Admiral James A. “Sandy” Winnefeld, U.S. Navy (Retired), graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and received his commission through the NROTC program.
Admiral Winnefeld began his naval service as a fighter pilot, flying the F-14 Tomcat during several deployments to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf regions, and serving as an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School, also known as TOPGUN. During this period, he also was senior aide to General Colin L. Powell. Later, he commanded NATO Joint Command Lisbon, Striking and Support Forces NATO, and the United States Sixth Fleet.
After serving as the Joint Staff Director of Strategic Plans and Policy, he assumed command of United States Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command. He retired in 2015 after four years serving as the ninth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nation’s number two ranking military officer.
Admiral Winnefeld is a senior non-resident fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also serves on several boards, including RTX, Molson Coors Beverage Company, Alliance Laundry Systems LLC, CEM Defense Materials and Enterprise Holdings, Inc.