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President’s Lecture Fall 2022

Fall 2022

All lectures, which are free and open to the public, take place in the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education auditorium

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Camp Ritchie: America’s Secret Weapon in WWII 

September 12 | 6:30 p.m.

Landon Grove, Museum Director and Curator, Fort Ritchie

From 1926 until its closure in 1998, Fort Ritchie trained soldiers for every war from World War II through the Gulf War. For the past two decades, the former Army Post has fallen into disrepair; however, tremendous efforts have been made in the last year to revive Ritchie’s potential in Washington County. Explore the historic district with the Post Historian to learn about the area’s long and interesting history, geography, and its increasingly famous ‘Ritchie Boys’ who have been the subject of several documentaries, books, and were recently recognized by the United States Senate for their important efforts during World War II.

Innovation is a Contact Sport

October 17 | 6:30 p.m.

Ret. Rear Admiral Jay Cohen

Ret. Rear Admiral Jay Cohen will discuss his experience facilitating change in government. His early Navy assignments included service on conventional/diesel and nuclear ballistic missile submarines. Cohen commanded the nuclear attack submarine USS HYMAN G. RICKOVER (SSN 709). Following command, he served in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet as a senior member of the Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board, responsible for certifying the safe operation of nuclear-powered ships and crews. He commanded the submarine tender USS L.Y. SPEAR (AS 36), a crew of 400 women and 800 men including a deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Storm. After SPEAR, he reported to the Secretary of the Navy in the Pentagon as Deputy Chief of Navy Legislative Affairs. Cohen was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral in October 1997 and reported to the Joint Staff as Deputy Director for Operations responsible to the President and Department of Defense leaders for strategic weapons release authority. Since leaving government, Cohen is now a principal in The Chertoff Group and serves on select corporate boards (focused on cutting-edge cybersecurity, medical devices, and cancer treatments). As CEO of JayMCohen LLC, he is an independent consultant for science and technology in support of domestic and international defense, homeland security/cybersecurity, and energy issues/solutions. For the past several years, Cohen has served on a U.S. National Science Foundation Advisory Panel. In 2018 at the request of the then Secretary of Defense Gen. Mattis, USMC (ret.), Cohen participated in a Secretary of Defense-directed effort to identify Critical Defense base infrastructure and enhance base security and power resiliency/reliability with the Department of Defense and Department of Energy.

Conducting and Managing the Competitions of Professional Golf on the PGA Tour

November 28 | 6:30 p.m.

Ken Tackett

The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Canada. In 1968, a segment of touring professionals split from the PGA of America creating the modern-day PGA TOUR. Members come from around the world. There are 90 active international members representing 28 countries and territories outside of the United States. Ken will discuss how the competitions are conducted and managed and share stories of the PGA TOUR.

For more information, contact Lucinda Powers, Director of Continuing Education & Lifelong Learning, at lpowers@shepherd.edu or 304-876-5135.