Presented to
Admiral James G. Stavridis, USN (Ret.)
Admiral James Stavridis is Partner and Vice Chair, Global Affairs of The Carlyle Group and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation, following five years as the 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. A retired 4-star officer in the U.S. Navy, he led the NATO Alliance in global operations from 2009 to 2013 as Supreme Allied Commander with responsibility for Afghanistan, Libya, the Balkans, Syria, counter piracy, and cyber security. He also served as Commander of U.S. Southern Command, with responsibility for all military operations in Latin America from 2006-2009. He earned more than 50 medals, including 28 from foreign nations in his 37-year military career.
Earlier in his military career he commanded the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet, winning the Battenberg Cup, as well as a squadron of destroyers and a carrier strike group – all in combat. In 2016, he was vetted for Vice President by Hillary Clinton and subsequently invited to Trump Tower to discuss a cabinet position in the Trump Administration.
Admiral Stavridis earned a PhD in international relations and has published twelve books and hundreds of articles in leading journals around the world, including the recent novel “2034: A Novel of the Next World War,” which was a New York Times bestseller and “To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and The Crucible of Decision.” His 2012 TED talk on global security has close to one million views. Admiral Stavridis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and Chief International Security Analyst for NBC News.
Program Participants
Lawrence “Larry” Di Rita
Master of Ceremonies
Larry Di Rita is Bank of America’s Market President for Greater Washington, D.C., responsible with the market leadership team for delivering capabilities and services to companies, families, and individuals in Washington, D.C., and the surrounding region in Maryland and Virginia. He and the team direct Bank of America’s resources to address social and economic priorities and help strengthen the communities Bank of America serves. Larry also co-leads the Strategy and Public Policy team for Bank of America; he previously led the company’s External Affairs team.
Larry joined Bank of America in 2006 following public service, most recently as special assistant to the Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006. While at the Pentagon, he led the Office of Legislative Affairs and the Office of Public Affairs, and was chief spokesman for the Department of Defense. Prior to joining the Department of Defense, Larry served as legislative director, then chief of staff, for Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas. Earlier roles included deputy director of foreign policy and defense studies at The Heritage Foundation, a think-tank in Washington, D.C., and policy director of the Phil Gramm for President Campaign.
Larry served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, including seagoing and shore-based assignments in the United States and abroad before completing active duty in the Directorate of Strategic Plans and Policy, The Joint Staff. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy and a Master of Arts from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
A longtime resident of the D.C. area, Larry is a director of The Rumsfeld Foundation and of the U.S. Navy Memorial, and is on the board of advisors for the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).
David M. Rubenstein
Fireside Chat Moderator
David Rubenstein is Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Board of Carlyle. Previously, he served as Co-Chief Executive Officer. Rubenstein is a Baltimore native and is the Chairman, CEO, and principal owner of Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles.
Prior to forming Carlyle in 1987, Rubenstein practiced law in Washington, D.C. with Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge LLP (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP). From 1977 to 1981, Rubenstein was Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. From 1975 to 1976, he served as Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments. From 1973 to 1975, Rubenstein practiced law in New York with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
Among other philanthropic endeavors, Rubenstein is Chairman of the Boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Gallery of Art, the Economic Club of Washington, and the University of Chicago; a Trustee of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Institute for Advanced Study, the National Constitution Center, the Brookings Institution, and the World Economic Forum; and a Director of Moderna, Inc., the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Rubenstein is a member of the American Philosophical Society, Business Council, Harvard Global Advisory Council, Madison Council of the Library of Congress, Board of Dean’s Advisors of the Business School at Harvard, Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, and Board of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community.
Rubenstein is a magna cum laude graduate of Duke University, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. Following Duke, he graduated from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was an editor of the Law Review.
Event Details
Friday, November 8, 2024
6 p.m.: Reception
7:30 p.m.: Dinner and program
Attire: Black tie (optional) or service equivalent
Location
New York Yacht Club
37 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
About the Sentinel of the Sea Award
The Sentinel of the Sea Award is the highest honor presented by the Naval War College Foundation to distinguished American citizens representing the traditions and values of the U.S. Naval War College. Recipients of the award exemplify the U.S. Navy motto, Non Sibi Sed Patriae / Not Self but Country. Awardees have demonstrated a sustained commitment to maintaining our Nation’s security, liberty, and strength.
For event information, please contact:
Shawna McGeown
Director of Special Events
shawna.mcgeown@nwcfoundation.org