A four-star general, Stan is the former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan and the former leader of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which oversees the military’s most sensitive forces. Stan was the founder of the Aspen Institute’s Franklin Project, a predecessor of Service Year Alliance.

He is also the author of the best-selling books, Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World and My Share of the Task: A Memoir. The son and grandson of Army officers, Stan graduated from West Point in 1976, beginning a 34-year career in the military. He retired from the military in 2010 and now serves on the board of directors for JetBlue Airways, Navistar, and the Yellow Ribbon Fund. He is also the chairman of the board for Siemens Government Technologies.

He is also a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, where he teaches a popular course on leadership. Stan co-founded the McChrystal Group in January 2011. Its mission is to deliver innovative leadership solutions to organizations which help them transform and succeed in challenging and dynamic environments.