Annual Conference

Sunday's Keynote Speaker : General Richard I. Neal, USMC (ret)

Following graduation from Northeastern University in Boston, MA, General Neal was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps where he would serve for 35 years and command at every level. During two tours in Vietnam he was was twice decorated with the U.S.'s third highest award for gallantry, the Silver Star. He was General Schwartzkopf's Deputy Director of Operations during the Gulf War. His final assignment before retiring in 1998 was as Commandant of the Marine Corps. Subsequent to his retirement he has been the President of three companies. General Neal was the Senior Mentor for the United States Marine Corps for five years and is currently a Senior Fellow for the National Defense University. Additionally, General Neal was the Chairman of the Board for the Military Officers Association of America and is presently on the Board of Directors for several corporation and is on the Board of Trustees for Norwich University. General Neel holds a B.S. in History and Education from Northeastern University, a M.Ed. from Tulane University and is a graduate of the National War College. General Neal recently published a memoir "What No, Lieutenant?". He and his wife Kathy have three children and eight grandchildren and have lived on Capitol Hill since his retirement from the Marine Corps.

Protecting the Learning Environment

Monday 8:00 AM

Steve Tarani is a former CIA full-time security employee and protective services subject matter expert who served on Donald Trump's pre-election protection detail. He is the lead instructor for a nationally-recognized awareness-based training program offered to nearly 3 million members. Steve is additionally a CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and FLETC (Federal Law Enforcement Training Center) certified instructor and is a service provider for US Naval Special Operations Command (NAVSOC), FBI National Citizens Academy Alumni Association (FBINCAAA), National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), and others.

Drawing upon the findings of the Final Report of the Federal Commission on School Safety (issued 18 December 2018), this is not yet another "Active Shooter Response" school, but the antithesis of response in addressing specific proactive measures.

Offering a comprehensive solution to the complex problem of protecting the learning environment, this thought provoking and informative presentation cuts to the chase in providing relevant answers to the toughest questions: Why is relying solely on physical security a recipe for failure? How does lack of effective leadership support an active threat and what can be done about it? What two invaluable lessons can you take home from the 761 school shootings since Columbine? How can nearly 80% of the problem be solved without bullet-proof glass, locks, alarms, cameras and security personnel? What three low-cost proactive measures can empower your people and provide multiple layers of protection against a real-world threat? Can you afford to ignore the answers to these questions?

Character Development

Monday 1:00 PM

Brigadier General Terry Djuric, USAF (ret) Commandant, Virginia Womens Institute for Leadership at Mary Baldwin University

Brigadier General Rich Geraci, USA (ret) President, Missouri Military Academy

Colonel Stu Helgeson, USMC (ret) Commandant, Valley Forge

Colonel Wayne Ward, USMC (ret) Commandant, Army and Navy Academy

Keys to Successful Military Schools

Monday 1:00 PM

Jim Benson began his professional career as a high school football and baseball coach, but in 1968 attended Marine OCS, graduating as a 2nd Lieutenant and by the summer of 1970 had commanded 2 rifle platoons and a rifle company in South Vietnam. He rose to the rank of Colonel, retiring in 1995. At that time, he became the vice president of Bridgewater College. After 9 years and in 2004, he left to become the president of Marion Military Institute where he wrote the legislation that made MMI a state two-year college. In 2009, Jim was recruited to become the president of Riverside Military Academy, where he served for 7 years, retiring in 2016. In the summer of 2016, he opened his present consulting business, J.H. Benson Turnarounds and Recoveries, LLC and currently assists small businesses achieve organizational success and prosperity. Since then and while consulting with Howe Military Academy and simultaneously leading the search for a long term president, he led the academy for 6 months returning home to resume his business in July 2018. Jim is the author of 2 books: "So You Want to Be a Leader - Advice and Counsel for Young Leaders", second edition published in 2013 and "Executive Courage - Sometimes You Have to Walk Point", published in 2018. He received his doctorate in 2009 from The George Washington University in Higher Education Administration. He presently serves as chairman of the board of directors of Atlanta Paving and Concrete Construction, Inc.

Amanda K. Willis' 20 years in fundraising combines experience as a consultant, advancement officer, and volunteer member of not-for-profit boards. Her experience as a consultant with the J.F. Smith Group and Columns Fundraising included experience in secondary independent schools, higher ed, and a variety of not-for-profits. In 2009 she was recruited to the role of vice president for advancement at Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, GA. A challenging turn-around opportunity, she led a small team in an advancement effort focused on donor relationships while growing alumni involvement, nearly doubling the size of the alumni donor base. Amanda holds a degree from Auburn University in journalism. She earned her CFRE credential in 2005. She is a member and past board member of The Rotary Club of Gainesville, GA, where she lives with her husband, Bob.

Dr. Jack H. Albert Jr. is the 16th president of St. John's Northwestern Military Academy, in Delafield, Wisconsin. Dr. Albert has more than 30 years experience leading secondary military schools and has been president of St. John's Northwestern since 2004. Dr. Albert earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and social studies from Glenville State College, Glenville, West Virginia, and a Master of Education in counseling degree from James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia. He also holds a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, and a Doctorate of Ministry for Educational Leadership Program at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandra.

Break Out Session - Development

Monday 2:00pm

Jim Henderson is a retired Chairman and CEO of Cummins Inc. - a Fortune 500 company ($20 billion today) headquartered in Columbus, Indiana. Cummins is the acknowledged worldwide leader in supplying clean diesel power, and now emerging electrical power, to trucks, other mobile equipment and stationary power markets. He grew up in Culver, Indiana where his father served the school for sixty-one years. Jim graduated from Culver Military Academy, followed by graduation from Princeton University which he attended on a Naval ROTC Scholarship. He served five years in the Navy, three years on a destroyer leader in the Atlantic and Mediterranean and two years teaching at the U.S. Naval Academy. After serving, he graduated from Harvard Business School with High Distinction. A major part of Jim's "community" time, expected of Cummins' officers, has been in education. He served as President or Chair of The Culver Educational Foundation Board for twenty years and is currently Chairman Emeritus. He served as a Trustee of Princeton for thirteen years and Chairman of the Board for six. Jim chaired a major campaign at Princeton and has been active raising funds for Culver in four campaigns. He directed three searches for new heads and assisted in several others. He has served on eight corporate boards including AT&T, International Paper and Inland Steel which have included assignments as Board Chair, Lead Director and Compensation Committee Chair.

John Buxton spent his entire career in education. After his graduation from Brown University in 1969, he accepted a position at St. Paul's School in Concord, NH. as an English teacher, dorm adviser, and coach. For the next 30 years he divided his time between being an administrator and a teacher/coach, serving as the Director of the Independent Study Program, Director of College Advising, Director of Admissions, and CFO and Vice Rector; and coaching wrestling, football, and lacrosse. In 1998 he took a sabbatical, so he could head "back to school" and in a year he completed his course work for a doctorate in education and leadership management at Boston University. In January of 2000 he was appointed Head of Schools at The Culver Academies. He served Culver for 17 years. During his career he chaired the Boards of ASSIST, ISACS, and AMCSUS; and he served on the TABS Board. He is currently the Managing Trustee of the Conserve School and Trust in Wisconsin.

Recognizing and Mitigating the Affects and Impact of Stress

Monday 4:00 PM

Dr. Schwartz serves as The Jed Foundation's Chief Medical Officer. A psychiatrist with more than 26 years of experience in higher education mental health and administration, he has directed counseling service and served as dean of students a major university. He is also a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine. He has written and lectured extensively on suicide prevention, crisis management and the mental health of students.

Monday Leadership Banquet Distinguished Speaker

Gen. Paul J. Selva serves as the 10th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nation's second highest-ranking military officer. General Selva graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1980, and completed undergraduate pilot training at Reese AFB, TX. He has held numerous staff positions and has commanded at the squadron, group, wing and headquarter levels. Prior to his current assignment General Selva was the commander of U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, IL.

Exploring the Linkage Between Education and Jobs

Tuesday 8:30 AM

Neil Ridley is Director of the State Initiative at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. He leads the Center's efforts to help states integrate education and workforce data systems for police, program planning and development, evaluation and improved feedback between labor markets and education. Before joining the Center, Neil was Interim Co-Director and Senior Policy Analyst with the postsecondary education and workforce team at CLASP. His areas of focus included responses to unemployment during the Great Recession, workforce development policy at the federal and state levels and postsecondary education and training for low-income individuals. While at CLASP, he helped to develop the performance metrics and related data requirements for the Alliance for Quality Career Pathways. Neil also was a member of the senior management team at the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. In that position, he helped to lead the Work Trends public opinion series and oversaw numerous technical assistance and research projects for state and local governments, nonprofit agencies and foundation. Neil received a master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor's degree from Occidental College.

The National Commission on Military, National and Public Service

Tuesday 9:50 AM

The National Commission on Military, National and Public Service is an 11-member bipartisan commission tasked for the first time in American history, with comprehensively and holistically reviewing the Selective Service System, along with military, national, and public service. The Commission was created by Congress via the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017 to consider methods to increase participation in military, national, and public service and to review the military selective service process. They hope to ignite a national conversation about ideas of service as it develops recommendations for the Congress, the President, and the American public. The Commission released its Interim Report on January 23, 2019 and will release its final report by March 2020. They invite the public to share comments on its website at www.inspire2serve.gov and join the digital conversation on service on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @Inspire2ServeUSand with the hashtag #Inspire2Serve.