I am excited to announce that Admiral Thad Allen, USCG (Ret.), will be coming to Norwich University on Dec. 9 to speak as part of the Todd Lecture Series.
Adm. Allen is a retired United States Coast Guard admiral who served as the 23rd commandant of the Coast Guard. He is best known for his role directing the federal response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and most recently the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Todd Lecture Series is named in honor of U.S. Army retired Maj. Gen. and Norwich President Emeritus W. Russell Todd, ‘50, and his wife, Carol, in gratitude for their dedicated service to the University. With this series, Norwich reaches out to bring important, significant lecturers to campus. We seek speakers who will inspire students to lead ethical professional and personal lives.
I have known Adm. Allen since I was 18-years-old; we served together in the Coast Guard. Adm. Allen is a wonderful role model, and he will be an inspiration to everyone who comes to hear his talk.
The title of Adm. Allen’s lecture will be “Leading Through Crisis and Times of Change.” In this talk, he will explain how his leadership style won him the respect of government leaders who saw him as a man who confronted challenges by focusing the passion, energy and efforts of diverse groups toward achieving common goals.
Adm. Allen believes that leadership starts with bringing people together, agreeing on goals and creating a unity of effort to solve crises. By conveying the experiences and knowledge obtained during his distinguished 40-year Coast Guard career, Adm. Allen will help the audience understand that preparation and preventative readiness can ensure that you can manage a crisis before a crisis manages you.
Adm. Allen assumed the duties of the 23rd Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard on May 25, 2006. He previously served as the Coast Guard chief of staff and commanding officer in Washington, D.C., from May 2002 to April 2006.
In September 2005, Adm. Allen was designated the principal federal official for Hurricane Katrina response and recovery operations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He additionally served as principal federal official for Hurricane Rita response and recovery activities in Louisiana.
Prior to his assignment as chief of staff, Admiral Allen served as commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, Fifth Coast Guard District, and U.S. Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic in Portsmouth, Va., where he was the operational commander for all Coast Guard activities in an area of responsibility spanning five Coast Guard Districts, encompassing more than 14 million square miles and involving 26,000 military and civilian employees, and 27,900 Auxiliarists. Admiral Allen led the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area forces in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Norwich is fortunate to have a man of Adm. Allen’s stature come to campus. I encourage you to support the TLS and take advantage of this opportunity to hear Adm. Allen address the topic of successful leadership.