Eric Greitens

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Eric Greitens
Born April 10, 1974 (1974-04-10) (age 34)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
Profession Navy SEAL
Public Speaker
Chairman
Military service
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service 2001 - Present
Rank Lieutenant
Unit NR USSOCOM 108
Commands Joint Special Operations Task Unit
Mark V Special Operations Craft Detachment
Al Qaeda Targeting Cell
Awards Bronze Star
Purple Heart
Combat Action Ribbon
Navy Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal

Eric Greitens, a Lieutenant in the US Navy SEALs, returned from Iraq in April 2007. Upon his return, Greitens visited and held conversations with wounded servicemen at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Through these conversations, Greitens came to believe that there was a tremendous demand by veterans for continued opportunities of service and leadership, as a civilian. Drawing on his experiences as a humanitarian aid worker, Navy SEAL, and White House fellow, Greitens seeks to offer these veterans a challenge in the form of 3-month fellowships offered by the Center for Citizen Leadership, a non-profit organization headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

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[edit] Education

Eric Greitens was born and raised in Missouri, where he was educated in the public schools. He was an Angier B. Duke Scholar at Duke University where he studied ethics, philosophy, and public policy. Selected as a Rhodes and Truman Scholar, he attended the University of Oxford from 1996 through 2000. There he earned a master’s degree in development studies in 1998, and a Ph.D. in politics in 2000. [1]

[edit] Humanitarian Aid

Greitens' research was driven by his humanitarian work in war zones, and his thesis, Children First, investigated the ways in which international humanitarian organizations can best serve war-affected children. He has worked as a humanitarian volunteer, documentary photographer, and researcher in Croatia, Rwanda, Zaire, the Gaza Strip, Albania, Cambodia, Mexico, Bolivia, and India. His award-winning documentary photographs were featured in the publication, Community Strategies for Healing, and his strong, compassionate photographs reflect the dignity and strength of human beings engaged in struggle.

[edit] Naval Career

Eric is a Lieutenant in the United States Navy SEAL, and he has deployed four times during the Global War on Terrorism: to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, and Southeast Asia. He has served as the Commander of a Joint Special Operations Task Unit, Commander of a Mark V Special Operations Craft Detachment, and as Commander of an Al Qaeda Targeting Cell. His personal military awards include the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

[edit] White House Fellowship

In 2005-2006, he was appointed by the President to serve as a White House Fellow. The White House Fellowship is an appointment that each year brings together professionals from around the nation to serve the people of the United States while learning about leadership at the highest levels of government. It is considered America’s most prestigious fellowship for leadership and public service.

As a White House Fellow, Eric was sent to assist with educational rebuilding efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.[2] Greitens also developed a new program for HUD, the Universities Rebuilding America Partnership (URAP)[3], to engage students, specifically those seeking degrees in architecture and engineering, in the continued effort to rebuild New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

[edit] Center for Citizen Leadership

Greitens used his combat pay from Iraq to start the Center for Citizen Leadership. The aim of the center is to provide fellowships to returning veterans—with special attention to wounded and disabled veterans—to engage in public service work in the United States. Eric currently serves as Chairman of the Center for Citizen Leadership.

[edit] Public speaker

Eric Greitens is a public speaker for the Leading Authorities Speakers Bureau. The following is a list of Eric's topics:[4]

•Leadership for Today
•The Next Generation of American Leadership
•A Community of Learning
•Service and the Humanitarian Ethic
•Leadership and Social Responsibility
•The Culture of Character: Building Strength Through Study and Service

Greitens' public speaking career also translates into the consulting field. In early 2008, Greitens lectured and consulted with the Baltimore, Maryland Police Department in their fight against gang violence and drugs. [5]

[edit] Other

Greitens is a Senior Fellow at the Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri. During the summer of 2008, Greitens will teach a course entitled "Leadership in Public Service."[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "About the Center for Citizen Leadership's Directors." Center for Citizen Leadership. Center for Citizen Leadership. 15 Apr 2008 <http://citizenleadership.org/directors.html>.
  2. ^ Hinman, Kristen. "Captain America." Riverfront Times 09 APR 2008 10. 15 APR 2008 <http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2008-04-09/news/navy-seal-eric-greitens-has-come-home-to-st-louis-to-help-fellow-iraq-vets/>.
  3. ^ "Volume 3 Number 5: Universities Rebuilding America." PD&R Periodicals: Research Works. 01 MAY 2006. PD&R Periodicals. 27 Apr 2008 <http://www.huduser.org/periodicals/ResearchWorks/may_06/RW_vol3num5t1.html>.
  4. ^ "Leading Authorities Speakers Bureau - Eric Greitens" Eric Greitens. Leading Authorities. 16 Apr 2008 <http://www.leadingauthorities.com/24413/Greitens_Eric.htm>.
  5. ^ "From the sidewalk up: Entire city police force gets retraining" Annie Linskey. Baltimore Sun. 18 May 2008 <http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-te.md.ci.training18may18,0,5306468.story?page=1>.
  6. ^ "Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs - Faculty" University of Missouri. 23 May 2008. <http://www.truman.missouri.edu/facultystaff/faculty.asp?FSID=227>.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links