Award-winning senior executive, national security professional, and veterans advocate with expertise in strategic planning and organizational management in federal government, the military, academia, non-profits, and the private sector, and with deep regional experience in China and East Asia. "Advancing democracy around the world is something that we are not just bystanders to; it is a natural outcome of what we do as educators. We are capacity builders: we are helping create the next generation of independent thinkers, making it harder for authoritarianism to flourish." (remarks at a CFR event)I ONLY ACCEPT CONNECTION REQUESTS FROM 1) PEOPLE I HAVE MET IN PERSON AND 2) STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, AND GRADUATES OF BARD COLLEGE NETWORK INSTITUTIONS AND THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF AFGHANISTAN. Describing yourself as a "thought leader" or "edu-preneur" will not cause me to make an exception. I do not respond to unsolicited business offers, except sometimes to point out when your marketing attempt has been particularly obtuse (for example, referring to potential students as "clients," assuming that "lead generation" is something I currently engage in, or otherwise immediately revealing that you don't know anything about the industry you propose to help me with).