Signal Command (Theater) (Provisional) and Deputy Chief of Staff, Information Technology for Third Army/ARCENT Communications. The 335th Signal Command (Theater) is an operational reserve force of active and reserve soldiers who directly support Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. She is responsible to provide the entire realm of information management services to soldiers and coalition partners throughout the United States Central Command area of operations to include command and control and reliable communications for voice, data and e-mail. Brigadier General Jones has been deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, where she was responsible to lead 2,800 soldiers and civilians across Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas in the ARCENT area of operation. She also manages a budget of $450 million

Major General Reuben D. Jones graduated from Jackson State University in 1978 with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and was commissioned through the Army ROTC program at Jackson State University. He also holds a Master’s degree in strategic studies from the Army War College and a Master’s degree in Administration from Central Michigan University. His military education includes several courses at the Adjutant General Airborne School, the Combined Arms Services Staff School, Command and General Staff College, and the Army Senior Service College. Jones served as Commanding General, Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command from July 30, 2009 until the command was deactivated on June 3, 2011. He was promoted to the rank of Major General in January 2010. Maj. Gen. Jones has served as Adjutant General of the Army; the Commanding General, U.S. Army Physical Disability Agency; and Executive Director, Military Postal Service Agency in Alexandria, Virginia.

Over his long career, Brigadier General Lewis has served as Assistant Adjutant General, Federal Technician Employee, and Director of the Joint Forces Headquarters. He also attended the U.S. Army War College as a Senior Fellow with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Army Command and General Staff College and many other military education and training programs. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Roger Williams University.

On January 27, 2011, Governor de Jongh formally promoted Lewis to the rank of Brigadier General of the Virgin Islands National Guard. In December 2010, Lewis received a Federal Recognition Special Order from the National Guard Bureau assigning him his new rank.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL MAR k

M cALi Ste R

Commanding General, U.S. Army Soldier Support Institute

Brigadier General Mark McAlister is a 1981 graduate of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He also holds an M.B.A. from Indiana University and a Master’s degree in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University. Prior to taking command

of the Soldier Support Institute in July 2009, Brig. Gen. McAlister was assigned to the Pentagon as an Executive Officer to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and cComptroller and Chief of Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution System. He has served as Commander of the 18th Soldier Support Group (Airborne), Chief of the Defense Integrated Military Human Resource System program and Commander of the 8th Finance Battalion.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL ti M otH y M . M ckeitH en

Director, G34 (Force Protection), Pentagon, Washington

Brigadier General Timothy M. McKeithen assumed his current duties as on July 1, 2011. In this position, he is responsible for integrating and synchronizing components of the Army Protection Program. Prior to this position, the Brigadier General served as the Chief of Staff, Army National Guard, in Arlington, Virginia, which is comprised of over 1,600 personnel and responsible for staff operations in support of the Director, Army National Guard, the Deputy Director, and the 50 states, territories and the District of Columbia.

Brigadier General McKeithen received his commission from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, where he was named a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1985. During Operation Desert Storm, he was deployed in Saudi Arabia. He also served as Commander, 549th Quartermaster Company, 11th Battalion, and Commander, 228th Forward Support Battalion, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He later served as the Reset Division chief, Headquarters, United States Army Material Command and deputy to the assistants to the chairman, Joint Chief of Staff for National Guard and Reserve Matters.

MAJoR G ene RAL

ADoLpH M cqueen

Deputy Commanding General, Detainee Operations Provost Marshall U.S. Forces – Iraq

Major General Adolph McQueen has

held several command positions throughout his career, including Commander, Joint Task Force Guantanamo, Cuba; Commander, 645th Area Support Group, 88th Regional Readiness Command; and Commander, 200th Military Police Command. In his civilian career, he currently serves as an investigative supervisor with the Office of the Attorney General, Michigan. The Brigadier General holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Wayne State University and a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College. McQueen first joined the Marine Corps in the enlisted ranks in 1971. Eleven years later, in 1982, he received a direct commission into the army.

MAJoR G ene RAL LLoy D M i Le S

Deputy Commanding General, I Corps and Fort Lewis, Joint Base Lewis McChord, Wash.

BR iGADie R

G ene RAL owen M oncon Duit

Commander, 225th Engineer Brigade, Louisiana National Guard

Major General Miles is a Bachelor of Science graduate from West Point. He was commissioned as second lieutenant in 1980. Major General Miles’s military training includes professional courses ranging from Airborne Ranger to Pathfinder, Air Assault to Infantry Officer—both basic and advanced, and Junior Staff Officer. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College. Major General Miles was nominated for appointment to the rank of major general in November 2010. He has held his current position in since February 2011. As Deputy Commander of the Joint Base, he is responsible for unit operations and for services provided to soldiers and their families. He also guides the training and readiness of all I Corps units to prepare for worldwide deployment. Major General Miles is one of fewer than a hundred major generals on active duty in the Army.

Brigadier General Monconduit began his military career by enlisting into the Louisiana National Guard in 1980. Three years later, he completed the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Louisiana State University, and received his commission in May 1983. after earning a bachelor’s in engineering technology. He deployed as Commander of the 528th Engineer Battalion in May 2005, and commanded the 225th Engineer Brigade from May 2007 to November 2009. In his current position as the Commander of the 225th Engineer Brigade, Louisiana Guard, he is responsible for training, mobilization and deployment of engineer elements in support of federal and state missions. He holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix, and a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.

Lieuten A nt Gene RAL JoH n w. M o RGA n iii

Commander Allied Force Command, Heidelberg

Lieutenant

General John W. Morgan III earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Delaware in 1979. Since then, he has returned to the Delaware campus, including this year’s commissioning ceremony, to meet with Army ROTC cadets and provide mentoring. His review and recommendations for changing the Military Science curriculum at the University resulted in substantial improvements. Lt. Gen. Morgan is the highest-ranking University of Delaware alumni now serving in the Army. In June 2011, he was one of ten University of Delaware alumni honored for exceptional achievements by being inducted into the Alumni Wall of Fame. Lt. Gen. Morgan assumed command of the Allied Force Command, a multinational NATO headquarters, in 2010.

BR iGADie R Gene RAL SAM ue L nic HoLS , JR .

Director, Enterprise Records Service Veterans Administration in Washington, DC

Brigadier

General Samuel Nichols, Jr., a citizen soldier, is director of enterprise records service for the Veterans Administration in Washington, D.C. He most recently served as deputy commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo in Cuba. He has commanded both the 3rd Personnel Command in Jackson, Mississippi and the 87th Army Reserve Support Command (East) in Birmingham, Alabama. Additionally, he was an Army Senior Service Fellow at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Brig. Gen. Nichols graduated from Mississippi State University with Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Degrees in Education.

BR iGADie R Gene RAL

LAwARR en pAtte RS on Command of 7th Signal Command, Fort Gordon, GA.

Brigadier

General Lawarren Patterson graduated in 1982 from Norfolk State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications. He also holds a Master’s degree in General Administration from Central Michigan University and a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College. In 2010, he assumed command of 7th Signal Command, which operates and defends the U.S. Army’s portion of the Global Information Grid. Previously, he commanded the 1st Signal Brigade in Korea, and served in the National Military Command Center Communications based in Washington, D.C.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL R enwick pAyne

Director, Joint Staff, New York Joint Force Headquarters

Brigadier General Renwick Payne enlisted in 1974 and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant of field artillery on August 17, 1979. Since being assigned to the National Guard Bureau in October 1993. Most recently, Brig. Gen. Payne served as Assistant Adjutant General - Army, New York National Guard. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Governor’s State University, and he was a senior service fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is affiliated with the National Guard Association of the United States, the Militia Association of New York, the Association of the United States Army and the 369th Historical Society.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL Aun DR e piGG ee

Commander of 21st Theater Sustainment Command in Europe

with a Bachelor’s degree in History. He later earned a Master’s degree in Military Arts and Science from the Army School of Advanced Military Studies. Maj. Gen. Pittard also completed a National Security Fellowship at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He served as a Deputy Chief of Staff of Operations and Training at the Training and Doctrine Command. He has also served as the Commanding General of the National Training Center and Commanding General of the Iraqi Assistance Group. Maj. Gen. Pittard’s army career has taken him to more than seventy countries around the world. In 2011 he returned to his hometown in Texas to become a senior commander of Fort Bliss..

B R iGADie R Gene RAL BARRye pR ice

Director of Human Resources Policy Directorate, Army G1

Brigade General Aundre Piggee most recently served as the J4 of the United States Forces in Korea. Previous assignments include Commander of the 15th Sustainment Brigade, Executive Officer to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, and G4 of the 1st Cavalry Division. He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Subsequently, he earned a Masters of Arts in Materiel Acquisition Management and a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.

M AJoR Gene RAL DA n A J. H. pittARD

Commanding General of Fort Bliss, Texas

Major General Dana J.H. Pittard was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1981,

Brigadier General Barrye Price is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the University of Houston’s College of Business Administration. He also holds a Master’s degree in History from Texas A&M University, a Master’s in National Security Strategy from National Defense University, and in 1997, he became the first African American to obtain a Ph.D. from Texas A&M’s Department of History. Prior to his current assignment he was the Deputy Commanding General of the Army Cadet Command and he served as the first J1 of United States ForcesIraq. Brig. Gen. Price also served on the President and First Lady’s task force on “Raising Responsible and Resourceful Teenagers” in 2000; on President Clinton’s “Mississippi Delta Task Force” which sought to revitalize the Mississippi River flood plain from 1999 through 2000. He also served as an Associate Professor of History at West Point and was a White House Fellow, serving as a Special Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

MAJoR

Gene RAL

R en ALDo

R ive RA

Adjutant General, Virgin Islands National Guard

Major General Renaldo Rivera is a decorated Vietnam combat veteran who served with Honor and Distinction in the Virgin Islands Police Department for ten years, and in the Virgin Islands National Guard (VING) for 22 years. Rivera’s career began with his enlistment in the U.S. Army in 1968. He served a year’s tour as infantryman with the First Cavalry Division in Vietnam and rose to the rank of Sergeant. In 1980, he was direct commissioned as First Lieutenant within VING and served as a platoon leader for the 661st Military Police Company, followed by a stint as company commander. Battalion command time placed him at the helm of the 786th S&S Battalion from November 1992 to January 1994 and then as Commander of Troop Command from January 1994 to May 1995. He was named the VING’s deputy chief of staff for operations in 1997, serving until 2001. He spent his final year as deputy chief of staff for logistics. After retiring in 2002, he rejoined the Virgin Island government and he was recruited by the Water and Power Authority as Security Manager. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law Enforcement Administration from Youngstown State University. His military education includes Basic and Advanced Military Police Officer Courses, Combined Arms and Services Staff course and the Command & General Staff Officer Course.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL B RyA n t.

RoB e RtS

Director, Iraq Training and Advisory TeamArmy, United States Forces-Iraq

Brigadier

General Bryan T. Roberts was commissioned through the ROTC in 1984, after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Commercial Marketing and Merchandising from Eastern Michigan University. He later earned

a Master’s degree in Administration from Central Michigan University, and a Master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the National War College. The general also attended the Armor Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the National War College. Brig. Gen. Roberts has held a number of high profile jobs, both joint and operations assignments. He has served as Presidential Plans and Operations Officer at the White House Military Office; Assistant Deputy Director for Operations, attached to the National Military Command Center of The Joint Staff; and as Commander, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the1st Calvary Division. More recently, he was assigned as Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, the Chief of Force Development Future in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8 and, previously, a chief of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council in the Assessment Division. Brig. Gen. Roberts took up his current assignment in September 2011.

BR iGADie R G ene RAL A.c.

Rope R , J R .

Chief of Staff, 87th U.S. Army Reserve Support Command Birmingham, Alabama

Brigadier

General A.C. Roper, Jr. was recently selected for assignment as Commander, 415th Chemical Brigade in Greenville, South Carolina. He is Chief of the Birmingham Police Department. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Troy University, a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Alabama, and a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Army War College. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Southeastern Law Enforcement Executive Development Course. Brig. Gen. Roper was deployed in support of Desert Shield and Operation Enduring Freedom, the latter for which he served as military spokesperson for U.S. Army Forces in Afghanistan.

M AJoR G ene RAL

e RRoL S c H wARtz

Commanding General, District of Columbia National Guard

Major General Errol Schwartz’s military career started in 1976 when he enlisted in the District of Columbia Army National Guard. He was commissioned in 1979 and appointed platoon leader in the 104th Maintenance Company. Since then, he has served in leadership positions as a staff officer and commander. Some of his assignments include Battalion Commander, 372nd Military Police Battalion; Commander, 74th Troop Command; and Deputy Commanding General, District of Columbia National Guard. Currently, Major General Schwartz is responsible for operational readiness and command and control of the District of Columbia Army and Air National Guard units with authorized strength of 2,700 Soldiers and Airmen. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of the District of Columbia. He also holds a Master of Science degree in Business Management from Central Michigan University and a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL Le SLie

S M itH

Commander, 20th Support Command

Brigadier General Leslie Smith has commanded the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high yield explosive support command at Aberdeen Proving Ground since July 2010. He is a 1985 Distinguished Military Graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, majoring in Accounting from the Georgia Southern University. He holds a Master’s degree in Administration from Central Michigan University and a Master’s degree in National Strategy from National Defense University. From 2001

to 2003, Brig. Gen. Smith commanded the 83rd Chemical Battalion, whose soldiers participated in operations around the Pentagon, and in Kuwait, Afghanistan, Qatar, and Jordan. In addition, he commanded the 3rd Chemical Brigade and was the commandant of the U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL Ru Fu S S M itH Commander, 174th Air Defense Artillery Brigade,

Brigadier General Rufus Smith began his military career in 1978, when he enlisted in the Army as an active duty soldier. He transferred into the Ohio Army National Guard in 1982, and one year later received his commission through the Officer Candidate School program. He has held leadership positions at the platoon, battery, battalion, and brigade levels, including command of an air defense battery, a forward support battalion, a corps support group, and Air Defense Artillery Brigade. He has also held staff and administrative positions, including inspector general, military support officer, recruiting and retention manager, G1, and G3/J357 for the Ohio National Guard. Brig. Gen. Smith commands the newest and largest brigade in Ohio. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from Marietta College, a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University, and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the Army War College.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL StepH en t witty

Deputy Commanding General, 1st Armored Division

Brigadier General Stephen Twitty is a 1985 Distinguished Military Graduate. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Law from South Carolina State University, a

Master’s degree in Public Administration from Central Michigan University, and a Master’s degree in National Security Strategy from National Defense University. Brig. Gen. Twitty’s assignments include serving as Joint Chiefs Intern in the Directorate for Strategic Plans and Policy, strategic analyst and speechwriter for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans, and Aide-de-Camp to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe. He has deployed three times to Iraq, including once as Commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 15th Infantry, a second deployment as Commander of 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division, and a third as the Chief of Staff of 3rd Army. Brig. Gen. Twitty earned the Silver Star for valor.

LieutenAnt GeneRAL DenniS viA

Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command

Lieutenant General Dennis Via graduated from Virginia State University in 1980 and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Signal Corps. He earned a Master’s degree from Boston University and is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College as well as the Army War College. Lieutenant General Via assumed duties as Deputy Commanding General of the Army Materiel Command in May 2011. Lt. Gen. Via also serves as Executive Director for Conventional Ammunition. Prior, he served as director, Command, Control, Communications and Computer (C4) Systems, J-6, The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. He was a principal advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on all C4 systems matters within the Department of Defense.

M AJoR Gene RAL Joe M. w e LLS Director, J2/6, Intelligence and Communication, National Guard Bureau

Major General Joe M. Wells’ principal duty is to advise the chief of the National Guard Bureau on intelligence and communication issues as they relate to security and readiness. Wells was commissioned in 1982 into the Georgia Army

National Guard. Prior to receiving his commission, he served as an enlisted member for the 1st/30th, 3rd Infantry Division (Europe) and the 159th Military Intelligence Company, Dobbins, Air Reserve Base, Georgia. He earned Bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration from both Brenau College and Georgia State University. Additionally, he holds a Master of Arts in Strategic Intelligence from American Military University and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL nADJA y. w e St, MD Commander, Europe Regional Medical Command

Brigadier General West is a graduate of the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering. She attended George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., where she earned her Doctorate of Medicine Degree. Brigadier General West is also a graduate of the National War College. Brigadier General West commanded McDonald Army Community Hospital at Fort Eustis, Virginia and Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, prior to her current command. Other assignments include Chief, Dermatology Service, Heidelberg Army Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; Division Surgeon, 1st Armored Division in Bad Kreuznach, Germany; Deputy Task Force Surgeon, deploying to Macedonia and Kosovo and Deputy Commander, Integration at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD where she became the first Army Officer to join the leadership team at the Medical Center. Brigadier General West is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Academy of Family Practice.

B R iGADie R

Gene RAL

DARR e LL

w i LLi AMS

Commander, Defense Supply Center

Brigadier

General Darrell Williams assumed command of the Defense Supply Center in September 2010. In this position, he oversees end-toend integration of the Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA) land and maritime supply chains, which deliver repair parts to all military services. In 2010, both DLA land and maritime sales exceeded $5 billion, and its procurements were $3.9 billion. Previously, Williams was Executive Officer to the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, and Commander for 3rd Sustainment. Brig. Gen. Williams has deployed to Kosovo, Kuwait, and Iraq. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1983, and also holds Master’s degree in Military Arts and Sciences from the Army Command and General Staff College, a Master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the National War College, and a Master’s in Business Management (Logistics) from Pennsylvania State University.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL DARRy L

w i LLi AMS

Assistant Surgeon General, Warrior Care and Transition

Commanding General of the Warrior Transition Command

Brigadier

General Darryl Williams graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1983. After graduating, he stayed on to earn a Master of Arts in Leadership Development through the Dwight D. Eisenhower Fellowship Program, and then served as a Company Tactical Officer. Subsequently, he earned a Master’s degree in Military Arts and Science from the Army Command and General Staff College. After serving as military aide to President Clinton from 1998 to 2000 and completing battalion command, he returned to the U.S.

Military Academy to serve as a regimental tactical officer. Subsequently, he served as the commander of the Division Artillery for 1st Armored Division and deployed to Iraq as the division’s effects coordinator.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL Mic HA e L w i LLi AMS on

Joint Program Executive Officer for the Joint Tactical Radio System

Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, and Commander, 114th Quartermaster Company, 2nd Quartermaster Group, Republic of Korea. Maj. Gen Wyche earned a Master’s degree in Logistics Management from Florida Institute of Technology, and another Master’s degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

u.S. Ai R FoRce

Brigadier General Williamson has commanded the Software Engineering Center at Fort Belvoir, VA, served as congressional fellow in the Office of the Chief of Legislative Liaison, senior service college fellow at the Center for Strategic Analysis, and as a military assistant to the secretary of the army. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Husson College and a Master of Science degree in Materiel Acquisition Management from the Naval Postgraduate School. He also has graduate certificates in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University.

M AJoR Gene RAL L ARRy D. w yc H e

Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, (G-3/5) U.S. Army Materiel Command, Redstone Arsenal, Al.

M AJoR Gene RAL eDwARD L. “ eD ” BoLton J R .

Director, Cyber and Space Operations. Directorate of Operations

Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements

Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

Major General Edward L. Bolton, Jr. began his Air Force career as an enlisted cost and management analyst. In 1980, he was selected for the Airmen Education and Commissioning Program. In 1983, he was commissioned as Second Lieutenant after completing an electrical engineering degree and Officer Training School. His experience includes serving as a systems requirements manager at Headquarters Air Force Systems Command and as chief of its Space Lift Vehicles Requirements Branch. He was the Director for Defense Policy at the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President.

Major General Larry D. Wyche served in the enlisted ranks as a cavalry scout, squad and section Leader in 2nd Armored Division, Fort Hood. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Texas A&M University and was commissioned as a quartermaster officer in 1983. In May 2011, Wyche was promoted to the rank of Major General. His previous assignments include a recent deployment to Afghanistan, where he served as Commander of the Joint Logistics Command, Combined Joint Task Force-76; Commander, 4th Forward

Currently, Major General Bolton is responsible for establishing guidance and resources for space, cyber and information operations to include network warfare and influence operations. He also oversees creation and development of both the Air Force cyber career field and the management of space professionals. Previously, he led 15,000 professionals providing information technology services to 101,500 military and civilian members at thirty installations in the U.S. and overseas.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL G R eGoRy L. B R un D i DG e Director of Command, Control, Communications and War fighting Integration

Headquarters U.S. European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany

and Air Force priorities at the direction of the Secretary of Defense and Congress.

Brigadier General Gregory L. Brundidge was commissioned in 1979 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He went on to direct software maintenance and development teams, led Air Force Combat Command’s Network Division, and worked as a staff officer at Headquarters U.S. Air Force and the Joint Staff. Prior to his current assignment, Brigadier General Brundidge was the deputy chief of staff, Communications and Information Systems, Multi-National Force-Iraq. He is responsible for providing the U.S. European Command with the command, control, communication and computer systems capabilities necessary to prevent conflict, respond to crises and conduct military operations. He commanded three times at the squadron and group levels, culminating as the commander of the 3rd Combat Communications Group.

M AJoR Gene RAL A LFR e D k .

FLowe RS

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force

Financial Management and Comptroller, Washington, D.C

M AJoR Gene RAL Ronnie D.

H Awkin S , J R .

Vice Director Defense Information Systems Agency

Major General Ronnie D. Hawkins, Jr. received his commission as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program in 1977. He has held a variety of communications positions, including assignment on the Joint Staff as Support Manager for Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems. He later served as director of C4 Systems for Joint Task Force - Southwest Asia. As Vice Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, he helps lead a global organization of more than 6,600 military and civilian personnel responsible for planning, developing, and providing global net-centric solutions that serve the needs of the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commanders, and other defense components.

M AJoR Gene RAL G ARy t. Mccoy

Commander, Air Force Global Logistics Support Center

Air Force Materiel Command

egy with global command and control, serving as the single focal point to the war fighter. The Center manages an $8.5 billion budget and is composed of more than 4,200 personnel with operations at several locations around the world.

M AJoR Gene RAL DARR en w. McDew

Major General Darren W. McDew was commissioned in 1982, following graduation from Virginia Military Institute. He began his flying career at Loring Air Force Base and is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours in a variety of aircraft. He served as Vice Commander of the 18th Air Force, and has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels. Additionally, he has deployed in support of ongoing operations in Central and Southwest Asia as an air expeditionary group commander and later as Director of Mobility Forces. Prior to his current assignment, Major General McDew was the Director of Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. He has been selected for reassignment as Commander, Air Force District of Washington, Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

M AJoR Gene RAL H ARoLD L. “MitcH ” Mitc H e LL

Major General Alfred K. Flowers was commissioned following graduation from Officer Training School in1978. Prior to his current assignment, Major General Flowers was the commander, 2nd Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. He is responsible for planning and directing Air Force budget formulations that total more than $160 billion annually. He leads a staff of civilian and military financial managers who develop, integrate and defend Air Force resource requests to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of Management and Budget, and Congress. He manages and executes funding that supports military operations

Major General Gary T. McCoy was commissioned through Officer Training School in 1976. A career logistics officer, he has served tours at both major command and air staff levels. He has also served as a deputy program manager, a joint duty officer with the Defense Logistics Agency and as an air logistics product director. Major General McCoy was the Director of Logistics Readiness, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support. Since [ ], Maj. Gen. has served as Commander, Air Force Global Logistics Support Center, which executes the air force supply chain by integrating planning and strat-

Deputy Inspector General of the Air Force Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C.

Major General Harold L. Mitchell graduated from South Carolina State University in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He served from 1972 to 1978 with the U.S. Marine Corps, flying the KC-130 Hercules, and joined the Air Force Reserve in 1983 as a reservist assigned to the 728th Airlift Squadron. He later commanded the squadron, and served as a Vice Commander of the 446 Airlift Wing and the 4th Air Force. The General is a command pilot with more than 3,500 flying hours. In his civilian

life, he has more than twenty-five years of experience as a commercial pilot and a Federal Aviation Administration pilot check airman for a major airline. As the Deputy Inspector General of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C., Major General Mitchell assists in the oversight of both the Air Force Inspection Agency and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Gene RAL eDwARD A. Rice J R . Commander, US Forces Japan Commander, 5th Air Force, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

General Edward A. Rice, Jr. graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1978 with a Bachelor’s degree in Science. He has flown over 3,800 flying hours with B-1B, Boeing B-52G/H, E-3, Northrop Grumman B-2, Boeing KC-135, Cessna T-37 and Northrop T-38 as a pilot. General Rice has significant experience in combat, including bomber operations during the first 4 months of Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq as Commander, 28th Air Expeditionary Wing. Additionally, he served as the deputy commander for the joint task force assigned to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the victims of the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. General Rice is currently the Commander of the U. S. Forces Japan. Previously, he served as Vice Commander, Pacific Air Forces; Commander, 13th Air Force; and Commander, Kenney Headquarters.

Lieuten A nt Gene RAL L ARRy o. Spence R Director, Force Structure, Resources, and Assessment, J-8

The Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

Lieutenant General Larry O. Spencer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering Technology from Southern

Illinois University. A career officer with over thirty years of service, he develops capabilities; conducts studies, analysis and assessments; and evaluates plans, programs and strategies for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He serves as the Joint Requirements Oversight Council Secretary and as chairman of the Joint Capabilities Board. Lieutenant General Spencer was honored with the Black Engineer of the Year 2010 Career Achievement in Government Award. A native of Washington, D.C., he works with Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets and participates in career days, recruitment and outreach efforts at a variety of academic institutions.

M

AJoR Gene RAL A LFR e D J.

StewARt

Commander, Air Force Personnel Center Headquarters Air Education and Training Command

Major General Alfred J. Stewart entered the Air Force in 1981 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He served in a variety of KC-135 assignments, including combat crew training school instructor, training program manager and operations officer. He has commanded an air refueling squadron, an operations group and a flying training wing. His staff assignments include tours with U.S. Transportation Command’s Joint Deployment Training Center, and Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe. He is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours in the KC-135A, KC-135R, T-1 and C-17 aircraft. As Commander of the Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, he ensures field commanders at bases around the globe have the right number of skilled people in proper grades and specialties to complete their Air Force missions.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL e ve R ett

H.

tHo MAS

Vice Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

Brigadier General Everett H.

Thomas was commissioned through the ROTC program in 1980 and served in various fields, including missile & space operations and maintenance. His staff assignments include Executive Officer to the Vice Commander of Air Force Space Command. The general has commanded an Air Force station, a space launch squadron, a missile operations group and a space wing. As Vice Commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command, he assists the Commander of Air Force Global Strike in maintaining Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, B-2 and B-52 aircraft. The Strike Command provides combatant commanders with combat ready forces to conduct strategic nuclear deterrence and global strike missions. Prior to his current assignment, he was Commander of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, where he was responsible for sustaining nuclear weapons and weapons systems throughout the Air Force. Brigadier General Thomas also served as Vice Commander, U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, Nellis AFB, Nevada, where he was the Center’s focal point for air, space and information warfare expertise.

An DR ewS

Director, Total

Force

Requirements Division, N12

Office of the Chief of Naval Operations

Navy Captain

Annie B. Andrews was nominated for appointment to the rank of Rear Admiral in May 2011. She was assigned to her current post, Rear Admiral (Select) in September. A career human resources officer, her assignments have been primarily in manpower, personnel, training and education since commissioning via the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. Rear Admiral (Select) Andrews has served as director of the Counseling n Avy

Re AR A DM i RAL Annie B.

and Assistance Center at the Naval Air Station in Iceland; as an officer-in-charge, Navy Personnel Support, U.S. Forces Philippines, Republic of the Philippines; branch head, Deserter Branch and Deserter Apprehension Program in Washington, D.C.; and as Chief, Requirements Branch and Joint Manpower Planner, Manpower and Personnel Directorate Joint Staff. She has also served as Executive Assistant and Naval Aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserves Affairs at the Pentagon, and prior to her current assignment she was a strategic studies group fellow, Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group, Naval War College. Her commanding officer assignments include the Boston Military Entrance Processing Station, the Navy Recruiting District in San Francisco, and the Recruit Training Command, where she led training efforts of over 100,000 sailors and had a major role in the commissioning of the Navy’s immersive simulator trainer, the USS Trayer, also known as Battle Stations 21. RDML Andrews graduated from Savannah State University in1983 with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. She also holds a Master’s degree in Management from Troy State University, a Master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the College of Naval Command and Staff, Naval War College, and is also a graduate of the Joint Forces Staff College and a designated Joint Qualified Officer.

Re AR A DM i RAL cHARLe S k ennetH cARoD ine

Deputy Commander, Navy Warfare Development Command

Admiral Carodine earned a Master of Science degree in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas. In his civilian occupation, Carodine serves as a Director of Enterprise Information Requirements and Data Analysis for Health Care Service Corporation, a Chicago-based consortium of Blue Cross Companies serving Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. He is also a published fiction author. Working under the pen name of Ken Carodine, he writes novels centered on naval personnel and technology in today’s world.

Re AR A DM i RAL JAM e S w. cRAw FoRD iii

Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps

Rear Admiral James W. Crawford III was appointed to his current rank in December 2010. At this time, he was also nominated for appointment as legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.. In July 2011, Rear Admiral Crawford was assigned as Commander, Rule of Law Field Force-Afghanistan. The Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps provides solutions, from a military perspective, to legal issues involving military operations, organization, and personnel, wherever and whenever such solutions are required, with primary focus on operations, accountability, sailor legal readiness, and Navy legal readiness,

ficer for the United Nations Mission in Kuwait and was mobilized in support of Iraqi Freedom in 2003. As a civilian in 2006, he was Corporate Vice President of risk responsibility for Matheson Tri Gas where he had oversight for the safety and health of 3,000 employees. Between October 2008 and October 2009, he was mobilized again as Chief of Biometrics in Iraq. After leaving active duty, he went on to serve as Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management at General Chemical Corporation. Rear Admiral Dixon took up his current post as the Director of the Coalition Naval Advisory and Training Team, Iraq in the fall of 2010. He has held eight command tours including Commanding Officer of Naval Beach Group 2. He earned a Master’s degree in management from the College of Saint Elizabeth and a Master’s of Business Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Re AR A DM i RAL eARL L. G Ay Commander, Navy Recruiting Command

Rear Admiral Charles Kenneth Carodine is a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He affiliated with the Navy Reserve (NR) in 1989 and mobilized in 1990 with NR Carrier Group 770. During combat operations, he served as the Force Over-the-Horizon Track Coordinator for both operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm in USS Ranger in the Arabian Gulf. His command tours include NR Sea lift Logistics; Military Sea lift Command Expeditionary Port Unit 113; and Mine Warfare Command. In 1994, Rear

Re AR A DM i RAL k e Lvin n . Dixon Director,

Coalition Naval Advisory and Training Team, Iraq

Rear Admiral Kelvin Dixon graduated from Prairie View A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1981 and was commissioned through the ROTC. His tours as surface war officer include the USS Preble and the USS LaSalle. In 1991, he participated in Desert Shield and Desert Storm as Operations Of-

Rear Admiral Earl L. Gay is a 1980 graduate of the Naval Academy. He completed flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola in 1981. Rear Admiral Gay assumed his current assignment in 2009. Prior, he served as deputy chairman of the Armed Forces Inauguration Committee from July 2008 until March 2009. He has also served as 86th Commandant of Naval District Washington, and deputy commander, Joint Force Headquarters, National Capital Region. In March 2011, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead announced that Rear Admiral Gay will be assigned as the Commander of Navy Recruiting Command. He recently served as the Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Three and Commander, Amphibious Group Three, San Diego, California. Gay assumed his current assignment as commander, Navy Recruiting Command in August 2011.

Re AR A DM i RAL v incent L. G R i FFitH

Supply Corps, United States Navy Commander, Defense Supply Center Richmond

Commander, Submarine Squadron 6 and later as Commander, Submarine Group 2. Ashore he served as a company officer and later as the Commandant of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Rear Admiral Vincent Griffith graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Berry College in 1981, and was commissioned through Officer Candidate School in 1982 as Ensign in the Navy Supply Corps. His sea assignments include USS Saratoga as a stock control, financial/budget officer and as an automated data processing officer. Aboard USS Stonewall Jackson and USS John C. Stennis, he served as supply officer. Ashore, his tours include the Naval Supply Center, Defense Logistics Agency, Naval Inventory Control Point, and Naval Air Forces. Rear Admiral Griffith’s most recent assignment was as a force supply officer at Naval Air Forces. He earned an M.B.A. at George Washington University, and completed Emory University’s Goizueta Graduate School of Managements Advanced Executive Business Program and the Navy Corporate Business Course at University of Virginia, Darden School of Business.

Re AR A DM i RAL B R uce eSte S G Roo MS

Vice Director, Joint Staff

Rear Admiral Bruce Estes Grooms graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. Following completion of nuclear power training, he served in every capacity aboard a variety of submarines. He also earned a Master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and he attended Stanford University as National Security Affairs Fellow. Rear Admiral Grooms’ command tours include Commanding Officer of the USS Asheville. He subsequently served as

v ice A DM i RAL c eci L D. H A ney Deputy Commander of the United States Strategic Command

Vice Admiral Cecil D. Haney has been tapped for promotion and reassignment as the 60th Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the second African American in Navy history to reach four star rank. A 1978 Ocean Engineering graduate of the Naval Academy, he completed operational assignments in various divisions before gaining surface warfare qualifications while he was serving as a radiological controls officer. He headed a submarine squadron based out of Pearl Harbor and then commanded the Submarine Squadron One from June 2002 to July 2004, and Submarine Group Two from October 2006 to March 2008. His shore duty tours include serving as administrative assistant for enlisted affairs at naval reactors, and as Congressional Appropriations Liaison Officer for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Comptroller); Deputy Chief of Staff of Plans, Policies and Requirements, U.S. Pacific Fleet and director, Submarine Warfare Division and director, Naval Warfare Integration Group. In November 2010, he took up his current post as Deputy Commander of the United States Strategic Command. Haney earned two Master’s degrees in Engineering Acoustics and System Technology from the Naval Post Graduate School, as well as a Master’s degree in National Security Strategy from the National Defense University.

Re AR A DM i RAL Sinc LA i R M. H ARR i S Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 5 Commander, Task Forces 51/59

Rear Admiral Sinclair M. Harris is a 1981 graduate of James Madison University where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. His earliest assign-

ments include tours at sea. He commanded the USS Comstock during the war in Afghanistan and Amphibious Squadron 4/Iwo Jima Strike Group during 2005 disaster relief operations. Ashore, Harris’ assignments include tours at the Institute for National Strategic Studies in the National Defense University, the Navy Staff in the Assessment Division, and Joint Chiefs of Staff (J-5) Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate. Rear Admiral Harris earned a Master of Science degree in Operations Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1989 and is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Va. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in Defense and Strategic Studies from the University of Madras, India’s Defense Services Staff College in Tamilnadu, India.

Re AR A DM i RAL noRMA n R. H Aye S Director of the Intelligence Headquarters, United States European Command (J-2)

Rear Admiral Norman R. Hayes was commissioned in 1982 as a naval intelligence officer and went on to serve as fleet ocean surveillance and information facility watch officer. Over the period 1989-1991, he was a member of staff with the Naval Intelligence based in the Pentagon. He returned to sea with Carrier Group 1 as the Assistant Intelligence Officer in 1991, and his follow on tour was as a junior intelligence officer and intelligence community placement officer. After receiving a Master’s degree at the Command and Staff College, he was appointed Chief of the Analysis Division, Special Operations Command. In his current position as the Director of Intelligence Headquarters, United States European Command, he is responsible for all intelligence systems, plans, policies and intelligence activities of U.S. Forces in Europe. Rear Admiral Hayes has served as a Commander of the Center

for Naval Intelligence and the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center. In 2008, he was Director of the National Security Operations Center at the National Security Agency. Hayes worked in the private sector for five years after he graduated from Indiana University.

Re AR A DM i RAL MicH e LLe HowARD

Chief of Staff to the Director for Strategic Plans and Policy, J-5, Joint Staff

Rear Admiral Michelle Howard graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982. Her initial sea tour was aboard the USS Hunley. While serving on the USS Lexington, she received the 1987 Secretary of the Navy/Navy League Winifred Collins Award— given to a female officer for outstanding leadership. By 1990, she was a chief engineer on USS Mount Hood and she served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 1992, she was First Lieutenant on board USS Flint and she became Executive Officer of the USS Tortuga in 1996, deploying in support of peacekeeping efforts in the former Yugoslavia. Two months after she returned from that deployment, the USS Tortuga left for a training cruise, where the sailors, with a U.S. Marine and Coast Guard detachment, operated with the Naval services of seven West African nations. Rear Admiral Howard took command of USS Rushmore in March 1999, becoming the first African American woman to command a ship in the U.S. Navy.

Re AR A DM i RAL

sentative in Guam. In July 2011, he took up his current post. Prior, he served as Commander of the Naval Safety Center between 2007 and 2011. Prior, he commanded both patrol and reconnaissance forces of the 5th Fleet, the Patrol and Reconnaissance Forces 7th Fleet, and Fleet Air Western Pacific. He has completed command tours at Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, where he commanded the “Golden Swordsmen” of Patrol Squadron 47, and at Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine, as commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Five. He also served as the assistant deputy director for Politico-Military Affairs-Asia in the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate of the Joint Staff.

Re AR A DM i RAL w i

LLie MettS

Deputy Chief of Tailored Access Operations, National Security Agency

Navy Information Operations Command, Hawaii. Following that, he joined the Navy Personnel Command in 2008.

Re AR A DM i RAL Fe R n A n D ez L. “FRA nk” pon DS Commander, Navy Region Hawaii, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific

A

RtH u R J. Jo H n S on Director, Assessment Division Office of the Chief of Naval Operations

Rear Admiral Arthur J. Johnson’s first flag assignment was as Commander of the United States Naval Forces Marianas, and as the U.S. Pacific Command Repre-

Rear Admiral Willie Metts was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral on July 1st 2011. He took up his current position as Deputy Chief of Tailored Access Operations, National Security Agency in August. Prior, he served as Director of Intelligence at Cyber Command. Rear Admiral Metts graduated from Savannah State University in 1985 with a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering Technology and was commissioned via the Naval ROTC. Following commissioning, he completed deployments to the Mediterranean and Red Seas during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In [ ], he earned a Master’s degree in Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence at the Naval Postgraduate School. As a cryptologist (now Information Warfare) in 1993, he transferred to Naval Security Group Command and served as Operations Director. In 1997, he joined the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station before fleeting up to Executive Officer. In 1999, he was assigned to the staff of Carrier Group 2 as a Cryptology Coordinator. In 2001, he joined the Pacific Command in Hawaii, where he later served as Special Assistant to the Commander, Pacific Fleet and in July 2006 served as Commanding Officer,

Rear Admiral Fernandez L. Frank Ponds was assigned to take up his current post as Commander of Navy Region Hawaii, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific in November 2011. Prior, he was a senior fellow on the 2010 Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Science from University of Alabama in 1982, he was commissioned from Officer Candidate School in June 1983. His shore assignments have included Inspector for Pacific Fleet’s Propulsion Examination Board; Inspector in the Office of the Navy Inspector General; a Senior Naval Advisor in the Bureau of Political Military Affairs at the U.S. Department of State during the 2005 earthquake relief operations in Pakistan, the 2006 Lebanon Non-combatant Evacuation Operation, and Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief. Rear Adm. Ponds commanded Amphibious Squadron Eight from November of 2007 to May 2009, operating in four fleet areas of operation in Iraq; counter piracy operations; and Sea Angel II (Bangladesh Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief). He also served as a Mission Commander for the Haiti HA/DR Operation 2008. He holds a Master’s degree in Information Systems Technology from the George Washington University, another Master’s degree in Military Studies from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and a Master’s degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College, National Defense University.

Re AR A DM i RAL k evin D. Scott Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2

Rear Admiral Kevin D. Scott assumed his current duties as Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2 in July 2010. He was designated a Naval Aviator in 1984.Prior to his current assign-

ment, Rear Admiral Scott previously commanded Helicopter Mine Counter Measures Squadron (HM) 14, which under his command was awarded the Commander Naval Air Force Atlantic Fleet Battle “E” Efficiency Award for 2001. He also commanded Mine Countermeasures Squadron One as Commodore. His operational sea, flight deck officer aboard USS Inchon; and HM-14 Admin Afficer, Operations Officer and Detachment Officer in charge. Ashore, he served as Air Combat placement officer, Bureau of Naval Personnel; Wing Operations Officer; Commander of the Tactical Wing Atlantic; Military Aide to the Vice President (1997-1999); Operations Chief and Division Chief, Joint Forces Command; and Acting Director, Expeditionary Warfare Division, Washington DC. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, the Naval Postgraduate School, U.S. Naval War College, and the Joint Forces Staff College. He holds a Masters of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.

124. He was the first black officer to command a TACAMO squadron and air wing. His shore tours include the Bureau of Naval Personnel, Naval Training Support Unit, U.S. Strategic Command, and Officer of the Chief of Naval Operations. He is currently assigned to the Office of the Secretary of the Navy as the Senior Military Assistant.

Re AR A DM i RAL JoH n w. S M itH , J R .

Deputy Director, Joint Inter agency Task Force South

infantry officer. In June 2011, he received the colors of the Ist Marine Division during a change of command ceremony, assuming the command of the more than 22,000-troop force of the First Marine Division. He is the first black officer to lead the Marine Corps’ oldest and most decorated combat unit.

Re AR A DM i RAL DwiGHt D. S H epH e RD

Senior Military Assistant, Office of the Secretary of the Navy

Navy Captain Dwight D. Shepherd was nominated for appointment to the rank of Rear Admiral (lower half) in May 2011. Rear Adm. (Select) Shepherd is currently serving as Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1983, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and was commissioned an ensign in June 1984. In July 1985, he earned his Naval Flight Officer wings. He also earned his Master’s degree in National Resource Strategy in 2006 from the Industrial College of Armed Forces. His command tours include Fleet Air Reconnaissance 3, the Navy’s largest aviation squadron, and the Strategic Communications Wing 1 and Task Force

Rear Admiral John W. Smith, Jr. entered the Navy in 1982 and was designated a Naval Aviator in 1984. Smith’s operational assignments include flying the SH-3H Sea King with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 3. Next, he was assigned to the Helicopter AntiSubmarine Squadron aboard USS Ford. Deployments with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 4 aboard USS Kitty Hawk followed. He later commanded Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 11. His most recent operational assignment was as Commander, Helicopter Sea Combat Wing, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Ashore, he served as the Deputy Director of Equal Opportunity in Washington, DC, and Head Aviation Commander Helicopter Detailer, Bureau of Naval Personnel. In 2005, he was selected to be Joint Force Maritime Air Component Commander for Joint Task Force Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2008, he assumed command of Joint CREW Composite Squadron 1 in Iraq. There, he was responsible for combat readiness of Counter Radio Controlled IED Electronic Warfare systems. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from South Carolina State College and a Master’s degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

M AJoR Gene RAL

Ron ALD L. BA i Ley Commanding General, First Marine Division

Major General Ronald Bailey is an

Over his thirty-year-plus career, he has served as a company commander, chief of professional military education, a plans officer at the J-5, Headquarters U.S. European Command, and a ground lieutenant colonel’s monitor. After graduating from Austin Peay State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps that July and went on to serve as an infantry officer. He earned a master’s in business management and administration from Webster University and attended National War College where he earned his second master’s degree in national security strategy.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL cRA iG c. cR en SHAw

Commanding General, 3rd Marine Logistics Group

III Marine Expeditionary Force

Brigadier General Craig C. Crenshaw was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1984 through the NROTC Scholarship Program. He began his career as a logistics officer with 3rd Force Service Support Group, Okinawa, Japan. He also served as platoon commander, maintenance management officer and assistant logistics officer. In 1986, he was reassigned to Marine Corps Recruit Depot where he served as series commander and battalion operations officer. In 1989, he was assigned to 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California where he served as assistant logistics officer and then as maintenance

u.S. M AR ine coR pS

management officer. While assigned to 1st Marine Regiment, he deployed in support of operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. In 1992, he was assigned to the Program Executive Office for Cruise Missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. He also served as the Marine Corps integrated logistics support manager and deputy director, Joint Logistics Program, Joint Logistics Directorate. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Southern University, Baton Rouge; a Master of Arts degree in Procurement and Acquisitions Management from Webster University, and another master's degree in national resource strategy from National Defense University.

Lieuten A nt Gene RAL wALte R

e . G AS kin, S R .

Deputy Chairman, NATO Military Committee

Brussels, Belgium

Science, and also earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma in 1992. He completed the Senior Executive Seminar from the JFK School of Government, Harvard University in 2002. His professional military education includes The Basic School and Amphibious Warfare School (1982–83), the Army Command and Staff College, (1986–1987); Army War College, (1993–1994); and the Combined/ Joint Force Land Component Command Course, Carlisle Barracks, (2009).

M AJoR Gene RAL AntHony L. JAckS on Commanding General, Marine Corps Installations West

Lieutenant General Walter Gaskin is the deputy chairman of the North Atlanta Treaty Organization Military Committee at Brussels, Belgium. Lt. Gen. Gaskin served as the commanding general of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, NC from June 2006 until July 2008. In addition to this role, he simultaneously served as the commanding General of II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). During this tour, Gaskin led II MEF (FWD) during its year-long deployment to Al Anbar Province, Iraq as the commanding general of Multinational Forces-West. His previous assignments as a general officer include service as the vice director of The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. from July 2008 until May 2009 and as the commanding general of Marine Corps Recruiting Command beginning in September 2002. Additionally, he served as chief of staff, Naval Striking and Support Forces-Southern Europe and deputy commanding general, Fleet Marine Forces-Europe in Naples, Italy from 2002 to 2004. Gaskin’s first assignment as a general officer was as the commanding general, Training and Education Command in Quantico in March 2000. He is a 1974 graduate from Savannah State University’s NROTC Program with a Bachelor of

Major General Anthony L. Jackson earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in History from San Jose State in 1971 and 1973, respectively. In 1975, Jackson enlisted in the Marines to attend Officer Candidate School and began a steady rise up the ranks, completing assignments throughout the United States. He is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College and the U.S. Army War College. His many assignments have included Assistant Chief of Staff , First Marine Force, deployed in support of Iraqi Freedom II; Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Marine Forces, Central Command; and Director of Operations and Logistics, U.S. Africa Command, based in Stuttgart, Germany. Major General Jackson has served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 35 years and is among the highest ranking African Americans in this branch of the armed forces. In his current post as Commanding General, Marine Corps Installations West, he oversees western bases where Marines train for advanced combat operations. Jackson completed both the Amphibious Warfare School and the Marine Corps Command and Staff College by correspondence.

Brigadier General Vincent Stewart received his baccalaureate degree from Western Illinois University where he majored in history in 1981. After his commission, some of his principal command tours included: tank platoon leader with Company A, 1st Tank; executive officer, 1st Tank Battalion, and company commander with Company E, Marine Support Battalion, Japan. He also served as commanding officer, 1st Intelligence Battalion and commanding officer, Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. Staff assignments include: project officer, assistant signals intelligence officer, intelligence officer, and chief, Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force; as well as senior intelligence planner, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, and as assistant chief of staff, Intelligence, Marine Corps Forces Command, and more recently assistant chief of staff, Intelligence, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, (2008-2009). He earned master’s degrees in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College and in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University.

B R iGADie R Gene RAL v incent R. StewARt USMC Director of Intelligence Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps

B R iGADie R Gene RAL

cRA iG q . ti MB e RLA ke

Deputy Commanding General, III Marine Expeditionary Force; and Commanding General, 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade

Brigadier General Craig Q. Timberlake enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 1977 and was meritoriously promoted to staff sergeant in January 1982. Two years later, he was commissioned through the Enlisted Commissioning Program in August 1984. He was nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general January 2011. and is currently serving as deputy commanding general, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. Brigadier General Tim-

berlake’s assignments in the operating forces include: platoon commander and company executive officer, 2d Battalion, 6th Marines; company commander, operations officer 1st Battalion, 1st Marines; regimental operations officer, 1st Marines and inspector and instructor, 23d Marines. His assignments in the supporting establishment include: platoon commander and company commander. Headquarters and staff assignments include: action officer, Manpower Equal Opportunity Branch; and plans officer and deputy J54, U.S. Pacific Command. Brigadier General Timberlake’s military education includes: Amphibious Warfare School, Command and Staff College, and the Naval War College. He has also earned a master’s degree in military studies and a Master of Arts, National Security and Strategic Studies.

Lieuten A nt Gene

RAL w i LLie J. w i LLi AMS Director, Marine Corps Staff

June 2001 to September 2003. From 2003 to 2005, he served as assistant deputy commandant, Installations and Logistics, prior to taking command of Marine Corps Logistics Command June 2005 to June 2009 when Lt. Gen. Williams was selected for his current position. He earned a a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a Master of Arts also in business administration from National University and a master’s degree in strategic resources management from the National Defense University.

Project Engineer at Civil Engineering Unit Miami; Deputy Group Commander, Group Mayport; Engineering Assignment Officer in the Officer Personnel Division at Coast Guard Headquarters; Facilities Engineer at Support Center Alameda; and Assistant Chief, Civil Engineering Division at Maintenance and Logistics Command Pacific. In 1994, VADM Brown was honored as the first recipient of the Coast Guard’s Captain John G. Witherspoon Award for Inspirational Leadership. Off duty, he is an active road cyclist.

Commander, Pacific Area and Commander, Coast Guard Defense Force West United States Coast Guard

e A n

Director of Operations, Joint Forces Command, Naples Italy

Willie Williams was commissioned in the Marine Corps in 1974 and began his thirty-seven career with the 11th Marine Artillery Regiment, serving first as battalion supply officer and then as a regimental supply officer/assistant S4 officer. He also served as a ship’s detachment supply officer, Pacific Ocean Area, barracks executive officer, platoon commander, and as logistics officer. After completing Armed Forces Staff College, he was assigned to joint duty with the Department of Defense Inspector General’s Office in January 1990. In 1993/94 he attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Following graduation, he assumed command of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Service Support from September 1994 to September 1996. In June 1997 he left Okinawa for duty with the 1st Force Service Support Group initially as the assistant chief of staff, and in 1998 as the commanding officer of Brigade Service Support Group 1. He returned to Okinawa, Japan during July 2000 as the commanding general, Marine Corps Base, and as the commanding general, 3rd Force Service Support Group from

Vice Admiral Manson K. Brown is a 1978 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He also holds two Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering, from University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and Master’s degree in National Resources Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He is a registered professional civil engineer.

Vice Admiral Brown’s commands include 14th Coast Guard District, Maintenance and Logistics Command Pacific, Sector Honolulu, and Group Charleston. From 1999 to 2002, he served as Military Assistant to the Secretary of Transportation, including duty as the Acting Deputy Chief of Staff for six months after the terrorist attacks of September 11. In 2003, he was assigned as Chief of Officer Personnel Management at the Coast Guard Personnel Command. He was temporarily assigned, from April to July 2004, as Senior Advisor for Transportation to the Coalition Provisional Authority. Working in a combat zone, he oversaw the restoration of Iraq’s transportation systems, including two major ports.

Previous tours of duty include serving as an Assistant Engineering Officer aboard the icebreaker Glacier;

Major General Garry C. Dean was recently selected for assignment as Director of Operations, Joint Forces Command, Naples, Italy.

General Dean was commissioned in 1978 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a degree in Computer Science. Upon completion of undergraduate pilot training, he served as a T-38 instructor pilot and was selected as Air Education and Training Command’s Instructor Pilot of the Year. A distinguished graduate of fighter lead-in training, he completed F-15 upgrade training in December 1983 and was assigned to the 12th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan. In 1987, he joined the Georgia Air National Guard, serving as an F-15 flight instructor and mission commander. He transferred to the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Fighter Wing in 1990, serving in a variety of assignments including F-15 mission commander, flight examiner, instructor pilot and Chief of Safety. He has commanded the 142nd Aircraft Generation Squadron and 123rd Fighter Squadron, and served as the wing’s vice commander. He took full command of the 142nd FW in January 2001. In November 2003, he moved to the Oregon Joint Force Headquarters -

v ice A DM i RAL M A n S on k . B Rown

MAJoR G ene RAL GARRy c. D

coASt G uARD

A i R n Ation AL G uARD

Air Component, Salem, where he has served as State Director of Operations and Assistant Adjutant General for Air.

BR iGADie R G ene RAL wAyne A. w R iGHt

Director, Joint Staff, Virginia Joint Force Headquarters

Brigadier

General Wayne A. Wright is Director, Joint Staff, Virginia Joint Force Headquarters, Richmond, Virginia. General Wright entered the United States Air Force and received his commission in 1981 after graduating from the University of South Carolina. He graduated in 1980 from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in History and in 1990 received a Master of Science in International Relations from Troy State University, AL. He transitioned from active duty to the Georgia Air National Guard in 1992. General Wright has held various leadership and command positions at the squadron, wing, and headquarters level. His assignments involved operations, formal training of United States Air Force, and allied Command and Control personnel.

BR iGADie R G ene RAL ALLyS on R. S oLo M on, Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Maryland National Guard

Brigadier

General Allyson R. Solomon is Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Maryland National Guard, Baltimore, Maryland. She is also dual-hatted as A-1, Assistant to the Director, Air National Guard. As Assistant Adjutant General - Air, she serves as the principal advisor to both the Governor and the Adjutant General of Maryland on matters pertaining to the Maryland Air National Guard.

BR iGADie R G ene RAL kenny R icket

Director, Joint Staff - District of Columbia

Brigadier General Kenny Ricket was selected as the Director, Joint Staff - Joint Force Headquarters, District of Columbia National Guard, on 27 February 2009. He is responsible for overseeing and managing the development, execution and evaluation of joint staff programs and policies pertaining to the command, control and operation of Joint functions within the District of Columbia Army and Air National Guard.

MAJoR G ene RAL D e Li LAH R. woR kS

Chief of Staff, Tennessee Air National Guard

BR iGADie R G ene RAL RoB e Rt

L. SHA nnon , JR.

Vice Commander/Chief of Staff, Georgia National Guard

Brigadier General Robert L. Shannon is the Vice Commander/ Chief of Staff for the Georgia Air National Guard. He reports directly to Major General Thomas R. Moore, Commander Georgia Air National Guard. He assists the Commander in providing oversight and supervision of the Headquarters Georgia Air National Guard staff, and command of the 2,900 Georgia Air Guard members serving in two flying wings, six geographically separated units, and a Combat Readiness Training Center. Additionally, he oversees the Georgia Air National Guard’s Strategic Planning and Initiatives. He previously served as the Director of the Joint Staff for Joint Forces HeadquartersGeorgia.

Major General Delilah R. Works is the Chief of Staff, Tennessee Air National Guard, Nashville, Tennessee. General Works is responsible for organizing, training and equipping of approximately 3600 Air National Guardsmen in Tennessee’s three flying wings (C-5A, KC-135R, and C-130H) and three mission support units. She serves as principal advisor to the Assistant Adjutant General-Air, Tennessee on matters pertaining to the Tennessee Air National Guard and also serves as the Deputy Joint Chief of Staff, Joint Force Headquarters - Tennessee.

MAJoR G ene RAL JA nnette youn G

Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, Air Education and Training Command

Major General Jannette Young serves as the Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander, Air Education Training Command. General Young is responsible for advising and assisting the Commander and staff on formulating, developing, and coordinating policies and programs impacting more than 106,000 Air National Guard members. She ensures mission requirements of the 88 Flying Wings and 88 Support Units are considered in the planning and execution phases of the Air Education Training Command.

General Young received her commission through a direct commission for health professionals in February 1984 in the United States Army Reserves, transferring to the Air National Guard in 1988.

ThE SENiOr ExECuTivE SErviCE

The Senior Executive Service is a corps of more than 6000 men and women who administer public programs at top levels of the federal government. They serve in key positions just below presidential appointees, forming a link between these appointees and the rest of the federal workforce.

Senior Executive Service (SES) members operate and oversee every government activity in about 75 federal agencies such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Information Systems Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Missile Defense Agency, National Geo spatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.

SES executives manage many of the federal government’s important programs in national security and defense; science and technology; agriculture; the environment; and, information technology.

Selection to the SES is based on qualifications and criteria set by the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The OPM helps make sure the government selects strong leaders by developing the core qualifications used to test new career appointees to the SES and by administering peer review boards which evaluate whether candidates possess essential leadership qualifications. Typically, the federal government requires five executive core qualifications statements for SES positions: Leading Change, Leading People, Results Driven, Business Acumen, and Building Coalitions/Communications

The SES was established by Title IV of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 and became effective on July 13, 1979. The Act envisioned a service whose members have shared values, a broad

perspective of government, and solid executive skills. The SES’s purpose was to “ensure the executive management of the Government of the United States is responsive to the needs, policies, and goals of the nation and otherwise is of the highest quality.”

To achieve this, the reform act gave greater authority to agencies to manage executive resources and assigned OPM responsibility for federal leadership, direction, and oversight. The act replaced over sixty executive personnel authorities covering from one to several thousand positions. Top management jobs that had been subject to disparate rules and practices, with requirements for prior approval of almost every personnel action, were joined into a unified and distinct personnel system that provided for considerable agency authority and flexibility.

In 1980, the Senior Executives Association (SEA) was founded as a tax exempt, non-profit corporation representing the interests of men and women in the senior executive service. Over the last decade, SEA’s involvement on policy issues affecting the SES has been instrumental in raising the profile of Senior Executives and driving the conversation in Congress on SES policies. Through outreach and education efforts to congress and the administration, SEA has a significant voice in policy discussions that cover a range of issues, including pay reform, diversity in the SES, hiring reform, and career leadership issues.

The SEA promotes ethical and dynamic public service by fostering an outstanding career executive corps, advocates the interests of career federal executives in the senior executive service (both active and retired), and provides information and services to SEA members.

SEA has chapters across the country in all federal regions, as well as in departments and agencies in Washington, D.C. The association en-

Top Blacks in the Department of Defense Senior Executive Service

ARM y

M R . JAM e S c. A B ney

Director, G-9, Family and Morale Welfare & Recreational Programs, Installation Management Command

M R . JAy D. A Ronowitz

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Force Management, Manpower & Resources) Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army

M R . tH eoDoR e A. ( tAB ) B Rown

Chief of Planning & Policy Division Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

M R . JAM e S c. DALton, p. e . Chief of Engineering and Construction U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.

M S . Joyce FRA nce

Director, CIO Management Services Defense Department

M S . w. cHR i S Hinton-Lee, A i A

Chief Architect and Regional Business Director, South Atlantic Division

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Atlanta, Georgia

M R . Mitc H e LL A. Howe LL

Deputy Director, Rapid Acquisition and Technology Joint Improved Explosive Device Defeat Organization, Arlington, VA

M R . Ron ALD M. Joe

Acting Director, Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity, Department of Defense

M R . cLAR ence A, Jo H n S on

Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, Diversity and Leadership

M R . to MM y L. M AR kS

Executive Director, Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, US Army Sustainment Command

M R . RoB e Rt L. Moo R e

Deputy to the Commanding General U.S. Army Security Assistant Command

D R . DAvi D Mu SS in Gton Director for Surface Transportation Security Policy at The National Security Council, the White House

M R . LevAto R noRSwoRtH y J R .

Deputy General Counsel (Acquisition) Office of the General Counsel, Washington, D.C.

M S . tRAcey L. pin S on Director, Office of Small Business Programs Office of the Secretary of the Army

M R . pAu L B. Ru FFin

Senior Research Physicist (Micro Sensors & Systems), US Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development & Engineering Center, Redstone Arsenal, AL.

M R . eRRoL R. Sc H wARtz

Director District of Columbia National Guard Office of the Secretary of the Army, Washington, D.C.

M R . L ARRy Stu BBLe Fie LD

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Diversity and Leadership, Assistant Secretary of the Army, Manpower & Reserve Affairs

M R . A Lvin tHoR nton

Director Engineering Directorate, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aberdeen, MD

M R . Mic HA e L k . w i LLi AMS

Deputy to the Commander, Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command nAvy

M R . Ronnie J. BootH

Assistant Auditor General, Installation and Environment Audits, Naval Audit Service

M R . eLLiott B. B RA nc H

Executive Director, Acquisition and Logistics Management

Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition)

M S . An DR e A e . B RotH e Rton

Deputy Navy Inspector General Office of the Navy Inspector General

M R . L ARRy e . Douc HA n D

Assistant Commander for Environmental Programs Naval Facilities Engineering Command

M S . Ste FFA nie B. eASte R

Assistant Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower & Personnel)

Office of the Chief of Naval Operations

M R . v icto R S. G Avin

Executive Director, Program Executive Office-Littoral Mine Warfare

Naval Sea Systems Command

M S . JA nice H A itH

Assessment and Compliance Division Director Office of the Chief of Naval Operations

M R . L ARRy e . Ho LLin GSwoRtH

National Director of AIR-4.5 Avionics Department Naval Air Systems Command

M S . JoA n t. HuGH e S

Director, Operations Directorate Office of the Department of the Navy Assistant for Administration

M R . Je SS e w. Mccu RDy, J R .

Deputy Assistant Commander, Research and Engineering, Naval Air Systems Command

M R . M AR k D. Ri DLey

Deputy Director, Naval Criminal Investigative Services

M S . e i Leen RoB e RS on Director, Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force and Special Mission

Military Sealift Command

M R . A RtH u R Scott

Assistant Auditor General for Research, Development, Acquisition and Logistic Audits Naval Audit Service

M R . B R uce A. S HAR p

Director, Program Analysis and Business Transformation

Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, (RD&A)

M R . tH eoDoR e S HoRt

Comptroller

Naval Air Systems Command

D R . Ron ALD e . S M i Ley

Director Electronic Warfare/Combat Systems Dir. Avionics Department Naval Air Systems Command

M R . Ji MM y D. S M itH

Director, Above Water Sensors Directorate Naval Sea Systems Command

M S . S HARon H. S M oot

Assistant Deputy Commander for Industrial Operations, Naval Sea Systems Command

Ai R FoRce

M S . eSSye B. Mi LLe R

Director, Headquarters Air Force Information Management

Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force

D R . JARR i S L. tAy LoR J R .

Deputy Assistant secretary, Strategic Diversity Integration Air Force

M R . tH eoDoR e J. w i LLi AMS

Auditor General of the Air Force

coASt GuARD

M S . te RR i A. Dicke RS on Director of Civil Rights U.S. Coast Guard

M R . cu Rti S B. oDo M

Director of Personnel Management Coast Guard Headquarters

M i SS i Le De Fen S e AG ency

M R . Jo H n H. JAM e S J R .

Executive Director, Missile Defense Agency

ThE SENiOr ExECuTivE SErviCE continues

gages in active lobbying with Congress and executive branch officials, and joins with others of similar interests.

In 2001, the Office of Personnel Management published its annual report to Congress on its Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program (FEORP). The 2000 FEORP report showed that although minority employment in the federal workforce increased, and that the federal government continued to be a leader in providing employment opportunities to minorities, there were recruiting barriers to professional development among minority groups.

By February 2002, four AfricanAmerican members of the SES—William Brown Sr., Tracey Pinson, Dr. Lenora Gant, and William Lewis— founded a new tax exempt, non-profit professional association to promote the professional development and advancement of African Americans into, and, within, the senior levels of the United States government. Since 2002, more than three hundred federal employees have joined the African American Federal Executives Association Incorporated (AAFEA) and eighteen members have been promoted into the Senior Executive Service.

The AAFEA has trained more than 1200 federal employees at eight workshops and has forged alliances with the National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives, the Asian American Government Executives Network, and both the Federally Employed Women and Blacks in Government organizations. AAFEA has also commented on pending legislation affecting senior executives and served on several agency boards and panels promoting diversity in the SES.

The AAFEA President, William A. Brown Sr., has testified three times before Congress on inadequate minority representation in the SES corps. This resulted in introduction of the “SES Diversity Assurance Bill,” which if passed will alter the selection process for members of the SES and should result in the selection of a greater number of minorities.

Diversity in the Senior executive Service

A Department of Defense (DOD) concept paper, published in November 2006, announced that the DOD had 1,248 Senior Executive Service positions. Of the 6,811 career and politically-appointed SES members in the government, the average age among DOD executives was 54.4 years with 22.5 years service.

Twenty percent of Department of Defense SES members were women and eight percent were minorities.

The Department of Defense concept paper also said that under representation of black SES members in the department was the greatest at three percent, compared to federal SES representation at 7.09 percent. Numbers broke down as follows for Hispanic SES members (DOD - 2 percent, federal 3.43 percent); Asia Pacific-Islanders (DOD - 2 percent; federal 3.17 percent) and Native American/Alaskan Native (DOD 1 percent; federal.78 percent).

In 2004, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) notified hundreds of organizations representing middle managers, minorities, veterans, people with disabilities, and others that applications for the Senior Executive Service Federal Candidate Development Program (FCDP) were being accepted starting November 15 of that year.

Earlier in 2004, then Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Kay Coles James, met with representatives from the nation’s historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving colleges and universities, and diverse employee and service organizations for a briefing. During these meetings James stressed the value of the FCDP to men and women who planed ambitious careers in federal public service. At that time, roughly ninety percent of the Senior Executive Service (SES) was white.

By December 2004, the OPM had received almost 5,000 applications for consideration for forty slots in the SES FCDP. The OPM also reported that nearly sixty percent of the federal career SES corps was eligible to retire within five years. One organization, dedicated to the revitalization of public service, had noted that forty-two percent of federal SES leaders would be eligible to retire by 2010. Though prospective, those figures represented the loss of a sizable portion of the government’s senior leadership cadre and an opportunity for the senior ranks of government to mirror the U.S. population.

Seven years later much still needs to be done to achieve this goal.

Many agencies now have their own OPM-approved SES Candidate Development Programs designed to develop the executive qualifications of employees to qualify them for appointment to the SES. These programs range from 12 - 24 months and are open to GS-14s/15s (government pay schedules) or employees at equivalent levels from within or outside the federal government. Each agency decides how large its program will be based on its executive needs.

Recognizing that the federal system hasn’t fully achieved its vision of diverse federal executive leadership, a cross-agency initiative was launched in May 2010 to strengthen the SES corps through leadership engagement, career development, performance management, and recruitment. The project was structured in three working groups, comprising more than 50 people from 19 agencies, that analyzed key issues, evaluated potential improvements, and identified a set of recommendations to benefit the SES corps.

On August 18, 2011, President Obama issued an executive order establishing a coordinated initiative to promote diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce.

According to the African American Federal Executives Association (AAFEA) national president, William A. Brown Sr., “this initiative by the President was a call to arms for federal agencies to get serious about diversifying the highest ranks of government.” The executive order creates a framework that will look to a council of deputy agency chiefs. Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission plan to create a government-wide plan within 90 days of August 18, 2011; and each agency must present its own specific diversity plan within 120 days. Efforts must reflect initiatives on recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, and retaining a diverse workforce.

A Blacks in Government (BIG) newsletter called the long-awaited executive order “the highest-profile response to the problem.” Speaking at BIG’s national training conference in August 2011, the federal government’s chief people person, John Berry, Director of the OPM since 2009, cited the agency’s accomplishments with bringing in veterans and people with disabilities, speeding the hiring process and simplifying recruitment. Still, Berry added, getting minorities into SES positions is an area that needs progress. “We’ve come a long way in the last few decades,” he said, “but we still have mountains to climb. “Although minorities comprise 34 percent of our diverse federal workforce, they’re just 18 percent of our SES. That’s unacceptable. We can do better.” Whites currently hold more than 81 percent of senior pay level positions.

EDUCATION

Information is our most powerful resource, whether we receive it via the printed page, a computer screen, or from a dedicated teacher. In this section, we look at the trends and developments that are expanding STEM education.

Book Review

VERNiCE ‘fLYgiRL’ aRMOuR ENCOuRagES REaDERS TO fiND STRENgTh wiThiN

Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour believes a “breakthrough” exists in all of us.

The question is getting there—and how.

In her April 2011 motivational book, “Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step BattleTested Method for Accomplishing Goals That Matter” published by Gotham Books, Armour lays down a gauntlet of ideas, challenges and inspirations for those who need that added “umph” to get their lives and careers jumpstarted.

Armour seeks to engage those mired in procrastination, dare those unwilling to exploit their fears, and commend those unafraid of confronting their obstacles—all in a handy, easily understandable seven-step approach in which she outlines a formula for self-discipline, focus, execution and, ultimately, success.

With humor and energy, Armour tells her story way she knows best—through a backdrop of her own experiences. Her own personal story, indeed, is remarkable: decorated naval aviator, motorcycle police officer, professional women’s football player, inspirational speaker.

Armour fills her book with poignant advice based on what has worked in her life, stirring anecdotes from her adventures in the Iraqi War Theater, and practical strategies for creating and leveraging opportunities. Whether the reader is focused on business, career, family or school, Armour seems to find a tidbit of knowledge to impart for virtually any situation. No matter who you are, Armour prescribes a flight plan, and, she encourages people not to be afraid to act on it.

For instance, Armour’s childhood dream was to become a police officer. She did, becoming the first African-American woman to join the motorcycle squad with the Nashville, Tenn., police department, and the first African-American woman officer in Tempe, Ariz. Armour wanted to serve her country as a pilot. She did that, too, becoming an offi-

cer in the Marine Corps and America’s first African-American woman helicopter combat pilot, completing two tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Among other accomplishments, Armour managed to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at Middle Tennessee State University. When stationed at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base in California, was named Female Athlete of the Year and Strongest Warrior winner.

Armour’s story is one of not being derailed by life’s impediments. In one of the many personal stories she recounts in her book, Armour describes almost not making it to Nashville to enter the police academy. Living in Columbus, Ohio, and working as a personal trainer, she got word of her academy test date—one day before the test.

“It’s six o’clock. I haven’t eaten dinner. My old clunker won’t make the six-hour trip. I have about five hundred dollars in the bank and five dollars in my pocket. I had clients to take care of at the gym the next day. No problem. I was very aware of what I had to do next,” Armour writes.

Simply, she had to get to Nashville. Armour cajoled a friend into borrowing the friend’s car – “not letting her off the line

by M.V. Greene mgreene@ccgmag.com

until she agreed to give me the key to what was my future” – and the rest was history. Armour got to Nashville that next afternoon and aced the test, she writes in her book.

For Armour, not getting to Nashville for the test was not an option – a lesson she imparts to her readers. After all was said and done, she writes, “The effort it took to get to Nashville wasn’t a big deal. Whatever I had to do, whatever it cost me was worth it, because my burning desire to become a cop trumped everything else at that time.”

Little perhaps did Armour know at the time that her Nashville foray would be the first tenet of her book as “Step One: Develop Consciousness and Awareness.” In that step, she tells readers that identifying their passions will lead to finding their purpose in life. Recognize what you’re good at and how you really want to be spending your time, she advises.

The six other Steps are equally as penetrating. Step Two focuses on those who procrastinate. She challenges her readers not to let procrastination lead to being just an Average Joe. “Unlock and release beliefs, fears, past experiences that might be holding you down, and then lay the groundwork for success,” she writes.

The remaining Steps include executing sticky situations with self-discipline and resolve; acknowledging and moving past obstacles and challenges; learning how to understand fear, but charging past it; understanding that success has no limits by using one accomplishment to build toward others; and using breakthroughs to leave a legacy in order to be a role model for others.

In Zero to Breakthrough, Armour wants readers to look within themselves and build a core that will be sustainable over time because it is constructed with conviction.

“Success is not a single destination, where, upon arrival, you stop, game over,” Armour writes. “The way I see it, accomplishments come with responsibility breakthroughs; they require commitment.”

Diversity

brings vital new ideas to the table and creates dynamic solutions to international issues. We honor the individuals and institutions that strive to create and maintain a diversified workforce.

People and Events

by Frank McCoy fmccoy@ccgmag.com

1997 BLaCk ENgiNEER Of ThE YEaR aPPOiNTED TO BOOz aLLEN haMiLTON BOaRD

Software engineer Arthur Johnson’s leadership in the defense technology business culminated in him being named Black Engineer of the Year in 1997. But there was no resting on his laurels after the award. Until his retirement in 2009, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Lockheed Martin’s Information and Services sector and a leader in strategic development.

This month, Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation, parent company of consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., appointed Johnson to its board of directors. The retired senior vice president from Lockheed Martin, with over twenty years of senior leadership experience in the information technology and defense businesses, will serve on Booz Allen’s Audit Committee.

“Art brings extensive IT management experience to Booz Allen’s Board, having held senior positions at IBM, Loral Corporation and Lockheed Martin,” said Ralph W. Shrader, Booz Allen’s chairman, chief executive officer, and president. “His career combines a strong technology background with extensive

experience in the government market that will help guide the firm as we work to enhance the technological expertise we provide our government and commercial clients. He will help build the capabilities of an already strong board, and we look forward to his contributions.”

Johnson will serve for a term expiring at Booz Allen’s general meeting of shareholders in the summer of 2013.

A graduate of Morehouse College, he spent nearly 40 years developing and managing technological systems before retiring in 2009. Johnson began his professional career as a software engineer with IBM Federal Systems in 1969. As he moved up in the organization, he took on additional technical, software systems, and business management responsibilities. He held a series of increasingly responsible managerial positions at IBM facilities around the country until 1991, when he was appointed executive assistant to John Akers, then chairman of the board of IBM. He was appointed president and COO of the IBM Federal Systems Company, and a corporate vice president the following year.

In 1994, IBM sold the division to Loral Corporation, and Johnson was named Group Vice President of Loral Federal Systems. Two years later, Loral merged with Lockheed Martin, and he became Vice President of Lockheed Martin Corp., and President of Lockheed Martin Federal Systems. In 1997, he was named president and COO of the company’s Information and Services Sector, and was also named Black Engineer of the Year.

Johnson served as a leader in strategic development, retiring in 2009 as Senior Vice President of Lockheed Martin Corp. He currently serves as a director of AGL Resources, Inc. and Eaton Corporation, as an Independent Trustee of Fidelity Investments, and was the founding chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Defense Industrial Association. His awards and recognitions include Black Engineer of the Year and Government Computer News Industry Executive of the Year. He has a B.A. from Morehouse College and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

TuRNER TakES hELM aT SOuTh CaROLiNa DEPaRTMENT Of EMPLOYMENT aND wORkfORCE

Major General Abraham J. Turner took the helm as Executive Director of the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce on September 1, 2011. Last May, Governor Nikki Haley announced that she will appoint Maj. Gen. Turner to serve as the Director of the agency.

Turner, a South Carolina native and graduate of South Carolina State University, previously served as the commanding general at the largest Initial Entry Training Center in the U.S. Army, responsible for training 50 percent of all soldiers entering the Army each year. He retired from active duty in May 2011.

“Major General Turner has longserved our country with great distinction, and we couldn’t be more excited that he is coming home to serve our state,” Gov. Haley said. “General Finan has done a fantastic job getting DEW [Department of Employment and Workforce] up-andrunning, and Major General Turner is the right person to take the agency to the next level, with a focus on training South Carolinians and pairing them up with the jobs we’re working to create day-in, dayout,” said the governor in May.

More recently, Maj. Gen. Turner, a notable alumnus of South Carolina State

University and one of its 2,035 officers, featured as keynote speaker at the university’s Fall Semester 2011 Faculty Development Institute.

A former chief of staff for the U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, Neb., Turner earned his commissioning as an infantry officer through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at SC State University, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree in music. While attending the Army War College he earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Shippensburg University.

Previously, he served as commanding general at Fort Jackson, the largest Initial Entry Training Center in the U. S. Army, responsible for training fifty percent of all soldiers entering the Army each year. Maj. Gen. Turner’s experience also includes serving as: Chief Operations Officer, Army Training and Doctrine Command; Assistant Division Commander for Operations, 82nd Airborne Division; Chief/Head,

Army Liaison Element for U.S. House of Representatives; and Advisor/Special Assistant to U. S. Secretary of State, Washington, D.C. Other previous assignments include serving as Assistant Chief of Staff, C-3, Coalition Forces Land Component Command, Camp Doha, Kuwait. He last served as the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, in Omaha, Nebraska.

u.S. NaVY NaMES NEw ShiP iN hONOR Of VOTiNg RighTS aCTiViST MEDgaR EVERS

More than 1,000 people attended the November 12 christening ceremony for the USNS Medgar Evers at NASSCO’s San Diego shipyard. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus was the ceremony’s principal speaker. Myrlie Evers, the widow of the late Medgar Evers, served as the ship’s sponsor. She christened the ship by breaking the traditional bottle of champagne against the hull of the 689-foot-long vessel.

“Each ship in the T-AKE Class is named for a noted pioneer in our nation’s history. Mr. Evers was an Army veteran of World War II and an important civil rights pioneer. The NASSCO team is proud to add Medgar Evers’ name to this distinguished list,” said Fred Harris, president of NASSCO.

“This is a truly special occasion,” said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “Medgar Evers has been an inspiration to so many in the civil rights community and across the country. This honor by our Navy is befitting of his legacy.”

Medgar Wiley Evers (July 2, 1925 – June 12, 1963) was born and raised in Mississippi, where, after completing his military service in 1946, he returned to earn his degree from Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Alcorn State University). After graduation, Evers began working on behalf of the NAACP in the fight to end segregation. In 1954, Evers became the first field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi.

Evers created and organized voter-registration efforts, peaceful demonstrations and economic boycotts to draw attention to the unjust practices of companies that practiced discrimination. He became one of the most visible civil rights leaders in the state of Mississippi, working closely with church leaders and other civil rights advocates to promote understanding and equality. His life’s work helped increase support for the legislation

that would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

After returning from an NAACP meeting on June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers was assassinated outside his home. Evers’ murder served as one of the catalysts for President John F. Kennedy to request that Congress create a national civil rights bill. “He was committed to his fellow human beings and the dream of making America a nation for all its citizens,” said Navy Secretary and former Governor Ray Mabus during the dedication event.

USNS Medgar Evers is the 13th ship of the Lewis and Clark (T-AKE) Class of dry cargo ammunition ships General Dynamics NASSCO is building for the U.S. Navy. NASSCO began constructing USNS Medgar Evers in April 2010. Following its at-sea testing phase, the ship will be delivered to the Navy in the second quarter of 2012. USNS Medgar Evers will mark the 13th T-AKE ship that NASSCO has delivered to the Navy since 2006.

When in active service, USNS Medgar Evers will join a tradition of NASSCO-built or modified ships directly supporting the United States Marine Corps. The primary mission of USNS Medgar Evers will be to deliver more than 10,000 tons of food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions at one time to combat ships on the move at sea. T-AKE ships have also served in Navy humanitarian efforts around the globe.

General Dynamics NASSCO is the only major ship construction yard on the West Coast of the United States. NASSCO also recently acquired Metro Machine Corp., a leading EastCoast surface-ship repair company. This acquisition enhances NASSCO’s ability to deliver cost-effective maintenance and repair services to the U.S. Navy on both coasts.

DIVERSITY

Diversity brings vital new ideas to the table and creates dynamic solutions to international issues. We honor the individuals and institutions that strive to create and maintain a diversified workforce.

People and Events continues...

NOaa awaRDS a TOTaL Of $10.8 MiLLiON TO fOuR MiNORiTY SERViNg iNSTiTuTiONS

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Education announced that it has awarded grants totaling $10.8 million to four lead minority-serving institutions across the country to train and graduate students who pursue applied research in NOAArelated scientific fields.

Awards were made to four lead universities—City College of New York, Florida A&M University, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, and Howard University—which partnered with 20 other schools to form four cooperative science centers. The centers will train students in remote sensing, environmental science, living marine resources, and atmospheric science—all core scientific fields for NOAA, the agency that enriches life through science.

The awards may grow to $15 million over five years for each lead center, depending on performance and appropriations.

F y 2011 noAA epp center Award Recipients

noAA center for Remote Sensing Science and technology

Lead institution – city college of new york Partners:

• Hampton University (Va.)

• University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez

• California State University at Los Angeles

• University of Maryland Baltimore County

noAA environmental cooperative Science center

Lead institution – Florida A&M university Partners:

• Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

• Delaware State University

• Jackson State University (Miss.)

• University of Texas at Brownsville

• Creighton University (Neb.)

noAA center for Atmospheric Sciences

Lead institution – Howard university (D.c.) Partners:

• Jackson State University (Miss.)

• University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (P.R.)

• University of Texas at El Paso

• University of Maryland College Park

• State University of New York at Albany

noAA Living Marine Resources cooperative Science center

Lead institution – university of Maryland eastern Shore Partners:

• Delaware State University

“These awards enable us to develop a strong, well trained, diverse workforce for NOAA and the nation,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “These grants recognize the importance of STEM fields— science, technology, engineering and mathematics—to the future of America’s ability to innovate and compete in the global community.”

• Hampton University (Va.)

• Savannah State University (Ga.)

• University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences

• University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology

• Oregon State University

The awards were made through NOAA’s Educational Partnership Program

with Minority Serving Institutions. Since the first awards were made in 2001, NOAA cooperative science centers have trained 1,766 students, with 921 of them earning degrees in NOAA-related fields. NOAA has hired 100 center-trained graduates.

The long term goal of NOAA’s Educational Partnership Program is to increase the number of students, particularly from underrepresented communities, who attend minority serving institutions and graduate with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“America’s future ability to compete and succeed globally depends on the investments we make today in science, technology, engineering and math education,” said Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, Chairwoman of the Appropriations subcommittee which funds NOAA. “I am proud that this grant from NOAA will give minority students across the country additional building blocks they need to focus their education and jump start their careers. I will continue to fight for federal investments to support the innovation and scientific research that has the power to save lives, create prosperity and keep America competitive in the global arena.”

The awards were announced in a ceremony on Capitol Hill attended by Under Secretary Lubchenco and representatives of the lead and partner institutions, and cohosted by U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, as well as U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania, and U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano of New York. All center awards were made after a rigorous competitive peer review process by external reviewers from academia and other federal agencies.

BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESS

Some of the brightest minds in STEM, business and government offer their insights and advice about living and working to one’s best potential.

The Next Level

SECOND-gENERaTiON CRYPTOgRaPhER aND CYBER SECuRiTY SPECiaLiST

Anticipating national security and cyber threats is both business, and a family legacy, for Darnell Washington. As the founder and CEO of Symrna, Georgia’s SecureXperts Inc., an information security risk management company, the firm gets paid for being a little paranoid on behalf of his clients.

It is money well-earned. In 2012 the Georgia Tech Information Security Center projects that hackers will target mobile devices, cloud computing, personal information and search engines. Last September, Symantec Corp. reported that global cybercrime costs $114 billion annually..

Washington, 47, is a second-generation cryptographer. In 1962, his father, a Morgan State College grad, was one of the first mathematicians recruited by the National Security Agency from a historically black school. He spent 30-plus years there, became a senior executive and represented the agency at the Department of Defense.

His youngest son, Darnell Jr., began honing his computer programming skills while a high school student in predominantly-white Laurel, Maryland. Consequently, he desired a different college experience and matriculated at Howard University. While there, Washington majored in information systems management, and held a student internship at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

More than 20 years before Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers: The Story of Success, which described how individuals gained expertise through 10,000 hours of concentrated immersion in a subject, Washington found his calling: software development. His first computer was a Commodore 64 and he wrote his first program in CPM language. “I could ma-

nipulate and control hardware and software devices to function as I intended,” he says.

During the first 15 years of his cyber security career, Washington saw how viruses, malware and information loss due to manipulated systems hurt corporations and reduced income. Then he decided how to use his experience and savvy to thwart hackers and other digital vandals.

In 2001, prior to the 9-11 attacks, Washington founded SecureXperts. His earned his initial capital working as a contract instructor conducting computer forensics and internet investigations, and worked on his business model.

The result was the creation of a onestop shop for clients to meet all of their information technology and physical security needs. He did it by assembling a team of multidisciplinary security pros with business continuity, disaster recovery, computer forensics, physical asset protection and information security assessment experience.

Securexperts has 22 full-time employees and 80 contractors on call. Projected revenue for 2011 is just under $5 million, plus a chance for more yearend money from special assignments. The closely-held firm, with federal

McCoy fmccoy@ccgmag.com

minority-business designation, has never been an 8(a) company and Washington is majority shareholder.

And there is room for new hires. But to meet Washington’s approval, one must possess powerful math skills to develop fundamental analytical and problem-solving skills, and have a constantly-evolving proficiency in fixed and portable computing devices.

Washington says a surprise in the firm’s early years was the positive reception that the sector gave SecureXperts’ first product. Some federal officials, he contends, hailed “TelePort Vision” as the best integration of ultra-mobile and remote systems they had seen.

Since then the Maryland native’s greatest professional accomplishment has been developing the patent, filed earlier this year, for a secure video encryption technology with law enforcement and military applications. Washington says that customers want to embed it in their systems, and set up licensing agreements. The system’s attraction is that it is a software innovation that goes into surveillance hardware and can be used in many areas.

SecureXpert clients include banks, healthcare, energy and education companies under strict confidentiality agreements, which will not allow much detail, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ((DHS) Federal Protective Service. Under the DHS contract, SecureXperts has provided instruction and designed curriculum for several programs. These include the joint terrorism task force, cybercrime/internet investigations, operational security for public and state local agencies, counterterrorism, physical security protection training. SecureXperts also handles an array of risk assessment, identity management, and information security projects for the DHS itself.

Washington says that Homeland Seby Frank

Darnell washington Founder and ceo Securex perts i nc.

The Next Level continues

curity became a client in 2005, after SecureXperts released its secure video technology. Five years later, he says DHS introduced him to security giant ADT, a subsidiary of Tyco International. A mentor-protégé relationship with SecureXperts was formed that has provided business management, planning and development, technical and financial assistance and training.

The ADT relationship has been a boon for Washington. He had always considered that his technical background allowed him to not have to focus on management, teambuilding, and leadership skills. Now he wishes that he had taken a more balanced focus and honed his management and technical skills to run the business more effectively from its beginning.

Washington is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, and maintains technical certifications in Microsoft, Cisco, and Citrix operating systems; His specialty is secure network architecture design and deployment, and data encryption using advanced public key Infrastructure (PKI) technologies. PKIs are how digital certificates are created, managed, distributed, used, stored and revoked by techs using software, hardware and specific procedures.

Such expertise gains recognition. Last September, Washington received a practitioner category award at the ISC2 2011 Americas Information Security Leadership ceremony. A few months earlier, he spoke at the Government Security Expo about

“Cyber Security Issues in the Field.”

To stay sharp, Washington has joined the Information Security Certification Consortium (ISC2) and the American Society of Industrial Security. He also attends the Black Hat, DEFCON, and other physical and IT security conferences related to homeland security and reads at least 20 IT security publications regularly.

Washington says his clients are surprised, and impressed, when they find that the owner of SecureXperts has a two-generation cyber security lineage. He says that grounding gives him an edge and a mentality setting SecureXperts apart from its competition. Unsurprisingly Washington’s older brother, Darrell, is also in the security field, but on the installation and project management side of security systems.

When it comes to personal security Darnell Washington is careful. His major rule is always know who you are dealing with before sending or receiving anything electronically. He also purchased a Droid cell phone, over an iPhone or Blackberry, specifically “because I can secure it in unusual ways using encryption.”

While vigilant, don’t expect to contact him when he is off the clock. On weekends, Washington says “I completely unplug from technology and spend time with community activist programs such as food banks and shelters, and take long afternoon naps.”

He also relaxes doing something that’s no surprise in a security expert: people watching.

SCIENCE SPECTRUM

Science spectrum champions the advancements made in all areas of scientific inquiry, whether those strides are made by individual innovators or through the resources of enterprisng organizations.

Titans of Science

iNVENTOR jESSE R uSSELL: STiLL iMagiNiNg ThiNgS ThaT DON’T ExiST

You have to be careful when asking technology inventor Jesse E. Russell what he is working on. For a scientist of Russell’s stature, the answer, of course, may be something groundbreaking.

As chairman and CEO of incNETWORKS Inc. in Eatontown, N.J., Russell’s company, founded in 2000, designs privately owned broadband wireless communications’ equipment and networks for emerging broadband cellular applications. Outlined in a wide-ranging conversation with US Black Engineer & Information Technology, Russell is intent on revolutionizing how cellular networks will respond in the future to the wildly voracious demands of highly expectant wireless communications users.

In fact, Russell has spent a career seeking to reconcile the accelerating bandwidth needs of communications users with the capacity of cellular networks. But before getting immersed into specifics about Russell’s current research and business focus, restating his origins in the lab and his brand of science is always worth doing.

Russell’s story, indeed, is well told -- this magazine named him a US Black Engineer of the Year award winner in 1992 for best Technical Contributions in Digital Cellular and Microcellular Technology -- but worth repeating if only for the enlightenment of new generations of scientists following his path.

Since coming out of Tennessee State University and Stanford University with electrical engineering degrees, the 63-yearold Hicksville, Tenn., native has been at the center of innovation and leadership in crafting the future for wireless communications. Russell, who holds some 75 patents for his work in digital cellular communication, base station design and other innovation, has been involved in just about every generation of cellular communication development. Some 20 years ago, for instance, the New York Times quoted Russell in an article examining what then was a novel product – the “pocket telephone.” In those days, of course, cellular networks largely were limited to voice applications.

Among his accomplishments, Russell can claim status as the first African American to be hired directly from a Historically Black Colleges and Universities school at Tennessee State by the legendary AT&T Bell Laboratories. He was the first African American in the United States selected as the Eta Kappa Nu national honor society Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer in 1980.

As an AT&T Bell Labs Technical Staff member, Russell is credited with being one of the first designers to use microprocessors in designing equipment for use in traffic data collection within the Bell System Network. Through his career at AT&T

by M.V. Greene mgreene@ccgmag.com

Bell Labs, he held a number of top-level positions, including as director of the AT&T Cellular Telecommunication Laboratory, vice president of the Advanced Wireless Technology Laboratory; chief technical officer for the Network Wireless Systems Business Unit and chief wireless architect for AT&T. An inductee of the National Academy of Engineering, Russell serves as a member of the Federal Communication Commission’s Technological Advisory Council.

So what is the cellular communication science Jesse Russell is working on?

Interviewing Russell, one hears terms that likely will be unfamiliar to the public – such as small-cell networks, high teledensity areas, celluLAN, and bandwidth tsunami. What Russell is talking about is the unfettered global explosion of smart, multimedia communications devices, such as smartphones and tablets, which are straining bandwidth requirements of today’s wireless networks.

Jesse Russell c hairman and ceo inc netwo R kS i nc.

“We are about to see incredible demand for access to mobile bandwidth that existing cellular systems cannot deal with because of the basic design and structure of those systems,” Russell says, referring to what he calls a “bandwidth tsunami.”

Certainly, high-bandwidth 4G networks are emerging now in the marketplace with device makers touting their latest and greatest gizmos and carriers proclaiming network capacity for advanced features such as interactive multimedia, voice, video, wireless internet and other broadband services. But for Russell, what is new – and what he’s working on – is a paradigm shift in how cellular networks accommodate bandwidth to meet smartdevice demand.

Russell’s company is focused on developing a new class of fourth generation cellular networks – what he calls “inside out networks, versus outside in.”

Russell’s objective is to move bandwidth to where the predominance of smart device users and applications are concentrated -- into what he terms high tele-density areas, such as buildings, government facilities, corporate campuses, academic institutions, shopping malls and the like. These locations would contain small-cell networks connected to cellular local area networks, or celluLANs, Russell says, as a means of commoditizing bandwidth and making it available to accommodate high-end applications, such as real-time video and conferencing.

“These are microcosms of the macro systems that you see outside. But they use the same cellular technology. We’re miniaturizing the towers, and we’re building them into buildings just like you build lighting systems into the buildings,” Russell says.

One key is transparency, he adds, as users would not notice any change in their device capability whether inside buildings or outdoors nearer to cell towers. And small-cell networks inside buildings also would mean users no longer would need move to the edge of buildings for the best coverage, Russell says.

Additionally, cloud-based computing protocols will host a user’s applications on networks rather than on devices themselves, such as storage-dependent laptop computers, Russell says. This, he notes, will lead to the faster adoption of smart devices such as tablet devices. As small-cell networks are deployed widely, a user’s data will follow the device, according to Russell; for instance, when a business person travels to another city for a meeting, the network will detect the device and have the data waiting on the traveler’s arrival.

“You get to keep all of your mobility, plus you get the speed of your wired connection,” he says. “Demand is really driven by the freedom that we give people to be able to move and communicate.”

What’s left to be worked out, Russell says, is securing how small-cell networks will be accessed. For instance, a private working in the Pentagon normally would not require the same network access as a general. Russell says that techniques such as biometrics, facial recognition and retinal scans to identify classes of users will be used to help satisfy security requirements.

“You have civilians going in and out of government buildings, you have various security classes within the government going in and out of those buildings. You’ve got to be able to isolate all of those different security classes and uniquely identify them and uniquely partition them so the right people get access to the data,” Russell says.

Russell’s company is focused on developing a new class of fourth generation cellular networks—what he calls “inside out networks versus outside in.”

Russell’s career has been one of curiosity, accomplishment and forward thinking. In many ways, his curiosity for discovery and invention is not unlike his existence back in Hicksville as a 7th grader within a large African-American family of 10 siblings. Times were tough economically, and, when a sister’s television broke -- the only one in the house -- it meant no more watching cartoons on Saturday mornings, he says.

For Russell, that was unacceptable, so he fixed the TV, gingerly navigating bulky vacuum tubes, transformers and all in the back of the set. Russell pointed to such a moment of discovery for him personally as vital as nearly any other in his life.

That’s also a lesson he imparts to up-and-coming STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) mavens.

“If you have that thirst for knowledge, don’t let anybody put roadblocks in the way of achieving that. You have to imagine things that don’t exist. The thirst for knowledge leads to where true invention takes place. And true invention takes place through discovery,” Russell says.

CAREER OUTLOOK

An in-depth look at a cutting-edge industry within STEM. We tell you where the jobs are, why you want them, and, most importantly, how you get them.

Spotlight on Cyber Security

 Cyber Security Visionaries

 Careers in information Security

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 Online Resources for Veterans Seeking jobs

 Top Veterans Organizations

 New Bill helps Veterans

More Cyber Security

by Frank McCoy fmccoy@ccgmag.com

Visionaries You Need to k now

In this sequel to the USBE&IT 2010 cyber security feature, Cyber Security Visionaries, we profile a broad array of public, private and non-profit sector digital guardians of our increasingly electronically connected and interdependent world. These men and women include an attorney specializing in data security and privacy; the CIO of a worldwide international audit, financial advisory, tax and consulting firm with 182,000 employees; an assurance expert at a leading defense and technology company; a trio from a leading aerospace company; a security director for the nation’s largest pharmaceutical distributor; and a man considered one of the five top IT security luminaries who protects Georgia’s colleges, universities and public libraries. Their skills and backgrounds vary, but they are united in their cyber security advice to all: stay vigilant.

CAREER OUTLOOK

Lockheed Martin

Linda Gooden

B.S.—Computer Technology, Youngstown State University

B.S.—Business Administration and M.B.A., University of Maryland, University College

Much of what Lockheed Martin (LM), a $46 billion aerospace and defense company does in information technology security is classified. Linda Gooden, the leader of Lockheed’s $10 billion Information Systems and Global Solutions (IS&GS) division, which includes cyber security, is proud of what she can divulge. That encompasses establishing a Next Generation Cyber collaboration center, and a Cyber Security Alliance of 16 tech companies. LM has been the federal government’s largest provider of secure IT solutions, such as responses to web attacks and has supported every cabinet agency, for 17 years.

At Lockheed, one team of cyber intel analysts defends its and customers’ networks, while another analyzes persistent assaults and uses that knowledge to disrupt them and to build online defenses. Gooden says that at LM, the information business is a core capability, and everything it does has a cyber component. A new focus is providing secure cloud services including an online marketplace and service business and governance models. Cloud security is validated internally through the use of off-the-shelf and custom technology. In 2011, Gooden opened one of LM’s newest control and technology services hub in Mississippi. It provides federal customers with cloud computing, cyber security, big data management and mobile computing solutions.

Gooden says her cyber security team’s favorite Smartphone apps are RSA Secure ID, Best Phone Security – alarms when someone enters a bad code, and SCANNY – which scans for wireless networks. On the enterprise side, the techs favor vulnerability scanners: Nessus (Open

Source) and McAfee Foundstone; Symantec; and security information managers – ArchSite and Trustwave. On the home front, Gooden password protects her network and all of its personal applications, shreds personal information like bank statements and never divulges passwords.

Michael G. Mathias Chief Information Officer

B.S. - Computer Science, Long Island University

As the information technology chief at a company serving 36.3 million people, Michael Mathias must be vigilant about preparation against individual or organized cyber attacks at any level. He blocks cyber-attacks by understanding threats and their objectives, expediting incident responses, improving how risks are prioritized and focusing on relevant internal and external information. Aetna Information Services picks and monitors the cyber smoke alarms, as well as watches for fire.

Mathias joined Aetna in 1993, as a Systems Engineering Manager, and became head of AIS Enterprise Architecture in 2006. He rose to the position of the company’s Chief Technology Officer in 2008 and Chief Information Officer in 2011. Prior to Aetna, he held officer posts at firms including UBS/ PaineWebber Inc., Verizon, and Prudential Insurance.

Mathias stays current by reading CSO Magazine, Verizon Data Breach Report, and related publications and pays attention to security-related “social” chatter. He also attends IT security forums regularly, where he says “the information you learn from your peers in these groups is just as relevant as the presenters and analysts.” Mathias says he is attentive about IT security at home, and relaxes by playing golf, and video games.

spam messages. His group, Self Service IT Delivery, also used smart logic in online self-service applications to automatically detect abnormal traffic from the same IP or source within a defined time period. They also used programs like CAPTCHA to force automated scripts or bots to validate who they were, thereby thwarting invasion of AT&T’s network.

Before AT&T, McArthur, 50, worked in South Africa as a Managing Executive with SBC International. He says that potential IT leaders must have a broad technical understanding across business lines, software development lifecycles and operations, expertise in at least one IT area, communications skills, and the ability to interact with individuals from all company levels. His favorite gadget is his iPod because it’s easy to use, works hard and needs no safeguard.

Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Roy e . Hadley, Jr. Partner

B.B.A.—Finance, University of Georgia J.D., University of Georgia School of Law

AT&T

Melvin McArthur

Vice President—Self Service IT Delivery

B.S. Degree in Computer Science, UC Berkeley

M.B.A. from Stanford Business School

In 2011, Melvin McArthur’s team in AT&T’s Consumer IT division, which develops and operates the systems that support the company’s web properties, leveraged real-user monitoring and web session capture tools to identify and block attempts to break into or hijack accounts, and insert

Roy E. Hadley, Jr. is a member of the Corporate Department and co-leader of the firm’s Cloud Computing and Cyber-Security practice team in the Atlanta office of the national firm Barnes & Thornburg LLP. He counsels clients in complex corporate and outsourcing transactions, focusing on transactions involving cloud computing, telecommunications, intellectual property, and technology and information security.

He was the co-lead of the legal team that led the State of Georgia to outsource its technology infrastructure and managed network services, in agreements worth more than $1 billion in state spending. The legal team also supported the Georgia Technology Authority throughout the process. Hadley also assists corporate clients in data security and privacy, technology and business process outsourcing, and has provided information security and technology accessibility assessments/audits, data breach remediation, electronic records management, e-discovery, and compliance training.

Previously, Hadley worked for AirGate PCS, Inc., WorldTravel BTI, and Turner Entertainment Group/ AOL Time Warner. He chairs the board of the Technology Association of Georgia’s Information Security Society, and is co-author of Barnes & Thornburg’s Cloud Computing and Cyber-Security blog: www.btcloudcomputinglaw.com.

Aetna Information Services

Cummins Inc.

Bruce c. carver

V.P. Business Services & CIO

B.S.—Finance, Virginia Tech

M.B.A.—DePaul University

Cummins, Inc. is a $1 billion designer, maker, distributor and servicer of engines and related technologies. Its CIO Bruce Carver declined to speak specifically about threats, but said that intellectual property theft is predominant. To prevent it, new IT leaders need layered expertise that includes networking, computing platforms, application development, associated business processes, and program management skills, combined with accounting, finance, economics, statistics, and management acumen. They must also always deliver high quality solutions on time. New IT defenses include data loss prevention and reputationbased malware protection applications that confront threats which have evolved up the OSI stack from infrastructure to data-centric. Identity and access management solutions also attract attention as they assist services like cloud technology. “The cyber threat landscape has evolved from one of script kiddies, Web site defacements, and denial of service into one dominated by professional, well-funded organized crime and industrial espionage. Today, it’s all about the money,” Carver said. “You must know where your intellectual property assets reside, how they’re used, and who has access to them. Protection of those assets must be prioritized when deciding where to start—focus on the highest value assets first.”

for malware, phishing, device loss, and network penetration problems.

Instead of reading cyber security publications, Quinlan has a better source: a dedicated team of security professionals that brief him regularly to ensure that he understands and appreciates the issues that Deloitte member firms face. Team members attend the GFIRST (U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team), Research Security Division of EMC and other conferences to keep current with industry issues.

Quinlan gives back in many ways. He leads a Historically Black Colleges and University program called Information Technology Senior Management Forum. He has mentees, and is involved in a program called 100 Kings that nurtures African American boys through college. Quinlan is also on the board of the BDPA Education & Technology Foundation.

FedEx Services

Belinda watkins

Vice President, Enterprise Infrastructure Services, Network Computing

B.A.—Mathematics, Millsaps College

M.A.—Education, Mississippi College

M.S.—Telecommunications and Information Systems Management, Christian Brothers University

M.B.A.—Finance, Christian Brothers University

M.B.A.,

As the CIO of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL), Larry Quinlan considers his 182,000 colleagues as key to preserving Deloitte member firms’ client and people data confidentiality. The international audit, financial advisory, tax and consulting firm, must still prepare

For the past several years, Belinda Watkins has been involved in executive level information security. Currently, her job includes ensuring that the FedEx network infrastructure is secure. She says that she and Info Sec[urity] are “joined at the hip.” Watkins’ team designs, engineers and implements network solutions, while Info Sec provides the policy and guidelines. The key challenge is building vigilance among customers and employees about information security threats.

Belinda Watkins’ proudest professional accomplishments occurred at FedEx and in her previous job. At FedEx, she consolidated the company’s disparate communications technology teams into one organization, “which created standardized processes, improved service to our customers and better protects FedEx global communications platforms.” In a previous position at Sara Lee Foods, Watkins formed the first information security team. Currently, Watkins serves on the Tennessee Advisory Board for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Innovation Network.

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited

Larry quinlan, cio

Baruch College, City University of New York

Georgia Institute of Technology

James S. Logan

Manager of Quality Assurance

B.S.—Management and Computer Science Option, University of Massachussetts at Lowell

M.B.A., Rivier College

Ph.D.—Computer Information Systems and Information Science, Nova Southeastern University

James Logan understands the critical links between academia, commerce and local communities and helps to protect them. The Georgia Institute of Technology (GT), ranked among the top 10 in research expenditures among universities without a medical school, is a powerhouse in scientific and tech exploration and education. Each year, GT pumps about $2.15 billion into the metro Atlanta economy, which attracts accolades, and web thieves. Last year, Tech published Emerging Cyber Threats Report 2012. It detailed “advanced and large-scale botnet attacks, mobile application exploits, and manipulation of online information,” as the intellectual and personal property threats GT faces. In response, Logan’s team directs quality assurance and development for webbased issues, errors, test cases, and provides similar support to departments, both internal and external to the Office of Information Technology. He has also worked with GT’s director of Homeland Security- Emergency Preparedness and Office of Information Security. Logan, who served previously at Alltel, MITRE, and Wang Labs, is a member of the Internet Society and the Information Systems Security Association.

plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. It also uses evolving defenses to halt invasions of its electronic health records and customer information. HCSC encrypts portable storage devices, including thumb drives to protect information, uses enterprise forensics to perform investigations and deploys an in-house team to perform proactive risk assessments on programs. Among the security applications that HCSC uses, Coleman cites ArcSight for event monitoring, Checkpoint for disk and portable device encryption and Symantec for anti-virus. He advises students interested in IT security that they must understand how business works to connect its needs to technical essentials. While currently hooked on an electronic game called “Words with Friends,” Coleman says “I perform the same cyber discipline at home as I do at work. I never take anything for granted.”

Leviathan Security Group Andre Mintz

Senior Vice President Chief Security Strategist

Health Care Service Corporation

wheeler coleman

Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

B.S.—Computer Science, Northern Illinois University

M.B.A., University of Notre Dame

In 1983, Wheeler Coleman’s first job at Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) was writing code. Now he directs cyber defense at the country’s fourth largest health insurance company and the largest customer-owned health insurer. HCSC employs 16,000 people and provides coverage to more than 13 million members through Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Andre Mintz knows that many organizations are complacent about IT security. They meet legal and regulatory security compliance rules, but do not improve their actual risk posture, and use present breaches to predict future ones. This is a reactionary approach that means a security disaster must occur before business responds. Instead, Mintz says organizations must answer prescient questions when assessing risk management strategies. What are the customer expectations and/or industry standards? What are the legal and regulatory requirements involved? What is an organization’s self-defined desired risk posture?

Mintz, a former police officer, places security awareness training atop his corporate to do list, embraces full disk encryption to address the “lost laptop” problems and advocates network frisk technology to deter unauthorized and/ or compromised devices and entities. As a cyber evangelist, he supports education events with an IT focus, especially if geared toward black students. Previously, at Microsoft he built the company’s Chief Security Officer Councils and sought to engage black CSO/CISO’s. At Seattle’s Leviathan, an information security consulting and training firm, Mintz stays abreast of IT security news through CSO Online and podcasts. When not working, he is known as an accomplished Mambo dancer and teacher.

Lockheed Martin

Diane S. williams

Information Assurance Engineer, Senior Staff

B.S.—Computer and Systems Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Diane Williams says that Lockheed Martin, an advanced technology company, prepares for threats by building perimeter defenses and integrating security into all internal and external products and services. In more than 15 years as an information security professional, she has applied her skills to security engineering, architecture, and incident handling and has proven success at partnering with technologists, management, and executives to reduce information security risk. Williams provides technical leadership to secure enterprisewide HR systems, manages and conducts security assessment activity related to technical privacy compliance.

Williams suggests that security students read industry publications: ISSA journals, SANS newsletters and bulletins, and listen to free webinars from companies like Gartner and ISC2. She also urges attending the SecureWorld, DoD Cyber Crime, and Blackhat conferences, or go to their websites and download the presentations. Williams doesn’t believe that cloud computing is inherently less secure. However, she says one must maintain the same fundamental data protection methodologies in the cloud as in one’s physical infrastructure. Looking for next generation techs, Williams devotes time to non-profits that work with historically under-represented and underserved students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

200 beds. John Sapp, 45, is responsible for the development of the information security strategy for McKesson’s IT software products and drives innovation in the healthcare market through the use of information security technology. Those are critical steps as clinicians depend on McKesson software to provide quality healthcare and patient safety, and to safeguard the security and privacy of medical records. Intruders in those areas, says Sapp, are the single most important cyber security threat that McKesson and its sector face. As a result, Sapp hopes that all Historically Black College and Universities will include IT security as a specialty in their Computer Science programs. He says most tech-oriented black students pursue engineering, and are unaware of cyber security as a discipline with “the most promising future.” As the healthcare and utilities industries transform, they must manage cyber security and need trained hires in that art.

Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board veda Sims

Chief Information Security Officer

B.S.—Information Systems Management, University of Maryland University College

M.S.—Information Assurance, Norwich University

John B. Sapp, Jr.

Senior Director, Information Security Product Management & Innovation

Holistic Information Security Practitioner (HISP)

San Francisco’s McKesson is the nation’s largest pharmaceutical distributor, and its healthcare IT business line (software and hardware technology), which is installed in more than 75% of the nation’s hospitals that have more than

Few Americans have heard of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (RATB). Its website, Recovery. gov, was created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to provide accountability and to show how Recovery funds are spent by recipients of contracts, grants, and loans, and the distribution of Recovery entitlements and tax benefits. It is the responsibility of the site’s CISO Veda Sims, 36, to mitigate any IT security problems via continuous monitoring, innovative security technologies, security awareness and the use of personnel to audit and manage the agency infrastructure. Besides her RATB role, she is the deputy CIO, Chief Privacy Officer and a member of the Federal Small Agency CISO Advisory Council. Prior to RATB, she worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigations, AT&T Government Solutions, Computer Sciences Corporation and Northrop Grumman.

Sims’ favorite cyber security apps are Proofpoint, a security-as-service vendor for corporations and Overlook Fing an Android-based network discovery tool for mobile device security that she uses for her iPhone iOS5 platform. In 2010, she earned a certificate in Professional Studies in Public Health Informatics from the University of Maryland.

McKesson

Rollins Inc.

ken poinsette

Vice President—Technology

U.S. Military Academy

MBA, Emory University Goizueta Business School

Ken Poinsette, 50, says that Rollins, the parent firm of pest control companies including Orkin, faces the normal internet threats. But lately, mass mailer attacks and intrusion attempts have been the most frequent assaults, and phishing attempts continue to be a problem. Fixing those issues is right in Poinsette’s sweet spot, as he leads and manages Rollins’ infrastructure technology group, oversees maintenance and operation of all data processing systems and has responsibility for information and data security of corporate data. Before being hired by Rollins, Poinsette was Second Vice President of Infrastructure Services and Second Vice President of Support Services for Aflac. He has also managed desktop services and storage systems for the General Electric Corporation. Poinsette is a member of the Technology Association of Georgia and Information Technology Senior Management Forum. It is a national organization dedicated exclusively to cultivating executive talent among AfricanAmerican IT professionals. After graduating from West Point, Poinsette served 11 years of active duty service in command and staff capacities.

directs the integration of the information security policy with the implementation of enterprise IT systems and business operations including retail and distribution centers.

SUPERVALU protects credit card transactions in more than 5,000 corporate and independent stores by implementing end-to-end encryption for every customer transaction, which has allowed the company to meet and exceed its PCI certification requirements. Under the Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act for its 800-plus pharmacies, SUPERVALU must protect customer medical and pharmacy information and transactions, and does so by developing its own proprietary applications to protect the pharmacy environment. Eppinger is a board member for the SUPERVALU Diversity Council and the Black Leadership Network which drive corporate diversity strategies. He provides direction and mentorship opportunities for potential and current employees. He is also on the Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation that provides scholarship for diverse minorities.

The Boeing Company olivia t. Butler

Manager, Information Technology Operations Center

B.S.—Computer Science, Jackson State University

M.S.—Systems Engineering, University of Maryland

Gary eppinger

V.P. and Chief Information Security Officer

V.P.—Real Estate, Market Development, Legal and Pharmacy

B.S.—Data Processing, Campbell University

Gary Eppinger has implemented an enterprise identity management system that covers more than 100,000 employees, customers and vendors’ access for business to business, business to customer, and business to associate applications. At $37 billion SUPERVALU’s vast retail network stores, Eppinger

Olivia Butler says that Boeing like many organizations faces similar digital attacks related to control of on-line information, global network penetration and operating system vulnerabilities. In preparation, her team, at The Boeing Company, the world’s leading aerospace firm and the largest maker of commercial jetliners and military aircraft, works to ensure that a security monitoring network and infrastructure is deployed to provide comprehensive situational awareness.

The National Society of Black Engineers, and Society of Women Engineers member’s favorite cyber security applications protect against virus attacks and spyware; assist in the generation of randomly-generated passwords for account access; and provide processes that send alerts regarding hacker attempts to break in. When it comes to evaluating cloud computing’s security, Butler is a cyber realist. She says cloud users rely on technologies including web browsers, which may lead to breaches. Butler adds that while she personally does not use cloud computing, if she did it would have safeguards to protect data, and include sound privacy policies and strong security controls. She also owns an iPad and iPhone, which she protects with security products and a lock code for access.

SUPERVALU

The Boeing Company

theodore (ted) colbert iii

Vice President, IT Infrastructure

West Point

B.S.—Industrial and Systems Engineering and Interdisciplinary Science

Dual degree, Morehouse College and Georgia Institute of Technology

Ted Colbert’s responsibility includes developing and maintaining global solutions inclusive of datacenters, network, computing, storage, collaboration and infrastructure technologies. He also manages the Enterprise Help Desk. Previously he was Vice President of IT Business Systems, that included developing and maintaining the computing application systems that support Boeing Finance, HR, Corporate units. In another post, he managed the Enterprise Network Services providing the connectivity infrastructure enabling all internal applications and line of service delivery systems to integrate and communicate, company-wide. Colbert serves as the Boeing IT Executive Champion for recruiting from HBCUs, and is a mentor and advocate for several African American IT and engineering colleagues.

verbal presentation, and submission that resulted in a major win worth of $50 million. She has managed a matrixed team of 10 project managers with a portfolio of over 100 network engineering projects, with a high degree of quality and customer responsiveness. Jackson is known for on time delivery of projects, within budget that resulted in lasting business relationships and her company was the only supplier that received a 3 V Superior Customer Service Award for the prime contractor for dedicated and committed customer service.

University System of Georgia

Stanton S. Gatewood

USG Chief, Information Security & ePrivacy

The Boeing Company

Sharon A. Jackson

Senior Manager—Cyber Security Monitoring and Response

B.S.—Information Systems, University of Maryland University College

M.S.—Project Management, University of Maryland University College

Before joining The Boeing Company, Sharon Jackson was a senior non-commissioned officer with the Defense Information Systems Agency. Since leaving the military in 1998, she has worked within the U. S. Intelligence Community providing service to their customers. She was the deputy program director for a $58 million per year cost-plus contract, valued at $464 million for eight years with a full life value of over $1 billion. Jackson has successfully led and managed a proposal team for Intel Community Customer consisting of technical writing, proposal reviews,

When asked what about his latest cyber security-related accomplishment, Stanton Gatewood, 54, replied “cyber-security is a journey and therefore I am ever voyaging.” Then he said that he had developed and taught baseline security and privacy awareness to all information security officers and security professionals in the USG, and state public libraries and agencies. His daily responsibility is to assist and advize in the securing and protection at the 35 colleges and universities and more than 300 public libraries comprising the University System of Georgia. Gatewood’s key to cyber defense is a layered approach. Apply policies and standards, introduce security technology and train and educate users. He also says security and cloud computing must be broken down into manageable pieces, as the data must be secure going into, while in and leaving the cloud. “Remember,” he says, “complexity is the enemy of security. Simplify, simplify, simplify.” Gatewood’s favorite applications are PGP (Pretty Good Privacy, now Symantec), LANDesk software and Absolute: firmware-embedded endpoint. In 2010, SC Magazine for IT Security Professionals recognized Gatewood as one of five top IT security luminaries. Gatewood is also a distinguished fellow at the Ponemon Research Institute.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Stan waddell

Executive Director and Information Security Officer

B.S.—Electrical Engineering, Old Dominion University

M.S.—Management and Administration Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas

UNC-Chapel Hill has 29,390 students, and approximately 60,000 computers and related devices. Stan Waddell, 40, the University Information Security Officer, says that he faces the normal threats: web pages hosting malicious code and hacker probing. But UNC’s challenge is sharing ideas, knowledge, and education in an unrestricted environment, requiring open access to resources while also securing assets. Any security program or initiative that hinders the educative goal is in affect a denial of service, and so creative ways to ensure security must be employed. Waddell is an avid reader of peer-reviewed journals like IEEE Security and Privacy, but also likes SC and CSO magazine. He attends the Black Hat, Def Con and the industryspecific Educause Security Professionals Conference. His favorite security applications include Web of Trust: a web site rating browser plug-in and IP-COP: a bootable firewall OS that runs on old computer hardware. He also uses Qualys Browser Check: a web page that scans your browser and can make immediate fixes, on all his computers.

U.S. Department of State

David Daniels

Special Agent

B.A.—National Security Policy, University of Pittsburgh

to safeguard lives and information via cyberspace. The DOS faces cyber threats on a daily basis, as its international visibility makes its computer networks a target for terrorists, nation-state aggressors, criminals, and global political activists. The Department has a critical need to secure vital diplomatic information on computer networks to facilitate foreign policy. Daniels, who has been a special agent for seven years, advises students interested in pursuing an information technology security career at the DOS, or one of the many internationally-focused federal departments or agencies to gain an ability to adapt and adjust to changing environments, learn foreign languages, be able to multi-task and to cultivate a spirit of innovation.

U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development Jerry williams Chief Information Officer

Accounting, Cheyney State University Public Administration, Troy University

Note: The views expressed are Special Agent David Daniel’s own and not necessarily those of the Department of State (DOS) or the U.S. Government.

For three years, Daniels has been involved in an ongoing dialogue and exchange with various foreign governments on cyber security and cyber counter-intelligence issues. The assignment combines his language skills and cultural awareness, with his role as a State Department diplomat and federal law enforcement agent to further the Bureau of Diplomatic Security’s key mission

At HUD, Williams is responsible for a $379.2 million budget, 270 employees and developing, modernizing and enhancing HUD’s outdated information systems. Previously, he was the deputy CIO at the Department of the Interior and that the department met IT requirements in security, architecture, IT capital investment planning and records management. HUD recently participated in the Administration’s National Public Awareness and Education Campaign to promote cybersecurity. The department also just ended its annual mandatory cyber security review. Williams says he is proud of HUD’s cyber security incident response plan and its response team. The commitment to emergency preparedness has allowed the department to address most if not all of the cyber security challenges, from malware to electronic crime to phishing , that it faces. Williams urges students to gain IT training, followed by progressively more challenging and diverse experience that covers multiple IT disciplines. They will also benefits from financial management, project management and acquisition management experience. When he can, Wiliams reads Federal Information Processing Standards, the National Institute of Standards and Technology Interagency Reports, Government Computer News and Federal Computer Week.

U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs

Jerry Davis

Deputy Assistant Secretary

Office of Information Security

B.S.—Business, Western Governors University

M.S.—Network Security, Capitol College

Since Jerry Davis became the chief security officer at Veteran Affairs in 2010, the department has completed a program providing instant visibility and configuration data, all with the push of a button, on more than 330,000 desktops, 40,000 laptops, 21,000 servers and nearly 7,000 network devices. Davis, the ex-Deputy CIO for IT Security at NASA , oversees the leadership and management of more than 600 security professionals that provide services for more than 400,000 VA employees and contractors. The former U.S. Marine and combat veteran was trained as a counterintelligence specialist, and maintains the Certified Information Systems Security Professional credential. Davis was selected as one of the Most Influential African Americans in Information Technology and won the People’s Choice Award at the Mid-Atlantic Region Information Security Executive of the Year program in 2009. He is a formal mentor to seven young people in IT and cyber security, and informal advisor to many more. When it comes to cyber vigilance at home, Davis jokes that he is one of 20 people left in the United States still buying postage stamps and mailing bills.

guys productive. In 2009, the GTSI & FCW Technology series reported that Ricketts was “credited with eliminating material weaknesses in NRC’s compliance with the requirements of the Federal Information Security Management Act.” Prior to joining the NRC, he was an Information Technology Security Officer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Ricketts mentors young people and teaches computer information system courses part-time at Prince George’s Community College, in Maryland. He says that he also encourages his African American students to pursue a career in IT, as while we are seen as some of the most-gifted users of technology, too many of us believe, erroneously, that information technology is too difficult to study.

Verizon

Rilck noel

Vice President and Global Managing Director

B.S.—Thermo-mechanical engineering, University of Illinois

M.S.—Finance and Information Systems, Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

paul Ricketts

Information Technology Security

Officer—Senior Level

M.S.—Information Technology, American Intercontinental University

It is no wonder that Paul Ricketts, 49, is happy about completing a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) risk assessment that identified priority areas in cyber security for policy and technical attention. Everyday, Ricketts faces cyber threats sponsored by nations and profit-oriented digital thugs. They’re joined by insiders, twisted social networkers and hackers inserting malicious code that adapts to avoid detection. In response, he says cyber security professionals as well must become business process experts to disarm bad guys while keeping good

Cybercrime is always a focus at Verizon, the phone, internet, and television colossus. As a result, Rilck Noel, who plays an instrumental role in shaping and navigating Verizon’s smart-energy vision says that Verizon publishes an annual Data Breach Investigation Report, that provides insights into cyber crime around the world based on actual data. At Verizon, Noel is responsible for establishing and growing the company’s Energy and Utility practice on a global basis. He also directs the development of solutions, thought leadership, and market positioning for the global energy and utilities industries, and manages the development of solutions related to smart grid and energy efficiency. In 2010, he was named one of the “100 People You Must Know in Smart Grid” by Greentech Media. With more than 30 years of experience in the sector, Noel has worked for ComEd, South California Edison, was a business consultant at Arthur Anderson and operated his own firm before being hired by Verizon in 2009.

Careers in the information security sector

Worried about job opportunities in your future? Consider a career in information security. Many different opportunities exist today and the future looks bright as new technologies emerge that need to be secured.

Depending on where you gather information, you’ll either be convinced that the United States is on the way to a recession, is already in a recession or you might be in a job or industry that has not yet been impacted by the currently hazy economy.

Job security today is nothing like it was decades ago. However, one sector of the information technology business is providing challenging and well-paying career opportunities. Every time a new computer technology is created, a new avenue for cyber criminals and pranksters to potentially infiltrate a computer simply to wreak havoc or to steal personally identifiable information, intellectual property or customer data increases.

The business of securing computers, networks and the companies that use them is alive and well. Opportunities for in-

by Jeff Snyder editors@ccgmag.com

formation security professionals exist in corporate environments, security product vendor environments, government, military, educational institutions and professional services firms.

Opportunities are broad in that some require Computer Science, Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering education combined with certifications and the competency to perform highly technical work. Other opportunities in the information security realm are more business oriented, requiring advanced verbal and written communication skills, project management skills, negotiation and influencing skills, the ability to lead others and the ability understand business.

The proliferation of regulatory compliance initiatives levied against publicly traded companies, health care organizations, energy industry companies and more is creating substantial opportunities for those who learn to understand the regulatory environment. Security professionals on the inside of a corporation work to close vulnerability gaps so their companies can pass regulatory audits. Auditors on the outside of a corporation evaluate the corporate environment against regulatory compliance initiatives that apply to that particular company so that company can understand where their gaps lie relative to regulatory compliance pressures.

Former programmers are finding lucrative opportunities in application security and secure software development consulting. Database administrators who learn to properly secure databases are in high demand. Network administrators who earn the right certifications frequently progress to security engineer and security architect titles. Those who can train others often have the interpersonal skills necessary to become security awareness trainers once they learn the security subject matter. The list of opportunities available to information security skilled professionals is long and growing.

Whether an individual’s skills are highly technical or they lean more towards people and business understanding, there are opportunities in the information security realm that continue to grow and expand.

While there is no profession that is entirely recession-proof, talented information security professionals have options.

Vulnerabilities in cyber security mean opportunities too

The words “cyber security” may bring to mind international terrorism, corporate privacy and homeland security issues on the federal, state and local levels. However, cyber security spans much more.

In fact, practically every field from medicine to education, finances to online shopping is affected by the need to ensure that personal, institutional and corporate information is protected and that those who are active on the Internet do not fall victim to predators and scammers. That’s what Internet security involves. It also includes domestic and international intelligence related to protection and defense.

by Gale Horton Gay editors@ccgmag.com

The growing number of attacks on our cyber networks has become, in President Barack Obama’s words, “one of the most serious economic and national security threats our nation faces.”

On its website, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security states that it “plays an important role in countering these threats. We’re building one of the best teams anywhere to keep our federal civilian networks secure, and secure the cyberspace and critical infrastructure on which we all depend. That means working across the federal government, partnering with the private sector, and empowering the general public to create a safe, secure, and resilient cyber environment, and promote cybersecurity knowledge and innovation.”

But what about the private sector? Does the average person understand the extent and depth of cyber security issues as it relates to their lives? Tamara Rogers, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science at Tennessee State University (TSU), thinks not.

She says that many people are unaware of their personal vulnerabilities related to the Internet. They don’t think about the

security (or the lack thereof) of commonly-used technology such as the global positioning systems (GPS) in their cell phones or the information in their digital health records.

“We’re [the public] not 100 percent sure where the information is stored,” said Rogers, addressing the lack of understanding many people have about “cloud computing” and other ways in which personal information is stored.

“Where there’s information, there’s concern about security. Where there’s communication, there’s concern about the integrity,” said Rogers.

Around the world, interest in cyber security, particularly for governments and corporations, remains high.

At a recent global conference on Internet security held in London, an expert warned that a cyber-terrorist attack with “catastrophic consequences” looked increasingly likely in a world already in a state of “near cyber war.”

Speaking outside a global conference on Internet security in London, Eugene Kaspersky told Sky News the threat was a real and present danger.

Kaspersky, who founded an Internet security empire with

a global reach, said he believed that cyber terrorism was the biggest immediate threat confronting nations as diverse as China and the U.S. Cyber espionage, cyber-crime and hacktivisim (when activists attack networks for political ends) already exist, said Kaspersky, who predicted that cyber terrorism will become a reality in the future.

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, talking at the London Cyber Conference, added to the growing chorus of world leaders sounding the cyber alarm.

“We are here because international cyber security is a real and pressing concern” he said. “Let us be frank. Every day we see attempts on an industrial scale to steal government secrets— information of interest to nation states, not just commercial organizations.”

In May 2011, Obama outlined the United States’ Internet Strategy for Cyberspace. The strategy focuses on increased Internet security, free expression protection, free trade, privacy safety, law enforcement’s battle against cybercrime and more. House Republicans have issued their own plan, which shares some common ground with the President’s.

The Obama administration is reviewing the Republicans’ recommendations, said White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden. “We remain committed to the passage of cyber security legislation, and look forward to working in a bipartisan, bicameral manner,” she said.

This chorus of concern occurring domestically and internationally is also a rallying cry for a burgeoning career field.

According to a recent CNN news report, the U.S. needs an estimated 20,000–30,000 more professionals with advanced offensive and defensive cyber skills.

Schools such as the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) now offer cyber security undergraduate and graduate degrees programs. At UMUC, students can pursue cyber security career paths to become cyber policy analysts, chief security officers, cyber security software engineers, digital forensics experts, information systems security administrators and more.

Tennessee State University was recently awarded four grants totaling $1.3 million from the Department of Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation. The grants will support research and educational activities in the area of cyber security and incidence management, and also offer classes in computer security. The primary objective is to develop programs that prepare undergraduate and graduate students at Tennessee State University, a historically Black college and university, who are majoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for homeland security-related careers.

“This award will enable TSU to provide students with the requisite skills and expertise needed to enter the homeland se-

curity workforce,” said Sachin Shetty, Ph.D., assistant professor in TSU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

“As we prepare to open the new TIGER Research lab, the timing couldn’t be better in terms of ensuring that both the capital and operational resources are in place to not only offer our students scholarships, but quality training for cyber security, incidence management and other STEM-related high-skill, high-wage careers.”

For five years, students, who are eligible to participate in the research, will receive hands on training in the area of cloud security as well as emergency response. The lab, scheduled for completion in spring 2012, will consist of TSU’s research cloud cluster that will be developed and maintained by the students, providing opportunities to perform research activities in the areas of cloud computing and security. They will also work to develop a system for the TSU Police Department to effectively manage responses to emergencies.

“We are here because international cyber security is a real and pressing concern.”

–—U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron

Shetty’s goal is to prepare students, using security at the University as platform, for beyond college. Through systems modeled after those used by the campus, he hopes to proactively address known and unknown threats to critical infrastructure, public safety and e-commerce.

Said Rogers, “This is a field that requires preparation but that has a wide range of impact.”

“It is definitely something that could and should be promoted in the community,” said Tamara Rogers, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Computer Science at Tennessee State University. She said some young people have become aware of this new field but efforts are needed to grow the numbers. She added that there’s a lag in becoming aware and having the skills to enter the market.

Money magazine listed work in the cyber security field as number eight in the top 50 jobs in 2009. Salaries range greatly depending on company, location, experience and benefits; however, the website Simply Hired states the average salary for cyber security jobs as $58,000.

Benefits of hiring U.S. war veterans

by Dawn Hawkins, editors@ccgmag.com

Many United States Military members have gone off to war and come home again to try to find normalcy again in their lives. Part of that is trying to re-enter the civilian life they once led. It is tougher and tougher for those military war veterans to find work though. It is understandable that employers would be a leery of hiring recent war veterans. There are many issues that a war veteran faces that those of us who have never faced war in person could possibly understand. The problem is

Soldiers already know how important it is to follow through on whatever they are told to do even when they don’t understand why.

2. Hard Workers. There are no workers that will work as hard for you as someone who has been to war. They have done the dirtiest work and dealt with the most stress that any human being could be asked to endure. They stand strong in the face of adversity and with death all around them. It is safe to say that they are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

that our war veterans need to work and they need to learn how to transition back into civilian life at some point. We owe it to them to give them the opportunity to do just that.

Advantages to employers of Hiring war veterans:

1. Discipline. War veterans have had to learn to be more disciplined in everything they do. They have learned how to be patient and how to obey orders. Although we don’t call it obeying orders in the civilian workforce, it amounts to the same thing. The employer is the company officer and the employee is the soldier. The employer tells the employee what to do (the order) and the employee, ideally, will follow that instruction. Civilians often have their own idea of how to handle the “orders”.

3. Training. US military members have a lot of training in many different areas. You will be surprised how much a military member knows and how that training can be put to use in your company. There are drawbacks to having someone who has been to war working in a company because of the affects of seeing war. There are more advantages to hiring them than there is to not hiring them though. Find out what types of training the war veteran has before you decide that he/she won’t be a good candidate based on the fact that he/she may have been in a war zone. You will be shocked what knowledge you find in people who have been in the military forces.

4. Longevity. People who have been in the military and have served in war have learned to stick things out no matter what happens. They have the ability to stay with things even when others would have walked away. This is proven by the fact that they stayed in a war zone where no one really wants to be. They have seen things that no person should ever have to see and they stuck it out because that is how they are trained to do. If the war veteran could stick it out in a war zone, they will certainly be able to stick it out in a company when things get rough.

These are just some of the reasons that employers should consider hiring a war veteran in the United States. War veterans certainly have circumstances that can cause some issues. That is to be expected. I would urge you to consider what they have given to the country though. They put their lives on the line for all of us. They saw things that most of us would have run from. There are challenges that have to be overcome, but helping a war veteran re-enter civilian life can be one of the most important things that you will ever do. It gives them a chance and they certainly deserve that. If you are one of the companies that has decided not to hire war veterans because of the possible issues, change you thinking. There are a great many benefits to hiring a war veteran as well.

A summary of Department of Veterans Affairs benefits

by Chris Pearce, editors@ccgmag.com

Various benefits are available from the US Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans and their spouses and children. These include compensation and pensions, survivor benefits, education, vocational rehabilitation, home loans, and life insurance.

1. Compensation and pensions.

Disability compensation is paid to veterans who suffer from injuries or diseases incurred during their time on active duty, or were made worse because of military service. Additional payments may be made to a veteran who has a spouse or children, or who has a very severe disability, or who has a disabled spouse. The benefits are not taxed.

A Veterans Affairs Pension may be paid to veterans aged 65 years and over. A person under 65 may qualify if he or she is totally and permanently disabled. An income test applies. Disabled veterans may also receive an Aid and Attendance benefit if the veteran needs the assistance of another person with their day to day activities such as washing and eating, or is bedridden, in a nursing home, or blind. A Housebound benefit is also available. Both are paid in addition to the pension.

A Death Pension benefit is payable to surviving spouses and dependent children. There is an income test to qualify.

Burial allowances include a gravesite in a national cemetery, a headstone or a marker, a flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate, and ongoing maintenance of the grave.

2. Survivor benefits.

Veterans Affairs offer a number of benefits to the spouse and children of a veteran who died in service or from a servicerelated disability.

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a monthly payment of $1,154 (in 2009) available to a spouse. He or she will receive an extra $286 a month for each child. This is a tax-free benefit. A spouse who remarries at age 57 years or over can continue to receive the benefit. A $250 transitional benefit is also paid each month for two years if the spouse has children under 18 years.

A lump sum DIC for surviving children if there is no surviving spouse is currently $488 for one child. This amount reduces with the greater number of children in the family, right up to nine children who each receive $217.66.

A Parents’ DIC may be paid as a monthly benefit to the parents of a veteran who dies in active service. The benefit is means tested.

The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance program pays a monthly education or training allowance. The spouse or children can receive this monthly payment for up to 45 months.

Work-Study Employment is available to a spouse or children who study full time or at least three-quarter time towards a degree or a vocational or professional qualification.

Other benefits include Vet Center Bereavement Counseling, and Beneficiary Financial Counseling Services, as well as those listed under other headings.

3. Education.

Benefits for training and education are available under various programs. The benefit can usually be used for a degree or

Benefits for training and education are available under various programs.

certificate course, apprenticeship, flight training, or a correspondence course. Under some circumstances, a remedial, deficiency, or refresher course might be approved.

From 1 August 2009, the new Post-9/11 GI Bill will pay tuition and fees to an institution of higher learning, as well as for books and supplies to the value of $1,000. It will also pay a monthly housing allowance, and a one-off payment for those in rural areas. The education benefits will be available for 15 years after release from active duty and can be paid for up to three years.

Montgomery GI Bill - Active Duty also provides up to three years of education benefits for veterans. Benefits under this program are available for up to 10 years.

The Montgomery GI Bill - Selected Reserve offers similar benefits to the Active Duty program but to members of reserve forces such as Army Reserve and Navy Reserve.

A Reserve Education Assistance Program gives education benefits to reserve officers called up to war or national emergency.

A $600 Buy-up program allows certain service persons and reservists to contribute up to $600 to the GI Bill and receive extra benefits up to $5,400.

Veterans Education Assistance Program is for veterans who first entered service between 1977 and 1985 who made contributions to this program from their pay. The Government will contribute $2 for every dollar and the money can be used for various courses.

The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program pays for education and training of dependents of those who died on active duty, or died or became totally disabled due to a service-related condition. Special restorative or vocational training may be available.

4. Vocational rehabilitation.

The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program assists veterans with a service-related disability to prepare for work, find a job, and keep it. This includes services such as an evaluation to determine a veteran’s abilities and skills, learning job seeking skills and resume writing, help finding a job, on the job training, and tertiary training at a college or a vocational or business school.

Free vocational education counseling is available to veterans and dependents. Services might include aptitude and interests testing, exploring different occupations and setting goals, and examining education or training options.

5. Home loans.

A Veterans Affairs Home Loan is available to eligible veterans. This includes those who served in World War II, or the

Korean, Vietnam, or Gulf wars for at least 90 days, or less than 90 days if discharged due to disability. It also includes those who served at least 180 days during peacetime.

A departmental loan counselor can be appointed to a veteran who is experiencing mortgage difficulties. Services to help avoid foreclosure include a repayment plan, special forbearance, loan modification, extra time to arrange a sale, short sale, and a deed in lieu of foreclosure.

A Veterans Affairs Home Loan to a surviving spouse may offer a better interest rate than other home loans. Under the Home Loan Guaranty, a spouse may be able to secure a guaranteed loan through a private lender. This could be for a new or existing home, or renovations, or to refinance an existing mortgage.

6. Life insurance.

Veterans Affairs offer life insurance benefits to veterans who cannot get private cover due to a service-related disability. Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) members who are discharged due to totally disability may be able to stay covered for up to two years without cost.

All SGLI members automatically qualify for the Traumatic Injury Protection program. This is effective from 1 December 2005, and applies retrospectively to 7 October 2001 for injuries sustained in the Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom operations.

Payments are available to spouses of deceased veterans under SGLI. The maximum amount is $400,000 and is not taxable. Payment can be a lump sum or 36 equal monthly instalments. Family SGLI provides a further amount of up to $100,000 for a spouse and $10,000 for each child.

Online Resources for Veterans Seeking Jobs

Last month the White House launched an initiative titled “Joining Forces,” spearheaded by First Lady Michele Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, which is designed to gather the public together in a collective effort to lend support to military families.

One of the key missions of “Joining Forces” is to focus on job availability for soldiers coming home from active duty, and the spouses of those vets, who might also need new jobs due to transfers.

If you, or someone you know, is a veteran looking for work, here are six online employment sites that can be helpful:

Military.com

This site offers a career section with the “largest veteran job board in the world.” Here individuals can search for jobs, create and post resumes, network with other veterans and find career fairs to attend in their own locales.

vetJobs

vetjobs.com

This is considered one of the leading boards for veterans. It is sponsored exclusively by Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. Registration is free and veterans can do a search for current job openings and also post a resume.

America’s veteran

fedshirevets.gov

This is the official website of the U.S. government. It is operated by the Office of Personnel Management to assist veterans who might be looking for jobs within the federal government.

G. i . Jobs gijobs.com

This site provides career advice and tips on how to find a job in the civilian workforce. They issue a newsletter and also have pages on Facebook and Twitter.

n ational veteran’s Foundation nvf.org

The NVF serves the crisis management, information and referral needs

of U.S. veterans and their families They have both a legal center and an employment center with job listings. This site operates the nation’s only free helpline for all veterans and their families. There is also a live chat forum available. One section is dedicated solely to new veterans. There is a downloadable booklet to help veterans navigate the complexities of dealing with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

MilitaryHire.com

A site developed and maintained by a team of military veterans and corporate hiring authorities. Its purpose is to “serve those who served.” Veterans can sign up for free, search the job database, post resumes and apply for jobs online. The homepage lists upcoming job fairs.

These six online resources combined give veterans access to potential solutions to every conceivable job issue they might encounter in their post-military career journey.

If you would like more information on how you can become involved in the “Joining Forces” initiative visit the website here.

Armed Forces day is May 21st, and what better way to show appreciation to those who served on behalf of our freedom than to help them with a smooth transition back into civilian life.

The Top Military Veteran Organizations in the U.S.

by Janette Waldron, editors@ccgmag.com

Military veterans of the United States of America are true heroes and heroines in our eyes. They have made the supreme sacrifice of serving their country knowing full well that they faced possible death, horrific atrocities, mental and physical scars and so much more. Yet they did this to ensure our continual freedom and safety. They are served by a host of organizations such as government ones and assorted private groups. Below is a list of some of the organizations in the U.S and what they actually offer veterans.

u.S Department of veterans Affairs website:

The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs is a website which provides a host of information about VA programs, worldwide

VA facilities, veterans benefits and so much more. One can even make good use of the VA medical automation software. This is easily accessible and searchable by keyword. Learn all about V.A benefits such as health care, home loans, job assistance, education support through the GI bill and more information than one could ever imagine.

House committee on veterans Affairs website:

The House Committee on Veterans Affairs is dedicated to improving benefits and health care for veterans. This particular website allows you to interact with the Committee. There are a host of helpful links in the ‘Veterans Benefits’ section and you can learn all about the history, legislation and all news concerning Committee actions.

Photo courtesy of The U.S. Army

Top Veteran Organizations continues...

veterans of Foreign wars:

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) has roots which lead right back to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish -American War in 1898 and the Philippine Insurrection in 1899-1902 founded local organizations. These organizations secured rights and benefits for the services of these veterans. Back then there was no veterans pensions and anyone who was ill, wounded or emotionally scared were left to take care of themselves. Fortunately some of the veterans banded together to change things and formed organizations which would later become known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

By 1936 there were approximately 200,000 members. The voice of the VFW was instrumental in establishing the Veterans Administration and a GI bill for the 20th century. It was also instrumental in the development of the national cemetery system and the intense fight for compensation for vets of Vietnam who were exposed to Agent Orange. They fought for veterans who were diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome also. But they have done so much more, visit their website and find out for yourself exactly what they have done and are still doing, to help improve the live of veterans of foreign wars.

the American Legion:

The American Legion was incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization. This is the nation’s largest veterans service organization which is committed to the mentoring and sponsorship of youth programs. They advocate honour, patriotism, endeavour to promote a strong national security and are devoted to veterans and fellow service men and women. The headquarters of the American Legion is located in Indianapolis and has an office in Washington, D.C. They have a staff of approximately 300. The American Legion has founded a host of programs for children and youths, two of these being American Legion Baseball and the Boys Nation.

Disabled American veterans:

The Disabled American Veterans (otherwise known as DAV) is a non-profit charity which is dedicated to bettering the lives of disabled American veterans and their families. The DAV was founded back in 1920 by disable veterans returning from World War 1. By 1932, the DAV was congressionally chartered as the voice of America’s wartime disabled veterans. One of their services is to provide free travel to and from VA medical facilities and help improve the care as well as moral of the sick and disabled.

American ex-prisoners of war organization:

The BRO ( Bataan Relief Organization, was initially con-

ceived by two mothers from Mexico. It became a reality in the year of 1942. These two mothers were Mrs Charles. W. Bickford and Mrs Fred. E. Landon. Their sons who were members of the 200th Coast Artillery, were captured by the Japanese. On April 10th the mothers approached a father of another prisoner and requested that he preside over a meeting. The meeting was in hope of establishing an organization which could send aid to prisoners in Bataan. The meeting was held on April 14, 1942 and the organization was then created with headquarters in Albuquerque, NM.

The name of the organization came about when Dr. V.H. Spenser, (who was the first chairman) pointed out the fact that the initials of the organization formed the shortened version of the word ‘brother’. All the male prisoners were looked upon as brothers in arms. Thus the group adopted the motto “We will not let them down”. The organization was made up of fathers, mothers, wives, loved ones etc of the captured men. They worked hard to get relief to their loved ones. Every single bit of information they could learn about the captured men were exchanged with other prisoner’s families. The American Ex- Prisoners of War Organization is a not-for-profit, Congressionally- chartered veterans service organization which advocates for former prisoners of war.

the

congressional Medal of Honour Society:

This society was established by Federal Legislation back in 1958. Their focus is to preserve the memory of recipients of the Medal and to assist recipients and honour their memory in many ways. Their society’s website is informative and provides a vast array of historical and current information. One can read the full list of recipients ask questions, read answers to FAQ and so much more.

Listed below are other veteran organizations worthy of high praise.

The Military Order Of The Purple Heart

The United Veterans Union

The Legion of Valour

The Arlington National Cemetery

The American Merchant Marine War

The Berlin Airlift Veterans Association

The Paralysed Veterans of America

Hire Heroes USA

These are only a few of the many veteran associations primarily focused on assisting and acknowledging veterans from all military forces. Each and every one of the above mentioned associations, can be easily found on the Internet. If you or a loved one is a military veteran needing any type of assistance or information whatsoever in regards to health, entitlements and so forth, do not hesitate to contact on of the above mentioned associations for assistance.

U.S. Senate Passes Jobs Bill to Help Veterans

One political “third rail” is the issue of veterans who have, for years, been returning to an extremely poor job market. On the Thursday before Veterans Day, the Senate passed a jobs bill that claims to offer help for veterans who are seeking employment. The House is expected to deal with the bill next week.

Of all of President Obama’s jobs initiatives, the House will have a hard time excusing itself from passing a bill that will help returning war veterans to gain employment. But some sources are working on that excuse right now.

According to Paxalles, Senator Jim De Mint called the bill “inherently unfair”, stating that

“I’ll probably get accused of not supporting veterans by the politicians pandering for their votes, but I’m not going to be intimidated into voting for something that may make sense politically but is inherently unfair and isn’t going to work,”

“I’m thankful for their sacrifices to protect equal opportunities and freedom in America,” he said. “But we don’t pay them back for their service and sacrifice with false promises of programs that have proven not to work.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell griped that the bill would not solve America’s jobs crisis and politicized the issue by stating “... this attempt at bipartisanship has been used to help get them over the finish line and represents our best shot at making progress on jobs in the economy.”

CNN Money reports that the bill will also help federal contractors who are claiming pain from “tax burdens”. The federal contractors will get a break for one of two options. There will be $5,600 for hiring veterans who have been unemployed for longer than six months. A tax credit of up to $9,600 would be handed over for hiring long-unemployed disabled veterans.

The Republicans want to tap into the fees that veterans are charged by the VA for home mortage processing. These fees were scheduled to be lowered, but the money will now be kept as a way to help pay for the jobs bill.

About 240,000 veterans are currently out of work, which gives a 12.1% unemployment rate for those who were thanked so heavily for their service one day later on Veterans Day. This does not include veterans who were already homeless or not working because of past wars and with even more veterans on the way home from the Afghanistan theater, the situation becomes even more dire.

This bill is strictly a tax dodge for government contractors and it does not guarantee jobs for veterans or anyone else. With a draw down in two wars, House Republican obsession with extreme political dogma or the next elections, and the resulting shutdowns and delays in working on the national infrastructure, it is unlikely that government contractors will have an overload of jobs to offer anyone.