Speaker Series

Our club is privileged to have experts in their field speak to us at our luncheons. Below is an archive of recent speakers.

June 2010: Brig. Gen. Michael J. Lally, Director of Operations and Plans, USTRANSCOM J3  

Brig. Gen. Michael J. Lally is the director of Operations and Plans, United States Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. He is responsible for directing the deployment of forces and the distribution of supplies and equipment for humanitarian, peacetime, and wartime operations for the Department of Defense including joint training, exercises, and war planning. In addition, he is responsible for force protection for USTRANSCOM and its components, and has operational control of the Defense Courier Service and the Joint OperationalSupport Airlift Center. He also provides associated policy guidance.

Brig. Gen. Lally graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1978 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army Transportation Corps. He earned a Master of Science degree in operations research from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif. His military education includes the Transportation Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, Fort Eustis, Va.; the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; and the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pa. View BG Lally's NDTA presentation (pdf).

May 2010: Frank J. LeRose, FedEx Express Vice President, Global Network Planning/Operations Control  

Mr LeRose's Record: FedEx Express, Vice President, Global Network Planning/Operations Control, 2006; Managing Director, System Form Planning, 1997; Manager, Product Movement Engineering, 1994; Manager, Domestic Trucks and FDR Scheduling, 1991; Manager, Hub Ops, International Heavyweight Sort, 1989; Manager, Hub Ops, 1989

Prior Experience: Flying Tigers Line, Chief Services Supervisor, 3 years; Rockwell International, Accountant, 2 years; United Parcel Service, Supervisor, 5 years

Professional Awards: FedEx Express Five Star Award, 2008, 2001, 1998, 1994; FedEx Express CSSD Divisional QSS Award, 1999, 1997; FedEx Express Leadership Excellence Award, 1996; FedEx Express CSSD Excellence Award, 1996; FedEx Express DGO Performance Excellence Award, 1993

Mr LeRose is a graduate of Ohio State University, and holds an MBA from the University of Memphis. View Mr. LeRose's NDTA presentation (pdf).

April 2010: Mr. Ken Miller, Vice President of Intermodal Operations for JB Hunt Transportation Services, Inc.  

After spending 8 years in the US Army, Ken Miller  joined JB Hunt in 1999 as part of the Dedicated Contract Services Division.

He held several positions from Account Manager, Operations Manager and General Manager on site with customers such as Primesource, Home Depot, Joann Stores, Chep Pallets, PPG Industries and many more. 

In 2005 he moved over to the Intermodal Divisions as the Assistant Vice President of the Midwest.  In 2006 he was promoted to Vice President of Midwest and Northeast for all Intermodal Operations and now manages 1380 drivers and 62 office personnel.

He is a graduate of Syracuse University

March 2010: William Kenwell, Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer at Maersk Line, Limited

Mr. Kenwell joined Maersk Inc. in February 2004 as the Director of Integrated Marketing and has extensive sales, marketing and general management background in the transportation and logistics industry. For 29 years, from 1971-1999, he was with Sea-Land Service in the United States and Asia. During his career at Sea-Land, he was in charge of Global Sales, Corporate Marketing, Pacific Rim Sales and Marketing, the Hawaii-Guam Service, Buyers Consolidators and Sea-Land Logistics.

He also served with CSX Transportation, where he was Vice President of Sales for North America from 2001-2003, and where he managed CSX’s international offices in Europe, Mexico and Latin America, as well as the logistics services company Transflo. Prior to this, Mr. Kenwell was Vice President of Partner Relations for GT Nexus, a leading logistics software solutions provider.

Mr. Kenwell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Villanova University, and completed the Executive Marketing Program at the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College. He is a life member of the National Defense Transportation Association. Mr. Kenwell is domiciled at Maersk Line, Limited’s Arlington office.

February 2010: Lt Gen Claude V. "Chris" Christianson, USA (retired)

[Editor's note: Lt Gen Christianson is now Senior Director of the Center for Joint and Strategic Logistics at the National Defense University]

Lieutenant General Claude V. "Chris" Christianson is the Senior Director of the Center for joint and Strategic Logistics at the National Defense University. Lieutenant General Christianson retired from the U.S. Army on 1 June 2008. His last position was the Director for Logistics, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. which he assumed his duties on 11 October 2005. Lieutenant General Christianson, a Distinguished Military Graduate of the Army ROTC program at North Dakota State University, was commissioned as an Ordnance Officer in 1971.

From 1971-1974, LTG Christianson was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas where he served as a Weapons Platoon Leader and later Executive Officer in the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry. He also served as a Shop Officer and the S2/3 (Operations Officer) in the 701st Maintenance Battalion. In 1974 he was assigned to Thailand for two years where he served as the Chief of Shop Operations with the United States Army Support Group in Samae San, and later as a Customs Officer with the JUSMAG-THAI in Bangkok. From 1977 to 1979, he was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington, as the Commander of a Forward Support Maintenance Company in the 709th Maintenance Battalion, and later as the Operations Officer in the Headquarters of the Division Support Command.

From 1979 to 1982, LTG Christianson was an Assistant Professor of Military Science at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. He served as the Army Guard Maintenance Programs and Policy Officer with the National Guard Bureau, Washington, D.C. from 1983 to 1986. He was then assigned to the Southern European Task Force in Vicenza, Italy where he served as the Director of Logistics for the 22nd Area Support Group for three years. LTG Christianson commanded the 725th Main Support Battalion, 25th Infantry Division (Light), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, from 1989 to 1991. In 1992, after completion of the Army War College, he returned to Hawaii as the Assistant Chief of Staff G4, 25th Infantry Division (Light).

In 1993, LTG Christianson was assigned as the Chief of the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) at the American Embassy, Rome, Italy where he served for two years. From 1995 to 1997, he commanded the 3rd, and later, the 1st Infantry Division Support Commands in Kitzingen, Germany. After command, he was assigned as the G4, Headquarters, U.S. V Corps in Heidelberg, Germany. After his selection to Brigadier General, LTG Christianson served for two years as the Deputy Commanding General for the 21st Theater Support Command in Kaiserslautern, Germany. From 2000 to 2002, he served as the Assistant Chief of Staff, C4/J4/G4 United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea/Deputy Commanding General (Support), Eight United States Army, Republic of Korea.

From August 2002 to July 2003, LTG Christianson was the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, Headquarters, Department of the Army with duty as Chief, Logistics, Coalition Forces Land Component Command, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Prior to arriving to the Joint Staff, he served for two years as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, Headquarters, Department of the Army.

January 2010: Brigadier General Kenneth D. Merchant

Brig. Gen. Kenneth D. Merchant is Director of Logistics, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. General Merchant provides policy and guidance to organize, train and equip aircraft maintenance, transportation, supply, and logistics plans units at 14 major active air installations in the U.S., and 17 en route locations around the world. He is responsible for 860 active aircraft, 8,200 vehicles and 24,000 people. He also assists in the readiness of more than 616 aircraft and 80,339 people in the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, providing total force augmentation to support flexible, global reach for America.

General Merchant was commissioned in 1980 through the Air Force ROTC program at Grove City College, Pa., where he earned a bachelor's degree in engineering management. He has been a program manager on numerous weapon system development and production programs including the F-22, E-3, Air Force One, KC-10, E 4, Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser, Sensor Fused Weapon, Joint Standoff Weapon, Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared System for Night, GBU-15 and the AGM-130.

The general has also served as Air Staff Program Element Monitor for the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, and executive officer to the Commander, Pacific Air Forces. He directed an Area Attack Systems Program Office, Contractor Logistics Support Aircraft Materiel Systems Group, and Battle Management Command, Control and Computer Systems Wing. His commands include the Airborne Warning and Control System and Airborne Early Warning Control Systems Group as well as the 551st Electronic Systems Wing at Hanscom AFB, Mass. Prior to his current assignment, he was Vice Commander, Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill AFB, Utah.View BG Merchant's NDTA presentation (pdf).

November 2009: Colonel Jeffrey Sick, Vice Commander, AFGLSC

Colonel Jeffrey R. Sick is the Vice Commander, Air Force Global Logistics Support Center (AFGLSC), located at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. An Air Force Materiel Command sustainment center, the AFGLSC executes the Air Force Supply Chain by integrating enterprise-wide planning and strategy with global command and control serving as the single focal point to the warfighter. The AFGLSC manages a $8.5B budget and is composed of over 4,200 personnel with operations at several geographically separated locations: the 448th Supply Chain Management Wing (Planning & Execution), Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma; 635th Supply Chain Management Wing (Operations), Scott Air Force Base, Illinois; and 591st Supply Chain Management Group (Strategy & Integration), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Col Sick was born in Urbana, New York. He received his commission in September 1987 as a graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at Boston University. He has served in a variety of logistics positions to include aircraft maintenance unit officer in charge, acquisition logistics analyst, program management officer, executive officer, squadron commander, joint logistics planning officer, deputy materiel group leader, and group commander. His experience spans a wide variety of logistics functions and duties at the national, theater, center, and unit levels. Prior to coming to the AFGLSC, Col Sick served as the Commander, 76 Commodities Maintenance Group at Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. View Col Sick's NDTA presentation (pdf).

October 2009: General Duncan J. McNabb, Commander, USTRANSCOM

Gen. Duncan J. McNabb is Commander, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. USTRANSCOM is the single manager for global air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense.

General McNabb graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1974. A command pilot, he has amassed more than 5,400 flying hours in transport and rotary wing aircraft. He has held command and staff positions at squadron, group, wing, major command and Department of Defense levels. During operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, General McNabb commanded the 41st Military Airlift Squadron, which earned Military Airlift Command's Airlift Squadron of the Year in 1990. The general commanded the 89th Operations Group, overseeing the air transportation of our nation's leaders, including the President, Vice President, Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense. He then served as Commander of the 62nd Airlift Wing. The wing's performance in 1996 earned the Riverside Trophy as the 15th Air Force's outstanding wing. He also commanded the Tanker Airlift Control Center and Air Mobility Command.

General McNabb's staff assignments have been a variety of planning, programming and logistical duties. These include serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs on the Air Staff and Chairman of the Air Force Board having oversight of all Air Force programs. He also served as the Director for Logistics on the Joint Staff where he was responsible for operational logistics and strategic mobility support to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense.  Prior to his current assignment, he was Vice Chief of Staff. View Gen McNabb's NDTA presentation (pdf).

[Excerpt from http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=6426].

September 2009: Carl Yount, General Director of Marketing and Customer Solutions for the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis

Carl served with the U.S Marines from 1965-1969. A Vietnam veteran, he also served as a Marine Corps Drill Instructor at Parris Island, SC and completed his military service serving as a Marine Corps Recruiter and Representative performing immediate family notification of our fellow Marines wounded or killed in action in the Republic of South Vietnam.

Carl has over 40 years in the railroad industry. He has 30 years with the former Conrail, 5 years with the CSXT and over 5 years with the TRRA. He has relocated 13 times in his railroad career.

Carl’s 40 years have been in the Customer Service and Transportation. He has worked on AAR/Rail Industry Committees including Car Management, Hazardous Materials, Demurrage, Reciprocal Switching and ISS. He also served as the Director for the Conrail National Customer Service Center transition to CSXT and Norfolk Southern. View Carl's presentation (pdf).

August 2009: Christi Turpin, PhD in Organization Psychology, Executive Director of the Warrior Integration Network (WIN)

WIN- the Warrior Integration Network St Louis based pilot program to connect and provide consistency of benefits/assistance to area reentry veterans. This network ties together service agencies – state, county, city and NFP- that offer assistance to veterans and their families. Our network includes major service providers in the area- city, county, schools, VA, St. Patrick’s, Corporate Partners and national organizations such as IAVA and Nat. League of Cities. We have the support of the Veterans Commission, Adjutant General Danner and other state agencies. Returning veterans face many issues. Among these are substance abuse issues, domestic violence, suicide, PTSD, unemployment and lack of housing. We know that our younger veterans are not utilizing their VA benefits and are struggling. In the 17- 44 age group there are over 26,000 veterans in the STL, St. Charles, Franklin, Jefferson and Warren counties that will need re- integration when they return from deployment. Currently there are over 300 homeless veterans in the St Louis area.

We are working to develop a Missouri task force on veterans re-integration and will be presenting our network approach to the VA Community Services and as part of the White House Commission on Veteran Reintegration.

June 2009: Mr. Rob Goodrich, Director, MRAP Supply Chain Operations in Afghanistan

March 2009: Major General Michael C. Gould, USTRANSCOM J3

[Editor's note: Gen Gould is now a Lt General and resides as Superintendent of the Air Force Academy. At the time of this speech he was the USTRANSCOM J3]

Maj. Gen. Michael C. Gould is Director of Operations and Plans, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. He is responsible for directing the deployment of forces, and the distribution of supplies and equipment for humanitarian, peace time and war time operations for the Department of Defense including joint training, exercises and war planning. In addition, he is responsible for force protection for USTRANSCOM and its components, and has operational control of the Defense Courier Stations located globally and the Joint Operational Support Airlift Center. He also provides associated policy guidance.

General Gould earned his commission and a bachelor's degree in behavioral science from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1976. He has commanded an operations group, an air refueling wing, an air mobility wing and the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center. He has also commanded the 3rd Air Force, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, and the 2nd Air Force, Keesler AFB, Miss. His operational and staff assignments include three tours at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, along with duty as an Air Force aide to the President and military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force. He served as the Director of Mobility Forces for Operation Joint Endeavor and as USEUCOM's Air Expeditionary Task Force commander for the deployment of African Union troops into the Darfur region of Sudan.

The general is a command pilot with more than 3,000 hours in a variety of aircraft.

[Excerpt from http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5596].

October 2008: Professor Don Bowersox, Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management at Michigan State

Dr. Bowersox is a University Distinguished Professor and Dean Emeritus of The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management at Michigan State University. Dr Bowersox retired from full time teaching after 40 years at MSU. He currently teaches Executive Education at the Broad School. During his career, Dr. Bowersox has served as an air force pilot and in various business and Board capacities. He currently serves as Chairman of the Whirlpool Corporation Supply Chain Advisory Board.

Dr. Bowersox has over four decades of experience as a consultant to business and government. He is a frequent presenter at professional, trade and corporate meetings. He has lectured and taught in over twenty nations. Dr. Bowersox has authored over 250 articles on marketing, transportation, logistics and supply chain management. He is author or co-author of seventeen books with fourteen foreign language translations. He was a co-author of the first logistics textbook published in 1961. He received a special commendation from the Society of Logistical Engineers (SOLE) for original publication of Logistical Management. In 2005, he received the society’s prestigious Armitage Medal for contribution to the logistics literature. His most recent book co-authored with Nick LaHowchic entitled “Start Pushing Your Chain! Leading Responsive Supply Chain Transformation” will be published in January 2008. Information is available at www.ogillc.com.

Dr. Bowersox serves on the editorial review board of the Supply Chain Management Review as well as several academic journals. A founding member and second president of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, Dr. Bowersox is the recipient of the council’s Distinguished Service Award and Founder’s Award. He has been recognized by Michigan State University as a Distinguished Alumni, and University Distinguished Faculty Member. The Broad School of Business at MSU designated Dr. Bowersox as a Distinguished Alumni. He was the initial recipient of the Broad School Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award. He was the recipient of the Harry E. Salzberg Honorary Medallion presented by Syracuse University.

July 2008: General Norton A. Schwartz, USTRANSCOM Commander

[Editor's note: Gen Schwartz is now the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. At the time of this speech he was the USTRANSCOM Commander]

Gen. Norton A. Schwartz is [now] Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. As Chief, he serves as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of 680,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the general and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President.

General Schwartz graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1973. He is an alumnus of the National War College, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a 1994 Fellow of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Seminar XXI. He has served as Commander of the Special Operations Command-Pacific, as well as Alaskan Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, and the 11th Air Force. Prior to assuming his current position, General Schwartz was Commander, U.S. Transportation Command and served as the single manager for global air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense.

General Schwartz is a command pilot with more than 4,400 flying hours in a variety of aircraft. He participated as a crewmember in the 1975 airlift evacuation of Saigon, and in 1991 served as Chief of Staff of the Joint Special Operations Task Force for Northern Iraq in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 1997, he led the Joint Task Force that prepared for the noncombatant evacuation of U.S. citizens in Cambodia.

[Excerpt from http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=7707].