Corps’ Cutchins Leadership Lecture Series open to the public

From: Corps of Cadets

Endowed by a generous alumnus and named for another distinguished alumnus, Clifford A. Cutchins III ’44, the Cutchins Leadership Lecture Series brings to campus nationally known personalities who speak on the topics of leadership and ethics.

All Cutchins Leadership Lectures are open to the public. Guests are invited to sit behind the cadet regiment in Burruss Hall auditorium.

Fall schedule

Oct. 3 at 3:30 p.m.: Col. Kim “KC” Campbell (U.S. Air Force, retired)

Col. Campbell served for over 24 years as a fighter pilot and senior military leader. She has flown 1,800 hours in the A-10 Warthog, including more than 100 combat missions protecting troops on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2003, Campbell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism after successfully recovering her battle-damaged airplane after an intense close air support mission.

Campbell shares her inspirational story about a life changing combat experience while weaving in lessons about leadership, vulnerability, and courage. Her remarkable story demonstrates how leading with courage builds deeper relationships, inspires loyalty, and enables teams to perform at their best.

Oct. 31 at 3:30 p.m.: Former USS Cole commanding officer Cmdr. Kirk Lippold (U.S. Navy, retired)

Cmdr. Lippold was the commanding officer of the USS Cole when it came under a suicide terrorist attack by al Qaeda in the port of Aden, Yemen on October 12, 2000. During his command, he and his crew distinguished themselves by saving the American warship from sinking. This event is widely recognized as one of the most brazen acts of terrorism by al Qaeda prior to September 11, 2001.

Today, Cmdr. Lippold is a popular inspirational figure and leadership speaker who remains in high demand with Fortune 500 companies, leading financial institutions, top industry associations, the Department of State, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and state-level governments, both in the United States and internationally.

Nov. 14 at 3:30 p.m.: Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. David Bellavia (U.S. Army, retired)

Staff Sgt. Bellavia enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1999 from Buffalo, New York. On Nov. 10, 2004, he led his squad on a mission to clear insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq and in 2019, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions leading his squad that day.

Staff Sgt. Bellavia left the military in 2005 and cofounded Vets for Freedom, a veteran advocacy organization that sought to separate politics from the warriors who fight in the field. Their membership consisted of tens of thousands of veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2006 and 2008, he returned to Iraq as an embedded reporter where he covered the heavy fighting in Ramadi, Fallujah and Diyala Province. In 2007, he wrote a book, House to House, detailing his experiences in Fallujah.