Gen James N. Mattis, USMC, Retired.
Jim Mattis was raised in Southeastern Washington and graduated from Central Washington State College. He served over 40 years in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer, plus duty in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, as NATO Supreme Allied Commander, and as Commander of U.S. Central Command comprised of 250,000 U.S. and allied troops in combat across the Middle East and South Asia. Retiring in 2013, he was a Davies Family Scholar at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. Subsequently he served as the 26th Secretary of Defense from January 2017 through December 2018.

Mr. David Brooks
David Brooks became an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times in September 2003. He is currently a commentator on “The PBS Newshour,” NPR’s “All Things Considered” and NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He is the author of several books, including Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There, The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, The Road to Character, and The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life. He served as a senior editor at The Weekly Standard for 9 years, as well as contributing editor for The Atlantic and Newsweek. Mr. Brooks also teaches at Yale University, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

Dr. Christian Miller
Christian B. Miller is the A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University. He is currently the Director of the Honesty Project (honestyproject.philosophy.wfu.edu/), funded by a $4.4 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation. He was the Philosophy Director of the Beacon Project (www.moralbeacons.org), and the Director of the Character Project (www.thecharacterproject.com). He is the author of over 110 academic papers as well as Moral Psychology with Cambridge University Press (2021) and four books with Oxford University Press: Moral Character: An Empirical Theory (2013), Character and Moral Psychology (2014), The Character Gap: How Good Are We? (2017), and Honesty: The Philosophy and Psychology of a Neglected Virtue (2021).

Dr. Edward Brooks
Edward Brooks is the Executive Director of the Oxford Character Project at the University of Oxford. His research lies at the intersection of virtue ethics, character education and leadership development, with particular interests in character and leadership development in higher education and business organizations. At Oxford he leads a major interdisciplinary research project, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, on culture, character and leadership, focusing on the sectors of technology, finance, law, and business. He is the co-founder of the Oxford SDG Impact Lab and the Global Leadership Initiative, part of a multi-year project at Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program, and currently working on a book on research-based strategies for character development.

Dr. William Cochran
William Cochran is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at Harvard University, where he co-leads the Embedded EthiCS Teaching Lab—an interdisciplinary collaboration between philosophers and computer scientists that infuses computer science courses with lessons in ethical reasoning. Prior to coming to Harvard, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Computer Science with the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Northwestern University in 2020, specializing in Aristotle’s theory of moral education. He conducts research on both ancient Greek philosophy and the ethics of emerging technologies, and he connects these twin interests by thinking about what it means—and what it will take—for humans to flourish in the 21st century.

Dr. Dan Cervone
Daniel Cervone is Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He his Ph.D. in Psychology at Stanford. In addition to his position at UIC, Dan has been a visiting faculty member at the University of Washington and Sapienza University of Rome, a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and a Senior Research Assistant (currently) at the US Naval Academy. Dan’s primary research advances social-cognitive analysis of personality structure and dynamics, especially through his Knowledge and Appraisal Personality Architecture or KAPA model (Cervone, Psychological Review, 2004). In addition to journal articles, Dan has edited books, including The Coherence of Personality with Yuichi Shoda and Advances in Personality Science with Walter Mischel; and is author of the introductory text Psychology: The Science of Personality, Mind, and Brain. He also is Editor (and Foreword author) for the posthumous publication, A. Bandura (in press), Social Cognitive Theory.

Dr. Richard Lerner
Richard M. Lerner is the Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental Science and the Director of the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University. He completed his doctorate at the City University of New York in developmental psychology, and has more than 800 scholarly publications, including more than 80 authored or edited books. He was the founding editor of the Journal of Research on Adolescence and of Applied Developmental Science. The APS named him the 2020 James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award winner for lifetime outstanding contributions to applied psychological research. In February 2023, Pope Francis appointed Lerner to a second five-year term as a Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. His work integrates the study of family, school, and community-based programs in the promotion of positive youth development and youth contributions to civil society.

 
Lt Gen Chris Miller, USAF, Retired
Chris Miller currently works at the Air Force Academy’s Center for Character & Leadership Development, where he is the inaugural Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Chair for the Study of the Profession of Arms. He last served on active duty as the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs. During nearly 33 years as an active Airman, he also led planning, policy and strategy for U.S. Northern Command & NORAD; served as the senior USAF commander on the ground in Afghanistan; commanded the nation's only B-2 bomber wing; directed personnel assignments for 340,000 officer and enlisted Airmen; was defense policy adviser to the U.S. ambassador to NATO; and commanded flying units at squadron, group and wing levels. General Miller was a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and of the College of Naval Command and Staff, and holds an M.Phil. in International Relations from Oxford University.

Dr. James Giordano
James Giordano is Professor in the Departments of Neurology and Biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center, leads the program in Military Medical Ethics of the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics, and is Distinguished Fellow in Science, Technology and Ethics at the Stockdale Center of the United States Naval Academy. He is also Senior Fellow in Biosecurity, Technology and Ethics at the US Naval War College; Senior Science Advisory Fellow of the SMA Branch, Joint Staff; and serves as Director of the Institute for Biodefense Research. The author of over 300 publications, seven books, and 20 government whitepapers on neurotechnology, biosecurity, and ethics, he is Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Philosophy, Ethics and Humanities in Medicine. A former US Naval officer with designations as an aerospace physiologist, research physiologist and research psychologist, he served with the US Navy and Marine Corps.


Dr. Joshua Stuchlik
Joshua Stuchlik is Professor of Philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and was previously a fellow at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Notre Dame. His main areas of research include moral philosophy, just war theory, the philosophy of action, and epistemology. His book Intention and Wrongdoing: In Defense of Double Effect was published by Cambridge University Press in 2022. He has also published articles in journals such as the Journal of Moral Philosophy, Philosophical Studies, Synthese, and the Journal of the History of Philosophy.

Dr. Patrick Smith
Patrick Smith is Class of 1973 Fred Minier Resident Ethics Fellow at the Stockdale Center. Previously, he was Assistant Professor (with tenure) of Ethics and Technology in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Twente; a Postdoctoral Fellow at the McCoy Center for Ethics in Society at Stanford University; and Assistant Professor of Political Science and Global Studies at the National University of Singapore. He works primarily in social and political philosophy, especially on the intersection between global justice and emerging climate technologies, and on the application of just war theory to emerging military technologies. His work can be found in such journals as the The Monist, Journal of Applied Philosophy, Ethics and Information Technology, and others.
 
Dr. Yasmine Kalkstein
Yasmine Kalkstein is Lead Integrator of the US Military Academy’s Character Integration Advisory Group. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a focus on Learning and Cognition from the University of Minnesota. In 2018 she received a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award in 2018 and spent a year in Israel, working with the Center for Medical Decision Making. She was an Associate Professor of Psychology at Mount Saint Mary College, where she also served as Assistant Vice President of Academics, and Director of Faculty Development.

Dr. Peter Meindl
Peter Meindl is an Assistant Professor and Chair for Honor and Character Assessment at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His work focuses on moral and performance character formation and assessment. He is especially interested in the power of moral stories to inspire people to live lives of exceptional character.

Dr. Elise Dykhuis
Elise Dykhuis is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and a Data Analyst at the US Military Academy. Her research focuses broadly on individual pathways for character development among college students, and her work integrates the concept of character virtues with developmental theory and metatheory. She previously worked with Wake Forest University, where she directed assessment and empirical research related to character interventions in college and professional school settings, and also has consulted on various other character intervention projects in higher education.

Col Tony de Reya, MBE
Tony de Reya was appointed as the Royal Navy’s first Head of Conduct and Culture in November 2020. His early service included nuclear security, operational deployments to Northern Ireland and the Congo and amphibious deployments across Europe, Africa and Asia including the retrocession of Hong Kong in 1997. As 3 Commando Brigade’s Intelligence Officer he served in Afghanistan in 2002 and Iraq in 2003, and commanded a company of 40 Commando in Iraq 2004-2005. As a Colonel, he commanded a NATO 9-nation group to train, advise, assist and accompany Afghan partners. He is a Distinguished Graduate of USMC Command and Staff College and a panel member for Bath Spa University’s Centre for Ethics and Leadership. Appointed MBE for JCTTAT’s global Capacity Building operations, he was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service, NATO’s Meritorious Service Medal and US Bronze Star Medal.

Lt Col Stuart MacCrimmon, RM
Stuart MacCrimmon joined the Royal Marines in 2003 after graduating from Cardiff University with a M.Eng (1:1) in mechanical engineering. His Regimental Duty roles have included protecting the UK’s Strategic Nuclear Deterrent, leading a ship’s boarding team on HMS Monmouth and HMS Argyll in the Northern Arabian Gulf, ground-holding in Helmand Province on Op HERRICK 14, and a variety of worldwide deployments as a Company Commander with 45 Commando. On the staff his appointments have included Military Assistant to the Commandant General Royal Marines. In 2014 he served as the Operations Officer to 2nd Marine Regiment, US Marine Corps (USMC) in Camp Lejeune; and in 2019 he worked in the Ministry of Defence Head Office and oversaw capability balance of investment decisions for UK Strategic Command throughout the Integrated Review. He holds a M.Res (distinction) from King’s College London.

 
Dr. Tom Torkelson
Tom Torkelson serves as the Deputy Director, U.S. Air Force Academy Center for Character and Leadership Development (CCLD), where he is responsible for executive-level management of the Center’s mission to advance the understanding and practice of character and leadership development for 4,000 cadets and permanent party. He served previously as an assistant professor in the US Air Force Academy’s Department of Military and Strategic Studies; as Wing Commander of the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall; as Vice Wing Commander of the 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base; and as Speechwriter to Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh III. He has accumulated over 4,800 flight hours primarily in the KC-135R and C-21A, including over 300 combat support hours in Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector.

Mr. Adam Silver
Adam Silver supports the Research and Scholarship Division at the Center for Character and Leadership Development as an Assessment Analyst. In this role, he is responsible for the design and administration of various assessments used to measure the scope of leadership and character development in faculty and cadets at the United States Airforce Academy. Adam joined the CCLD in 2018 after completing his Master’s degree in Psychological Science research. He has worked on many published projects, and currently has works submitted to research journals for publication.

Mr. Jon Heller
Jon Heller has been developing leaders of character at the United States Coast Guard Academy as both an active-duty officer and later as a federal civil servant for over 25 years in the academic classroom, the military barracks, the service-wide reaching leadership training command, and now as the Director of the Admiral James M. Loy Institute for Leadership responsible for systemically integrating the leadership development efforts across the academic, military, and athletic programs. The Coast Guard Academy is one of nine pilot institutions for the Carnegie Foundation’s Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose.

Major Ayelet Berkovich
Ayelet Berkovitz is Head of Senior Ranks Assessment at the Israeli Defense Force’s Behavioral Science Center. An occupational psychologist, she has spent the past 12 years administering and overseeing a wide variety of IDF selection and assessment processes. In her current position, she leads the assessment of senior leadership potential. Her previous positions include Head of the junior rank selection process for officer training, Head of selection section at the Computer Service Directorate, and Head of career management & Occupational Counseling. Major Berkovitz holds an M.A in Social-Organizational Psychology from Bar-Ilan University, and has instructed courses at the IDF College of Behavioral Sciences.

Dr. Shani Almog
Shani Almog is Head of Research at the Israeli Defense Force’s Military Leadership Development School. A behavioral science researcher, she has been dedicated to exploring the intricacies of military leadership for over 12 years. In her current position, she is responsible for overseeing knowledge development and conducting research studies that focus on various aspects of military leadership, such as junior level leadership, shared leadership, and military leadership assessment. Her contributions to the field have been substantial, including her participation in the editing of a book by former Chief of General Staff, Aviv Cochavi. Dr. Almog holds a PhD in Organizational Psychology from Bar-Ilan University, and two Master's degrees in Sociology and Psychology from the same institution.

CAPT Andrew Ledford, USN
Andrew Ledford is a Permanent Military Professor of leadership in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the US Naval Academy. He teaches the Naval Leadership core course and offers an elective course entitled “Code of the Warrior.” Additionally, he is the Officer Representative for the Lightweight Crew Team and Naval Academy Men’s Varsity Water Polo Team. He also serves as a member of the Naval Academy’s Institutional Review Board and the Middle East Forum. Captain Ledford graduated from Princeton University with a Ph.D. in Sociology, received his Master’s Degree in International Relations from the Naval War College, and is a 1995 graduate of the Naval Academy.

Dr. Celeste Raver
Dr. Raver is the Timothy and Susanne Sullivan Director of Influencer Development at the Stockdale Center. Prior, she served as the Class of 1967 Leadership Research Fellow in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the US Naval Academy. She has published numerous articles and chapters on leader and leadership development, resilience and grit in individuals, teams and organizations, and the dynamic nature of organizations; and has presented at national and international conferences. Dr. Raver obtained her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, holds a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

CDR Michael Good, USN, Retired
Michael Good is the Robert T. Herres Distinguished Military Professor of Ethics at the US Naval Academy. He holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Biola University (2007), and will conduct a defense for a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Maryland. A retired Surface Warfare Officer, he completed multiple deployments in the Western Pacific and Middle East; and served as Surface-Strike Section Head on the CNO’s Staff, Assistant Professor of Naval Science at the University of Southern California’s Naval ROTC Unit, and Permanent Military Instructor for leadership and ethics at the US Naval Academy.

CDR Aaron Brown, USN
Aaron Brown graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2001, was commissioned into the US Marine Corps, and served four years as an infantry officer with First Battalion, Third Marines in Kaneohe Bay Hawaii. In 2005 he transitioned into the US Navy and completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in Coronado, California. From 2006 to 2011, he served his Third Officer-in-Charge, Assistant Officer-in-Charge and SEAL Platoon Commander tours at SEAL Team FIVE in San Diego. From 2011 to 2017, he served in assault and operations roles at NSWTACDEVRON THREE and as Executive Officer of NSWTACDEVRON TWO. From 2018 to 2019 he served as the Joint Special Operations Command Liaison to the Pentagon. He was the commanding officer of NSWTACDEVRON THREE from 2020 to 2022. He holds Master's degree in Defense and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.

Master Chief Deryck Dickerson, USN
Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Deryck Dickerson, a native of Indianapolis, serves the U.S. Navy at Naval Special Warfare Center (NSWCEN), which provides initial assessment and selection and subsequent advanced training to the Sailors who make up the Navy’s SEAL and Special Boat communities. His previous duties include command master chief for SEAL TEAM 3.