School Welcomes Keen as Veterans Day Speaker

Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, in conjunction with the Emory Center for Ethics and Rollins School of Public Health will welcome Army Lt. Gen. P.K. (Ken) Keen to campus this Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2010.

As part of the Dean’s Speaker Series, Keen will speak to a group of high school JROTC cadets, veterans, Emory students, faculty and staff at 5:30 p.m. in Boynton Auditorium at Goizueta Business School.

As Commander of all U.S. forces in Haiti, Keen led the largest U.S. military operation in support of a foreign natural disaster.

“Goizueta is excited to have Lt. Gen. Keen speak to students and the community about leadership and the work of helping the Haitian people recover from such a horrific natural disaster,” said Larry Benveniste, Dean of Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. “We’re especially honored to host this event on Veterans Day and pay tribute to all the men and women in uniform who have fought – and continue to fight – for noble causes around the globe. This is just another way our school expands its understanding of the world.”

(Live video will be provided at the time of the event).

Keen also serves as the Military Deputy Commander of U.S. Southern Command, Miami. He is second-in-command of one of ten unified commands under the Department of Defense. Southern Command conducts military operations and promotes security cooperation throughout the 16 million square mile area of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Keen will address challenges in Haiti, including those faced in health, ethics and leadership.

Edward Queen, Director of the Initiative, Conflict, and Peacebuilding said Keen’s “leadership demonstrates the value and importance of the American military and the exercise of humanitarian and peacekeeping activities throughout the world.”

“Public health threats can represent a significant challenge to those providing military support and relief aid after a natural disaster,” added James W. Curran, Dean of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. “We look forward to Lt. Gen. Keen’s unique perspective on how the U.S. military strategy handled the public health crisis that arose after the earthquake in Haiti, and what efforts continue today. The Rollins School of Public Health is pleased to co-sponsor this lecture and to honor the courageous troops – past and present – who put themselves in harm’s way for the well-being of humanity.”