Welcome

The Marine Corps University Speakers Bureau outreach program offers professional scholars and experts to address civic organizations, schools, businesses, and other public groups.

Mission Statement

The Mission of the Marine Corps University Speakers Bureau is to offer speakers who are particularly educated and knowledgeable about certain subject matter or with experiences related to MCU’s mission and to educate and inform the public and sponsoring organizations about the Marine Corps, Marine Corps University, and its Professional Military Education (PME) continuum and educational programs.

Specific topics include but are not limited to PME curricula and other military-related academic subjects (i.e., military history and leadership), issues in education, and critical thinking.

PURPOSE

The purpose of MCU Speakers Bureau is to allow the Marine Corps University to share the expertise of its diverse faculty through community engagement by offering our faculty members the opportunity to provide their views over a broad range of informative topics during community events.

Contact Information

mcu_speakersbureau@usmcu.edu
2040 Broadway Street (Room 237), Quantico VA, 22134
(703) 432-4837

Speaker Requests

To request a speaker for your group, the MCU Speakers Bureau must receive your request, preferably 6-8 weeks before the event.   Please note that you will be required to accept our standard Terms and Conditions in order to submit a request. Please review these before making your request. Because the demand for MCU speakers is high, not all requests can be filled.

We ask for 6-8 weeks’ notice to give our Speakers adequate notice, ensure minimal disruption to their work schedules, and provide adequate advance notice to the requester that a speaker will or will not be available.  Please note, however, that because employee participation in the Speakers Bureau is on a volunteer basis, we cannot guarantee that all requests will be filled.

If you would like to schedule a speaker, please complete the Speaker Request Form and email it to Dr. Kimberly Florich at kimberly.florich@usmcu.edu.

Members and Topics

MCU Speakers are available to address groups on a variety of both national and international topics to include cultural, military, political, educational themes and more. To request a speaker, visit the Speaker Requests tab on this page.

 

Dr. Christopher Anzalone

Marine Corps University Research Assistant Professor, Middle East Studies

Topics

      •     Islam

      •     Middle East

      •     Africa

      •     Islamic History

      •     Islamic Political Thought

      •     Political Islam/Islamism

      •     Militant Islamism/Jihadism

      •     Political Violence & Terrorism

      •     Civil Wars & Insurgencies

      •     Non-State Actors

      •     Social Movements

      •     Religion & Politics; Sectarianism

      •     Rebel Group Governance

      •     Al-Qaeda & Affiliated Groups

      •     Islamic State (ISIS) & Affiliated Groups

      •     Al-Shabaab

      •     Jihadi Organizations & Movements

      •     Jihadi Propaganda & Media.

 

Dr. Brandy Lyn Brown

Marine Corps University Leadership Skills Communication Center Director

Topics

      •     Rhetoric - contemporary applications

      •     Rhetorical Analysis

      •     Writing Process and Skill Building

      •     Writing Assignment Design

      •     Providing Effective Feedback on Writing

      •     Feminism, Gender and Language.

      •     Writing for Recovery

      •     Reflective Writing

 

Mr. Grant Campbell

Marine Corps University Communication Assistant Professor, Expeditionary Warfare School

Topics

      •     Communication Studies

      •     Communication Theory

      •     Family and Children's Rhetoric

      •     Face Negotiation/Facework

      •     Communication with Adult Learners about Writing Deficiencies

      •     The Writing and Revision Process

      •     Grammar Skills/Remediation

      •     Storytelling as a Leadership Tool

      •     Crafting Classroom Seminars

      •     Classroom Management in an Adult-Learning Environment.

 

Dr. Richard Di Nardo

Professor of National Security Affairs, Command and Staff College

Topics

      •     American Civil War

      •     German Army of World War II Leadership

      •     Operational Art

 

Joseph F. Garbato

Federal Bureau of Investigation Chair, Marine Corps University

Topics

      •     Strategy

      •     Leadership

      •     National Security

      •     Federal Law Enforcement

      •     Private Sector Logistics

      •     Private Sector Operations Management

 

Mr. Keil Gentry

Marine Corps University Vice President for Business Affairs

Topics

      •     Leadership and Ethics

      •     National Security

      •     Marine Corps

 

Andrea Hamlen-Ridgely

Marine Corps University Leadership Communication Skills Center, Communications Assistant Professor

Topics

      •     Responding to student writing

      •     Developing effective writing assignments

      •     Grammar

      •     Information literacy

      •     Effective written communication

      •     Creative thinking

      •     Plagiarism 

      •     Adult learning theory

 

Dr. Megan J. Hennessey

Director, Academic Support Division

Topics

      •     Adult learning

      •     Instructional strategies

      •     Faculty development

      •     Problem-based learning

      •     The scholarship of teaching and learning

      •     Research methods

 

Dr. Todd Holm

Marine Corps University Professional Communication Instructor, Expeditionary Warfare School

Topics

      •     Boomers

      •     Gen X

      •     Millennials

      •     Gen Z

      •     Generational Friction

      •     Unconscious Bias

      •     Developing Presentational Skills

      •     Battling Speech Anxiety

      •     Conflict Management

      •     Train-the-Trainer

      •     Adult Learner Needs

      •     Grammar Remediation

 

Dr. James Lacey

Marine Corps University Matthew C. Horner Chair of War Studies

Topics

      •     Military History from Plato-to-NATO (all wars and all theaters of war)

      •     Great Power Competition and Conflict

      •     Military Strategy

      •     Maritime Strategy

      •     The Future of War

      •     Operational Art

      •     Senior Level Leadership in War

      •     Military Innovation and Adaptation

      •     Book Talks

      •     World War II

      •     Greco-Persian Wars

      •     Great Power Rivalry

      •     Decisive Battle

      •     the Roman Empire

      •     Great Generals at War

 

Dr. Lauren Mackenzie

Marine Corps University Professor of Military Cross-Cultural Competence, Command and Staff College

Topics

      •     Intercultural Communication

      •     Cross-Cultural Competence

      •     Interpersonal Conflict Management

      •     Creative Thinking

      •     Relationship Repair strategies

      •     The Role of Failure in Teaching and Learning.

 

Mr. Dave Major

Marine Corps University Portfolio Manager, Continuing Education Program, College of Distance Education and Training

Topics

      •     Marine Corps Design Methodology

      •     Organizational Complex Problem Solving

      •     Operational Art

      •     Strategy

      •     Developing Learning Organizations

 

Dr. Claire Metelits

Marine Corps University Associate Professor of Strategic Studies, Command and Staff College

Topics

      •     Teaching Security studies and International Relations in a military environment / curriculum development
regarding these topics

      •     Integrating gender / WPS efforts into the curriculum

      •     Teaching gender to a military/male-dominated audience

      •     Contemporary African Politics

 

Dr. Nathan Packard

Marine Corps University Assistant Professor of War Studies, Command and Staff College

Topics

      •     USMC History

      •     The Vietnam War

      •     US National Security Policy

      •     Civil-Military Relations

      •     Defense Reform

      •     Military Innovation

 

Dr. Eric Shibuya

Marine Corps University Professor of Strategic Studies, Command and Staff College

Topics

      •     Asia Pacific Security and politics

      •     China politics and military

      •     U.S. policy in Asia

      •     Southeast Asia and Oceania security issues

      •     postconflict reconstruction

      •     political violence and subversion

 

Gary Smith (SgtMaj USMC Ret)

Marine Corps University College of Distance Education and Training, RCI Enlisted Seminars, Quantico Region

Topics

      •     Military and Civilian Leadership Development

      •     Faculty Development

      •     General Military Subjects

 

Dr. Christopher S. Stowe

Marine Corps University Professor of Military History, Command and Staff College

Topics

      •     U.S. military history

      •     American Civil War and Reconstruction

      •     Antebellum America

      •     Gender and the military

      •     The Atlantic world

 

Dr. Craig Swanson

Marine Corps University Associate Dean of Academics, Command and Staff College

Topics

      •     American Foreign Policy

      •     American History

      •     History of Medicine

      •     International Relations

      •     Marxism

      •     Political Theory

      •     USN/USMC History

 

Dr. Amin Tarzi

Marine Corps University Director of Middle East Studies

Topics

      •     Middle East

      •     History and Historical Narratives

      •     Role of Justice in State-Building

      •     Counter- and Nonproliferation

      •     Track II Diplomacy

 

Dr. Paolo Tripodi

Marine Corps University Professor of Ethics and Ethics Branch Head, LeJeune Leadership Institute

Topics

      •     Leadership

      •     Ethics

      •     Military Ethics

 

Mrs. Stase Wells

Marine Corps University Leadership Communication Skills Center, Communications Assistant Professor

Topics

      •     Leadership Communication

      •     Effective Written and Oral Communication

      •     Global Citizenship Education

      •     International Education

      •     English as a Foreign Language Teaching Strategies

      •     Utilizing evidence-based practices from Mind, Brain, and Education Science in teaching and learning

      •     Global and International education

      •     Grammar workshops

      •     Conflict communication

      •     Blended family dynamics and step-parenting 

      •     Writing Process

      •     Grammar

      •     Global and Surface-level Revision Strategies

      •     Editing

      •     Time Management and Writing under Pressure

      •     Best practices: working with International Students

      •     Impact of stress on education and the learning process

      •     Speechwriting techniques

      •     Mind, Brain, and Education Science

 

Dr. Chris Yung

Marine Corps University Dean, Marine Corps War College

Topics

      •     Asia Pacific Security and politics

      •     China

      •     Chinese foreign policy

      •     Chinese military

      •     Chinese politics

      •     the South China Sea

      •     U.S. policy in Asia

      •     US policy to China

      •     Maritime Territorial Disputes

      •     US defense relations with allies and partners in the Asia Pacific

Terms and Conditions

The following terms must be followed for MCU participation at your event.

Fundraising, Promotional Activities and Endorsements

MCU Speakers may not participate in any activity that is associated with fundraising, promotional activities/endorsements, partisan political activities, either directly or indirectly in a manner that would create an appearance of USMC endorsement, affiliation, sponsorship or support of a particular entity, cause, or political belief. 

Event Organizer Documents

Any documents that the event organizer wants a Speaker or the MCU Speakers Bureau to sign must be submitted to the MCU Speakers Bureau in advance.

Discrimination

MCU Speakers may not participate in any activity in which any group has been unlawfully segregated or unequally treated on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, disability, religion, age, or sexual orientation.

Honoraria or Fees

MCU Speakers are not allowed to accept honoraria, stipends or fees for speaking.

Travel Expenses

Due to budgetary limitations, MCU may not be able to fund the travel for events requiring the speaker to travel 50 miles or more.  MCU does have the authority, however, to accept payment from other organizations for travel expenses to meetings for speaking engagements under 31 USC 1353.