Admiral James Stavridis (F83, FG84) is an Operating Executive of The Carlyle Group, following five years as the 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. A retired 4-star officer in the U.S. Navy, he led the NATO Alliance in global operations from 2009 to 2013 as Supreme Allied Commander with responsibility for Afghanistan, Libya, the Balkans, Syria, piracy, and cyber security. He also served as Commander of U.S. Southern Command, with responsibility for all military operations in Latin America from 2006 to 2009. The Admiral spent over half of his Navy career operating in the western Pacific and is a leading expert on the issues of the South China Sea. Admiral Stavridis earned a Ph.D. in International Relations and has published eight books and hundreds of articles in leading journals around the world. Admiral Stavridis is a monthly columnist for TIME Magazine and Chief International Security Analyst for NBC News.