Special Guest Presentation

October 26, 2023     
10:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. CDT

General John F. Kelly
U.S. Marine Corps (RET)

Kevin Woods
Moderator
President
Globe Food Equipment

Retired four-star Gen. John Kelly is a 45-year Marine veteran who headed the U.S. Southern Command, where he focused on U.S. border security, organized crime, terrorist organizations and drug traffickers in the Latin American region for more than three years. 

Born and raised in Boston, General Kelly enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1970 and was discharged as a sergeant in 1972, after serving in an infantry company with the 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Following graduation from the University of Massachusetts in 1976, he was commissioned an officer of the Marines. His years of military service included time as a lieutenant general, where commanded Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North. He was also senior military assistant to two secretaries of defense and was nominated for a fourth star and command of the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). 

Less than a year after retiring in 2016, General Kelly was offered the opportunity to serve the nation and its people again, now as the secretary of Homeland Security. After he and his family served a lifetime in service to the nation — and knowing no other life — the opportunity to serve again was welcomed. The U.S. Senate gave him and his family the great honor of confirming him on January 20, 2017, and he was immediately sworn in as the fifth secretary of Homeland Security. After six months, he was selected to serve as White House chief of staff, a position he held until January 2019. Kelly earned a reputation for being an aggressive enforcer of ethics, established Homeland Security policy, and, most importantly, the law.