"Moral Leadership"

Captain Mark Adamshick, USN (ret), Ph.D. is the Class of 1969 Chair for the Study of Officership at the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. From 2007 to 2011 he was the Director, Division of Leadership Education and Development and senior military professor of leadership and ethics at the United States Naval Academy. A graduate of the Naval Academy class of 1981, he was a commissioned officer in the United States Navy for thirty years. He is a resident of Cornwall-On-Hudson, New York along with his wife and three children.

Captain Adamshick is a Naval Flight Officer and Naval Test Pilot School graduate (Class of 1993) and has accumulated over 3,000 flight hours in over 25 different aircraft. A “TOPGUN” graduate, he has over 1,000 carrier arrested landings in fighter aircraft and has flown over 100 combat missions over Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia. He has commanded an F-14D “Tomcat” squadron (VF-213) and an F-18E/F “Super Hornet” squadron (VFA-122) and was the operations officer of the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-70). He has served in a variety of high level staff positions including the deputy flag officer assignment officer to the Chief of Naval Personnel and the head aviation warfare policy officer to the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon. Captain Adamshick has a Masters degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and earned his Ph.D. in policy studies, specializing in management, finance and leadership, from the University of Maryland, School of Public Policy.

Dr. Waitman W. Beorn earned his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Modern German history with an emphasis on the Holocaust. His dissertation entitled “Descent into Darkness: The Local Participation of the Wehrmacht in the Holocaust in Belarus, 1941-2” investigates the complicity of the German army in the murder of Jews in the occupied Soviet Union, specifically by exploring the actual behavior of units and soldiers on the ground.

In connection with this work, Waitman also works with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Museum of Jewish Heritage in instructing ethical decision-making in a military context using the Holocaust as a vehicle. Dr. Beorn is currently a recipient of a Harry Frank Guggenheim fellowship and has previously been awarded a Fulbright doctoral fellowship. His work has been published in the Journal of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Central European History. Waitman is a 2000 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and served as a Scout Platoon Leader and Squadron Operational Planner in Iraq from 2003-4.

"Finding Personal Virtue in times of Personal Crisis"

Major General Peter J. Boylan was born in Portage, Wisconsin. He had the great good fortune to have parents who provided him early and vigorous recognition of the difference between right and wrong. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and, shortly thereafter, matriculated at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Graduating in 1961, he was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry and spent more than 30 years in a variety of assignments. He served two tours in the Republic of South Vietnam, and participated in the invasion of Grenada with the 82nd Airborne Division. He was an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy and later served as Commandant of Cadets. General Boylan also served with the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon and later as Deputy Inspector General of the United States Army. He commanded the 10th Mountain Division and was responsible for increasing that organization to its present strength during the $1.5 billion construction of the new Fort Drum, New York.

General Boylan retired from the military in February 1992 and was appointed the 20th President of Georgia Military College the following August. His tenure at this latter institution has been marked by a focus on character building as an integral part of education.

His academic degrees include a Bachelor of Science (United States Military Academy – 1961), Masters of Science in Engineering (Aerospace Engineering – 1969, and, Computer Information and Control Engineering – 1970) from the University of Michigan, and a Doctor of Laws (2000) from Flagler College. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi academic honor fraternity. His military awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star (3 awards, 2 valor), Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, Ranger Tab, and Master Parachutist Badge. He is the recipient of the Floyd Harrington Leadership Award. General Boylan served on the Committee for the Selection of White House Fellows (New York Region), was appointed by the Governor of Georgia to the Board of Directors – Department of Juvenile Justice where he served as Chairman of the Board, and serves on a number of other national, state, and local boards.

He and his wife, Kathleen (Costa), have five children (Peter III, Therese, Heather, Gregory, and Emily) and fourteen extremely beautiful and talented grandchildren.

"From Command Climate to Corporate Culture"

Thad joined IS&GS from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company where he was an Associate General Counsel to the company’s Advanced Development Programs (The SkunkWorks®) and the U-2 program. In addition to advising program managers, contracting, material management, engineering, and other program personnel on all legal aspects of executing programs and winning new business, Thad provided legal support and counsel to the Palmdale site functional areas including Security, Human Resources, Ethics, and Finance.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin in 2008, Thad’s civilian experience included the defense of international aviation and defense industry companies in products liability, insurance, and contract actions as a litigation attorney with a boutique law firm comprised of former military attorneys and aviators.

Thad began his career as a Marine Corps Officer and Judge Advocate. With over seventeen years of active and reserve experience, he is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. He has held numerous billets all over the world during his career including assignments as Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Staff Judge Advocate, International Law Instructor, Operational Law Attorney, Courts-Martial Prosecutor, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Administrative Law Attorney and Ethics Officer. He has twice served in Kuwait and Iraq and was the deputy counsel for the 80,000 coalition personnel engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom I under Marine command. In this capacity, he initiated concepts that led to creation of the Commander’s Emergency Response Program and to the Marine Corps’ doctrinal change of embedding Marine attorneys down to battalion levels for enhanced legal support to operating units. He has also served in Africa and was the deputy counsel for the stand-up of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa operating out of Djibouti with cognizance over six East African nations, Yemen and the surrounding waters. Thad was also integral to the stand-up and initial operations of the Marines’ Anti-Terrorism Brigade after 9/11 with foreign and domestic security missions, including foreign military training, U. S. embassy protection, chemical/biological incident response, and anti-terrorism operations.

Thad is a graduate of St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science/international relations from Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida. He received a minor degree in Irish Studies and Conflict in Northern Ireland from City University, Dublin, Ireland while an undergraduate student. He has earned a Master’s Certificate in Advanced International Affairs (National Security) from The Bush School of Government & Public Service, Texas A&M University. A recognized expert in the international law of armed conflict and rules of engagement, he has been an adjunct professor for The Bush School since 2008 where he built and teaches “Law of War” in a distance-education module as part of the school’s masters curriculum.

Thad is admitted to practice in Texas, all U.S. District Courts in Texas, the Southern U.S. District of California, and all U.S. military courts. Among his professional awards are the Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Judge Advocate Association’s 2010 Outstanding Career Armed Services Attorney Award, the State Bar of Texas’ 2005 Outstanding Reserve Military Lawyer, and membership in the College of the State Bar of Texas since 1997.

He is married to the former Rosemarie du Vigneaud of Scarsdale, New York, and they have two daughters.

"Leaders of Character: Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond!"

LTC Dave Jones, originally from Southern California, graduated from West Point in 1985, and was commissioned into the Infantry. He then completed the Basic Course, Ranger School and the Mortar Platoon Leaders Course, and was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division in Germany where he served as a rifle platoon leader, 4.2 mm mortar platoon leader, and HHC Executive Officer.

 Following the Infantry Officers Advanced Course, LTC Jones served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) as a Brigade Planner, Rifle Company Commander and HHC Company Commander. While with the 1010st, LTC Jones deployed to Saudi Arabia and Iraq, during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. After Command, LTC Jones served at West Point as a Tactical Officer at West Point, and a Special Assistant to the Commandant. Following the Command and General Staff College, LTC Jones was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, as a Battalion Executive Officer, which included a deployment to Kuwait as a Task Force Executive Officer, guarding the Kuwait/Iraq boarder during Intrinsic Action. Following his assignment at Fort Hood, he served as a Leadership Instructor at the US Army Command and General Staff College, where he authored and taught Core Leadership, Leadership in Battle, Leadership and Ethics, and Critical Thinking Courses. While serving at Fort Leavenworth, LTC Jones was selected as the USCGSC Leadership Instructor of the Year. LTC Jones returned to West Point, to serve as the Character Education Officer, with the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic, briefly serving as Special Assistant to the Commandant for both the Honor and Respect Programs, and then later as the Special Assistant to the Commandant as the Strategic Planner.

 LTC Jones recently returned from a one year deployment to Afghanistan where he served as the Senior Mentor/Team Chief to the Superintendent at the National Military Academy in Afghanistan (NMAA) which graduated its first officers into the Afghan National Army in January 2009. Since 2003, West Point has assisted Afghan leaders in developing NMAA. NMAA has been referred to as the Crown Jewel of Afghanistan by the President of Afghanistan. Throughout the entire deployment, Jones and his US mentor team had daily interaction with the entire NMAA staff of over 250 Afghan Officers, and roughly 1200 NMAA Cadets. Upon return from Afghanistan, LTC Jones served as the Academy’s Cadet Leader Development Integration Officer and the USMA Strategic Planner. Currently, LTC Jones serves on the Superintendent’s staff at West Point.

 He has earned the Airborne and Air Assault wings, Ranger Tab, the Expert Infantryman’s Badge and Combat Infantryman’s Badge and been awarded the Bronze Star, Defense Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal (5 OLC), Joint Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (4 OLC), Army Achievement Medal (5 OLC), and NATO Medal. He has earned both a Master of Science in Leadership and Counseling from Long Island University, and a Military Master of Arts and Sciences in Leadership from the Command and General Staff College.

"Ethical Challenges faced by Battlefield Physicians"

Dr. Kevin C. Kiley, MD, FACOG is Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Albany Medical College and Chief of Obstetrics Services at Albany Medical Center. He has held this position since January of 2008 and recently retired from the U.S. Army where he last served as the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army.

A graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine, Dr. Kiley completed a surgical internship and OB/GYN residency at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. He served as chief of OB/GYN services at the 121st Evacuation Hospital in Seoul, South Korea and then returned to WBAMC as the Chief of family planning and counseling. Later he served as the Chairman of the department of OB/GYN at the Medical Center leading a large OB/GYN residency.

As Surgeon General of the Army and commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command, General Kiley had operational responsibility for Army medical treatment facilities all over the world. During his career he served in numerous leadership positions including command of the 15th Evacuation Hospital in Operation Desert Shield/Storm, commander of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, commander Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and Commanding General Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He received the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal and Bronze Star.

Dr. Kiley is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, and is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FACOG). He has served at both the section and district level in ACOG to include service as District Chair for the Armed Forces District and recently finished a three year position as Chairman of ACOG’s Finance Committee. He received the College’s Distinguished Service award this past May at the annual meeting.

Professor Ivan Luke joined the Naval War College faculty in 2003 while still on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard, following four years in command of the U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle, the Service’s seagoing sail training vessel. In 2005, he retired from the service and accepted a position as a civilian faculty member.

While in the Coast Guard, Professor Luke was a sea-going officer, a cutterman. In addition command of Eagle, his sea tours included command of the cutters Valiant and Evergreen, Executive Officer of the cutter Seneca, Operations Officer aboard the cutters Taney and Eagle and an initial Deck Watch Officer Tour aboard the cutter Dependable.

Assignments ashore included: Instructor of Nautical Science at the Coast Guard Academy; School Chief of the Coast Guard’s Prospective Commanding Officer (PCO) School; Assistant Law Enforcement Branch Chief at the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami, and service as a fellow in the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group.

Assignments ashore included: Instructor of Nautical Science at the Coast Guard Academy; School Chief of the Coast Guard’s Prospective Commanding Officer (PCO) School; Assistant Law Enforcement Branch Chief at the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami, and service as a fellow in the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group.

Geoff Meno was born at Fort Lewis, Washington, the youngest son of a career Army officer. He attended the University of Washington, Seattle, on a Marine-option Navy ROTC scholarship. He graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies focusing on Foreign Policy and National Security, and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant, United States Marine Corps. Schooled at Quantico, Virginia, Lieutenant Meno was an honor graduate of the Marine Corps’ Officer Candidates School in 2003 and subsequently completed The Basic School and the Infantry Officer Course, graduating with honors.

In April 2005, Lieutenant Meno reported to Lima Company, 3d Battalion, 1st Marines where he served as a Rifle Platoon Commander until April 2006. During that time, Lieutenant Meno completed his first deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Lieutenant Meno then served as Weapons Platoon Commander from April to September 2006, before being selected as Lima Company Executive Officer (XO). From April 2007 to November 2007, Lieutenant Meno was deployed with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), going ashore in Iraq for his second OIF deployment. While with the 13th MEU, Lieutenant Meno was second-in-command of 400 Marines.

From January 2008 to April 2009, Captain Meno served concurrently as Company XO and Platoon Commander in Charlie Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. Serving in this unit, Captain Meno again deployed in support of OIF. Returning from Iraq, Captain Meno was selected as XO for the Force Reconnaissance Company, I Marine Expeditionary Force. He supervised the training, preparation, and deployment of multiple elements of the organization for combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and anti-piracy operations aboard MEUs.

Captain Meno left active duty in July 2010 and accepted a position as a Financial Advisor in Seattle, Washington, where he resides with his wife, Adria. Mr. Meno currently serves on the Board of the Marine Corps Support Group, co-chairs an annual 12km charity run, and is a certified Level 1 Crossfit Coach.

"Ethical Decision-Making for the Military Leader"

Colonel Petty currently serves as the Chief of Staff of the Colorado Army National Guard, encompassing over 4,000 Soldiers in seven different commands. He also serves as the Chief full-time Administrative Office for the Adjutant General. His most recent command was the 89th Troop Command, spanning 6 battalions and 2,500 Soldiers—the largest unit in the Colorado Army National Guard.

Prior to that, Colonel Petty’s last commanded the 2/135th General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB) from January of 2005 to January 2008. In September of 2006, after five months of post mobilization training at Fort Hood, he led the unit with its 46 helicopters and 680 Soldiers into Iraq to assume the battalion’s combat mission as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08. The unit was noted for setting a combat record of 111 night air assaults inserting over 15,500 infantry into hostile terrain in support of the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq. They brought everyone home. His unit was recognized as the outstanding National Guard Aviation Unit of the Year ’07 by the Army Aviation Association of America presented by the Chief of Staff of the Army.

Colonel Petty graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1987. After completing the Aviation Officer’s Basic Course and Flight School at Fort Rucker, Alabama, he was stationed at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin California. There he served as a platoon leader and executive officer for a general support, and later, assault-helicopter company.

In 1991, Colonel Petty left active duty and began a business in Denver, Colorado. A year later, he joined the Colorado National Guard and was assigned to C 1/131st Aviation Regiment in the mountains near Vail, Colorado. He served as a traditional guardsman for seven years, as a platoon leader, executive officer, and company commander of two different aviation companies C 1/131st at Eagle, and A 2/135th at Buckley

He has served as a battalion S3, Assistant S3, JFHQ Detachment Commander, State Ground Safety Officer, Army Aviation Support Facility Commander, and Deputy Commander of one of the nation’s first National Guard Civil Support Teams (WMD). He has served on active duty, as a traditional soldier, as a technician, and as an AGR.

Colonel Petty is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, the Aviation Officers Advanced Course, Command and Services Staff School, and the Command and General’s Staff School. He also holds a Masters Degree from Colorado State University. He is an airborne ranger, master aviator/instructor pilot. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Bronze Star, Air Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal.

He and his wife Elizabeth have four boys: Derek, currently at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Brian, currently at West Point, Adam currently at CSU, and Michael, a senior in high school. They live in Parker, Colorado.

"The Moral Leader, the Moral Follower"

Captain Rubel, son of Rear Admiral and Mrs. David Rubel, Graduated from the Naval Academy in 1972. He served on Guided Missile Destroyers as Gunnery Officer, Fire Control Officer, and Damage Control Assistant, Weapons and Operations Officer. He took part in Operations in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Iranian Hostage Crisis Contingency Operations. During Operation Desert Storm, he lead the battle Damage repairs of the Aegis Cruiser Princeton. Captain Rubel has had two Commands, including Program Manager, in charge of the $54 Billion Aegis Shipbuilding Program, the largest program in the Navy. In this job, he built twenty-three Aegis DDG-51 Class Destroyers. He then went to the Naval Academy as the Director of Engineering. While in that job he also served as Chairman of the Admissions Board and taught the Core Ethics Course.

After retiring from the Navy, he was appointed to his current position as the “Distinguished Military Professor of Ethics” at the Naval Academy. In this capacity, he teaches the Core Ethics Course, serves as the director of the Core Ethics Program, and is involved with the Character Development Program. He has published cases in the International “Journal of Military Ethics”. Captain Rubel co-edited and co-authored “Case Studies in Military Ethics” (Person Publishing, 2004) and has written cases for “The Journal of Military Ethics”. He is currently on the Maryland State Board for Character Education. He is leading a team that will travel around the world to conduct Ethics and Character training for 800 Navy Chaplains.

Ms. Sandler received a Master’s degree in Modern European History from Brown University and graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University.

Ms. Sandler is the Manager of International Programs at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. She manages the Auschwitz Jewish Center, a museum and study center where visitors can learn about the vibrancy of pre-war Jewish life in the only remaining synagogue in Oświęcim (Auschwitz), Poland. Ms. Sandler runs the Center’s programs for American military and graduate students in Poland and manages the Center’s U.S. business. She also coordinates the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics, a series of programs for law, medical, business, seminary, and journalism students on the role of their professions during the Holocaust and related contemporary ethical issues.

Ms. Sandler formerly was the Manager of Education Services at the Museum, where she coordinated professional development programs for educators from New York City and the surrounding areas. Prior to joining the Museum, Ms. Sandler worked in Holocaust education at the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous. In the past, she was the Chief of Staff at the Genocide Intervention Network and interned at the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation in Los Angeles, California.

"Why Ethics Matter"

Dean Joan Vestrand is the Associate Dean of Cooley Law School’s Ann Arbor campus and teaches Professional Responsibility. Dean Vestrand formerly served as the Assistant Dean of the school’s Auburn Hills campus. Dean Vestrand is the immediate past chair of the law school’s Department of Professional Responsibility. Upon her hire at Cooley in 2002 Dean Vestrand revamped the law school legal ethics curriculum and assisted in the development and implementation of numerous professionalism initiatives and programs there. In 2006, Cooley was awarded the American Bar Association’s E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award for its outstanding professionalism programs.

Dean Vestrand is a former ethics prosecutor having worked at both the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission and the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission. Over a period that spanned more than a decade, she investigated and prosecuted hundreds of ethical violations against lawyers and judges throughout the state. After leaving ethics prosecution, Dean Vestrand became a partner and shareholder in the law firm Moore Vestrand and Pozehl, P.C. which concentrated its practice on defending lawyers in disciplinary matters, representing law students in state bar character and fitness proceedings, and the provision of expert testimony in legal malpractice cases.

Dean Vestrand is a former member of the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly and past chair of both the State Bar Special Committee on Grievances and the State Bar Law Practice Management section. Presently, Dean Vestrand serves on the State Bar Character and Fitness Committee. She is past chair of the Oakland County Bar Association (OCBA) Professionalism Committee and its Law Related Education Committee.

Dean Vestrand is a named Fellow of the National Institute for Teaching Ethics and Professionalism and was one of three national finalists for the 2006 Teaching Excellence Award sponsored by the ABA Center for Professionalism and the Commission on Chief Justices. Other fellowships include the American Bar Foundation, the Michigan Bar Foundation and the Oakland County Bar Foundation. In 2007, Dean Vestrand was awarded the OCBA’s Frances R. Avendenka Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Legal Profession and the Community. In 2008, Dean Vestrand received the State Bar of Michigan’s prestigious Champion of Justice Award in recognition of her work in the field of legal ethics and her programs to benefit underprivileged youth. Dean Vestrand, a graduate of the University of Detroit School of Law, is a frequent author and lecturer on legal ethics and ethical behavior at both the state and national level. She has been interviewed on the radio and on television including a guest appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

"The Consistency of Character in the Cacophony of Combat"

Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Wilson is an educator whose interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching center on the nexus of applied ethics, transformational leadership, and character development. LTC Wilson holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy from Western Illinois University, a Master of Arts Degree in Philosophy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Management, and Policy from Seton Hall University. Currently, LTC Wilson is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the United States Military Academy. In addition, Jeff is an Adjunct Instructor in Philosophy at Mount Saint Mary College and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling at Long Island University.

A Lieutenant Colonel in the U.. S. Army, he has twice served as a mentor for the National Conference on Ethics in America, has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals, and has presented papers at ethics conferences in the United States and in the United Kingdom. His chapter entitled "An Ethics Curriculum for an Evolving Army" appears in the edited collection Ethics Education in the Military (Ashgate: 2008).