James Stavridis

Admiral James Stavridis, USN, (Ret), PhD has served as a member of our board of directors since October 2021. Admiral Stavridis (Ret) attended the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, earned a PhD in international relations from The Fletcher School at Tufts, and spent 37 years in the Navy, rising to the rank of 4-star Admiral. Among Admiral Stavridis’ (Ret) many commands were four years as the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, leading the NATO Alliance in global operations and responsibilities included cybersecurity. He was the longest serving Combatant Commander in recent US history. In the course of his Navy career, he served as senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense. He led the Navy’s premier operational think tank for innovation, Deep Blue. Following his military career, Admiral Stavridis (Ret) served for five years as the 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. While Dean, he created a blended Master’s degree in cyber and international relations at Tufts. He is a nationally recognized cybersecurity expert and routinely teaches on cyber challenges and offers insights via speaking appearances. He is currently Managing Director and Vice Chairman, Global Affairs of The Carlyle Group and is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation. Admiral Stavridis (Ret) adds further global cybersecurity collaboration insights and depth of expertise to the Fortinet board of directors.