Today, the Naval War College Foundation marked the dedication of the Andrew J. Zimbelmann Endowed Chair for Leadership, Ethics, and Character at the U.S. Naval War College.
Through a generous commitment from the Tony and Ann Ryan Family Foundation, the Zimbelmann Chair will provide long-term support for a senior faculty position dedicated to strengthening the College’s work to educate military officers and civilian leaders for the responsibilities of command and the challenges of national security decision-making.
“Our family is very pleased to support an institution that understands leadership as both a strategic and ethical responsibility,” said Tony Ryan. “This Chair stands as a commitment to the future of the U.S. Navy and Joint Force, to the enduring importance of ethical leadership, and to the belief that strong character is the ultimate strategic advantage. The newly endowed Chair stands as a tribute to Andrew J. (A.J.) Zimbelmann, a man whose life exemplifies strong values, ethics, and character. It also stands as a promise that future generations of officers will be shaped by the very principles that have guided A.J. throughout his remarkable career and in the finest traditions of the U.S. Navy.”
RADM Darryl Walker, USN, President of the U.S. Naval War College; Ann Ryan; CAPT George E. Lang, Jr., USN (Ret.), Naval War College Foundation President & CEO; Tony Ryan, A.J. Zimbelmann; and RDML A.B. Cruz III, USN (Ret.), Naval War College Foundation Chairman, cut the ribbon for the Andrew J. Zimbelmann Endowed Chair for Leadership, Ethics, and Character.
Since 1884, the U.S. Naval War College has educated military officers and civilian leaders to confront some of the most important questions in national security. At the center of that mission is a simple truth: effective leadership depends on sound judgment, ethical clarity, and strength of character. The Zimbelmann Chair will help keep these priorities anchored in professional military education for generations of leaders entrusted with public authority.
“This Chair reflects the Naval War College’s enduring responsibility to develop leaders whose judgment, discipline, and character guide the authority they exercise,” said RADM Darryl “D-Day” Walker, President of the U.S. Naval War College. “This investment will help ensure our students wield power with restraint, discipline, and moral clarity.”
The Zimbelmann Chair will help design and teach core and elective courses on ethical decision-making, command accountability, and character in operational, strategic, and policy contexts. Through scholarship, outreach, and convenings, the Chair will connect research to practice and help future military and civilian leaders exercise authority, assess risk, and make sound decisions under pressure.
The Andrew J. Zimbelmann Endowed Chair for Leadership, Ethics and Character honors a career defined by quiet leadership, careful judgment, and service to the nation. For four decades, A.J. strengthened the nation’s undersea forces through his work at General Dynamics Electric Boat, contributing to submarine programs vital to U.S. credibility and deterrence. Colleagues and Navy partners valued his ability to weigh risk carefully, make consequential decisions with discipline, and lead with integrity.
Zimbelmann family and friends pose with the ceremonial chair of the Andrew J. Zimbelmann Endowed Chair for Leadership, Ethics and Character.
“The Foundation is honored to steward this gift in a way that advances the College’s mission and honors A.J. Zimbelmann’s example,” said CAPT George E. Lang, Jr., USN (Ret.), President and CEO of the Naval War College Foundation. “We are grateful to the Tony and Ann Ryan Family Foundation for making a lasting investment in leadership education at the Naval War College.”
The College will begin the process of seeking qualified candidates to fill the Chair in the days ahead.
“The Zimbelmann Chair affirms a core principle of the Naval War College: leadership, ethics, and character are inseparable,” said RDML A.B. Cruz III, USN (Ret.), Chair of the Naval War College Foundation Board of Trustees. “We are deeply grateful to Tony and Ann Ryan for making a permanent investment in how leaders lead and for strengthening the College’s role as the Navy’s Home of Thought.”
The Naval War College Foundation gratefully recognizes the Tony and Ann Ryan Family Foundation for its generosity and A.J. Zimbelmann for his example of leadership and service. Their commitment reflects the Foundation’s mission to advance the U.S. Naval War College by investing in the leaders, ideas, and partnerships that help preserve peace, respond in crisis, and win decisively in war.
A.J. Zimbelmann, Ann Ryan, and Tony Ryan receive commemorative engraved pieces of slate, originally from the roof of the College’s Luce Hall.