Future Insight Seminar: What is it like to command the real “Top Gun” aircraft carrier and run the DoD? - Mar. 16
Admiral Kevin Sweeney
Thursday, Mar. 16 | 4:00 P.M. | Zoom Webinar
Please join Mark Sirangelo as he welcomes Admiral Kevin Sweeney, the former Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense, for a fascinating talk on global current affairs as well as the future of the Pentagon and its technologies, how does the DoD work and what it is like to be the commander of the U.S. Navy’s premier aircraft carrier group living the real “Top Gun” story.
Kevin M. Sweeney most recently served as Chief of Staff to Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis. He was responsible for providing counsel and advice to the Secretary on all matters concerning the Department.
Prior to this role, Mr. Sweeney retired as a Rear Admiral from the U.S. Navy following a two-year assignment as Commander, Carrier Strike Group TEN and a highly successful nine-month deployment as Commander of the Harry S. Truman Strike Group. His 32 years of operational experience also include Command of Destroyer Squadron 26 and Commanding Officer of USS Cole where he was responsible for the Cole’s restoration and return to fleet operations following the terrorist attack in Yemen. Additionally, Mr. Sweeney has significant experience as an advisor to senior civilian and military leaders having served as the Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Navy, the Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation, and Commander, U.S. Central Command.
Following his retirement from active duty, Mr. Sweeney was Vice President of Track Patch 1 Corporation, an innovative start-up company developing a radio frequency patch to monitor the movements of loved ones afflicted with Alzheimer’s dementia. He also served as Interim President and CEO of the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance (HREDA), the joint public-private corporation established to market Hampton Roads worldwide as the region of choice for business investment and expansion.
Mr. Sweeney holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Resources Management from the U.S. Naval Academy. He graduated with distinction from the Naval Postgraduate School with a Master of Science in Financial Management and holds a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. Mr. Sweeney also completed the Senior Executive Fellows Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Mark N. Sirangelo created and hosts the CU Future Insight Seminar Series as CU’s Entrepreneur-Scholar in Residence. He is the recent Chairman of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Board and the DoD’s Space Advisory Committee. Previously he was Special Assistant to the NASA Administrator helping to develop NASA’s return to the Moon. Mark was the founding executive and head of Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems and has served as the Chief Innovation Officer of Colorado.