Navy Seal and Humanitarian to Speak at The Holden Public Policy Forum @ Webster University
Eric Greitens Ph.D., past White House Fellow, Rhodes Scholar, Truman Scholar and currently enlisted Navy Seal will come present the topic “Building the Future; How Iraq, War and the Humanitarian Ethic are Shaping the Next Generation of American Leadership” on Wednesday, June 20, at noon at the Old Post Office in downtown St. Louis, 815 Olive Blvd. Greitens will be speaking as part of the Issues of the 21st Century Series presented by the Holden Public Policy Forum at Webster University.
Eric is also a United States Navy SEAL officer, and he has deployed four times during the Global War on Terrorism; to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, and Southeast Asia. He has served as the Commander of a Joint Special Operations Task Unit, Commander of a Mark V Special Operations Craft Detachment, and as Commander of an Al Qaeda Targeting Cell.
In 2005-2006, he was appointed by the President to serve as a White House Fellow. The White House Fellowship is a non-partisan, non-political appointment that each year brings together professionals from around the nation to serve the people of the United States while learning about leadership at the highest levels of government. It is considered America’s most prestigious fellowship for leadership and public service.
Holden Public Policy Forum @ Webster University events are held at the Old Post Office, where Webster University has a campus. Forum events take place in the third floor Missouri Courtroom of Appeals.
Eric Greitens was born and raised in Missouri and is a 1992 graduate of Parkway North High School. He was an Angier B. Duke Scholar at Duke University where he studied ethics, philosophy, and public policy. Selected as a Rhodes and Truman Scholar, he attended the University of Oxford from 1996 through 2000.
His research was driven by his humanitarian work in war zones, and his thesis, 'Children First', investigated the ways in which international humanitarian organizations can best serve war-affected children. He has worked as a humanitarian volunteer, documentary photographer, and researcher in Croatia, Rwanda, Zaire, the Gaza Strip, Albania, Cambodia, Mexico, Bolivia, and India. His award-winning documentary photographs were featured in the book, 'Community Strategies for Healing,' and his strong, compassionate photographs reflect the dignity and strength of human beings engaged in struggle.
Thanks to the support of AT&T, the speeches are broadcast live through the Holden Public Policy website, www.webster.edu/holdenppf. Students from across the globe are encouraged to send their questions to the speaker either before, during or after the speech. All forum events are free and open to the public but reservations are requested and can be made at www.webster.edu/holdenppf.
Issues of the 21st Century Series are topics that go beyond election cycles. They range from Global Warming to Healthcare Reform and beyond. Upcoming speakers include Peter Raven in October. Please check the website for specific lectures and times.
Former Missouri Governor Bob Holden and Webster University President Richard S. Meyers, created a bi-partisan lecture series bringing governors, senators, presidential candidates and private sector public policy leaders to St Louis to discuss key national and international issues.
Founded in 1915 and based in St. Louis, Missouri, Webster University is a non-profit, international university with a worldwide network of more than 100 campuses across the United States, Europe and Asia. The University enrolls approximately 20,000 students worldwide and offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs through the College of Arts and Sciences, the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts, the School of Business and Technology, the School of Communications and the School of Education. The University’s mission is educating students to be lifelong, independent learners in an ever-changing international society.
