Guest of honor, Admiral Chris Grady, a native of Newport, Rhode Island and a graduate of The University of Notre Dame, is the twelfth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Nation’s second highest-ranking military officer.
In past assignments, he commanded USS ARDENT; USS CHIEF; USS COLE; Destroyer Squadron TWENTY-TWO; Carrier Strike Group ONE/USS CARL VINSON Carrier Strike Group; Naval Surface Forces Atlantic; and the US Navy's SIXTH Fleet, and concurrently Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO.
He most recently served as the Commander of United States Fleet Forces Command, based in Norfolk, Virginia where he was responsible for providing combat-ready forces forward to Numbered Fleets and Combatant Commanders around the globe in support of US national interests, and concurrently served as the Commander Naval Forces Northern Command, Commander Naval Forces Strategic Command, and the Strategic Command Joint Force Maritime Component Commander, and Commander Task Force Atlantic.
ADM Grady is the Navy’s “Old Salt,” recognizing his extensive knowledge and expertise as a professional mariner and as the longest-serving Active Duty Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy.
VIP moderator, Secretary Patrick J. Murphy is a historic enterprise-level leader passionate about instilling a ‘growth mentality’ culture, inclusive talent management, and world-class communication. As acting Secretary of the Army, Murphy was instrumental in achieving Army recruiting goals for the first time in five years, recruiting 120,000 Gen Z troops in 2016 & successfully implementing several Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Originally published at ndisc.nd.edu.