Center launches new lecture series featuring distinguished military leaders

(May 7, 2021) By GlyptusAnn Grider Jones
Center launches new lecture series featuring distinguished military leaders

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass spoke as part of UofL's new Distinguished Military Leaders lecture series.

The McConnell Center, in collaboration with the University of Louisville’s Office of the President and Kyle Hurwitz, director of UofL’s military and online initiatives, launched a new lecture series this spring to bring senior U.S. Department of Defense officials to campus, either in-person or virtually.

Hosted by McConnell Center Director Gary Gregg, the Distinguished Military Leaders Lecture Series is designed to enable the campus community to hear and engage directly with senior military officials in a dialogue about leadership.

U.S. Army Lt. General Bryan P. Fenton, Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense and new commander of Joint Special Operations Command, kicked off the series. The March 1 talk was designated the center’s annual Capt. Daniel H. Utley Memorial Lecture which commemorates the life and legacy of a 2001 McConnell Scholar and UofL graduate killed while on a military training mission in Mali.

Chief Master Sergeant Joanne Bass, the highest-ranking enlisted person in the U.S. Air Force and the first woman appointed to the position, spoke March 15. Video of her talk is available online.

To learn more about the McConnell Center’s military programs, visit the webpage or contact Connor Tracy.