WizeFEST^® 2008 Speakers

General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) The 65th Secretary of State of the United States of America General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) became the 65th Secretary of State on January 20, 2001. General Powell brought extensive experience with him to his office. Before becoming Secretary of State, Colin Powell served as a key aide to the Secretary of Defense and as National Security Advisor to President Reagan. He also served 35 years in the United States Army, rising to the rank of Four-Star General and serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989 – 1993).  During this time he oversaw 28 crises to include the Panama intervention of 1989 and Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

General Powell was also at the forefront of the administration's efforts to advance economic and social development worldwide – in the fight against HIV/AIDS, in the promise of the Millennium Challenge Account, the most significant change in helping needy nations since the Marshall Plan, and in pursuing a freer trading and investment climate worldwide.

Born in New York City on April 5, 1937, General Powell was raised in the South Bronx.  His parents, Luther and Maud Powell, immigrated to the United States from Jamaica.  General Powell was educated in the New York City public schools, graduating from Morris High School and the City College of New York (CCNY), where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Geology.  He also participated in ROTC at CCNY and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in June 1958.  His further academic achievements include a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University.

General Powell is the recipient of numerous U.S. military awards and decorations including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart.

General Powell's civilian awards include two Presidential Medals of Freedom, the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal.  He has received awards from over two dozen countries to include a French Legion of Honor and an honorary knighthood bestowed by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.

General Powell was the founding Chairman of America’s Promise-The Alliance for Youth, a national crusade to improve the lives of our nation’s youth.  Established at the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future in Philadelphia in April of 1997, and endorsed by every living U.S. President, America’s Promise aims to ensure all children in America have access to the fundamental resources needed to build and strengthen them to become responsible, productive adults.  He has also been a member of the Board of Trustees of Howard University and the Board of Directors of the United Negro College Fund.  The General also served on the Board of Governors of The Boys & Girls Clubs of America and was a member of the Advisory Board of the Children's Health Fund.

Since returning to private life, General Powell has become a strategic limited partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the renowned Silicon Valley venture capital firm.  He is also on the Board of Directors of Revolution Health Group, a company developing strategies for consumer-directed health care.  Powell is the Founder of the Colin Powell Policy Center at his alma mater, the City College of New York, and he is helping to raise funds for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC and for the construction of an education center for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  

General Powell is the author of his best-selling autobiography, My American Journey.