Admiral Jim Stavridis

Leadership and Geopolitics in the Time of Coronavirus

A Florida native, Jim Stavridis attended the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, earned a PhD from The Fletcher School at Tufts, and spent 37 years in the Navy, rising to the rank of 4-star admiral. Among his many commands were four years as the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, where he oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans and counter-piracy off the coast of Africa. He also commanded U.S. Southern Command in Miami, charged with military operations through Latin America for nearly three years. Following his military career, he served for five years as the dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

During the course of his career in the Navy, Admiral Stavridis served as senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense. He was awarded more than 50 medals and decorations, including 28 from foreign nations, and led the Navy’s premier operational think tank for innovation, Deep Blue, immediately after the 9/11 attacks. In 2016, he was vetted for Vice President by Secretary Hillary Clinton, and subsequently invited to Trump Tower to discuss a cabinet position with President Donald Trump.

Admiral Stavridis has published eight books on leadership, the oceans, maritime affairs and Latin America, as well as hundreds of articles in leading journals. His most recent book is about how character informs leadership: Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character, and his TED talk on 21st century security has had over one million views. He is currently an operating executive of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm, and is chair of the board of counselors of McLarty Associates, an international consulting firm. He is also a monthly columnist for TIME Magazine and Chief International Security Analyst for NBC News.