Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, a former chief of staff for the U.S. Air Force and now dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, will speak April 5 at Virginia Tech as part of the Cutchins Leadership Lecture Series.

Welsh’s address will be at 7 p.m. in Burruss Auditorium on the Blacksburg campus. The event is free and open to the public.

During his more than 40 years of service in the U.S. Air Force, Welsh developed his leadership skills both at home and around the world. He will use those experiences to speak about the continued importance of ethical leadership in a globally connected world, both in the military and in the public and private sectors, said Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart, commandant of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, which sponsors the lecture series.

Welsh’s military career included assignments as commandant of the U.S. Air Force Academy, associate director of military affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and NATO’s Air Command, and chief of staff of the Air Force.

Welsh retired from the Air Force on July 1, 2016, and joined the Bush School as dean and the Edward & Howard Kruse Endowed Chair. The Bush School offers graduate programs in public service. 

The Cutchins Leadership Lecture Series is part of the cadet Corps Lab curriculum, housed in the Pamplin College of Business.

The lecture series is named for the late Clifford A. Cutchins III, a former bank chairman and Virginia Tech Board of Visitors rector. A member of the Class of 1944, Cutchins received his degree in accounting as a member of the Corps of Cadets.

Public seating is available in the back of the auditorium behind the cadets, who have assigned seating in the front.

Free parking is available around the Drillfield, in the Perry Street lots, and in the Perry Street parking garage near Prices Fork Road. Find more parking information online, or call 540-231-3200.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Robin Atkins at 540-231-9457 or email atkinsrw@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 days prior to the event. 

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