General Jeffrey W. Foley to Keynote 2015 National Commencement

Union Institute & University is proud to announce that Jeffrey W. Foley will be our 2015 National Commencement speaker. Foley is President of Loral Mountain Solutions, LLC, and a retired U.S. Army Brigadier General. The National Commencement ceremony and reception will be held at the Cincinnati Hilton Netherland Plaza on Sunday, October 25, 2015.

Jeffrey W. Foley believes that learning to lead is a journey. Throughout his military career, as he progressed to the executive level in the Army, it became clear that his skills as a leader were more effective when he pursued a more deliberate approach to leading, applying what he learned through experience, professional development programs, and reading. He believes he can best serve others by sharing leadership lessons learned along the way, inspiring in people the desire to grow and make a difference.

His own journey began here in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was born and raised. He graduated from the United States Military Academy and retired as a brigadier general from the U.S. Army in 2010. He served for more than 32 years on active duty, culminating as the 34th chief of signal and commanding general of the U.S. Army Signal Center at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia.

While in the military, he served in leadership positions in constantly changing environments around the world, including Korea, Germany, the U.S., and Southwest Asia. Regardless of his geographic location, he continually focused on accomplishing the mission and creating positive climates for his people to learn and grow. As the Chief of the Army Signal Corps, he led the development of doctrine, strategic planning for future communications capabilities, and professional education, training, and leader development programs for the 60,000 communications and computer operations personnel in the Active, Guard, and Reserve Army.

Upon his retirement in 2013, he established Loral Mountain Solutions for one main purpose – to help people grow as leaders. The name pays tribute to his parents, Lorraine and Albert, along with highlighting his favorite analogy for leadership – the iceberg – with “berg” being the German name for mountain.

As president of Loral Mountain Solutions, General Foley serves a wide range of clients including small and large businesses, manufacturing, healthcare organizations, universities, non-profits, chambers of commerce, and the NCAA. He works with his clients to build and sustain high-performing organizations, shape cultures, develop and implement strategic plans, and refine the leadership skills of the executive team to enable a greater impact on the marketplace. He is a partner with the Ken Blanchard Companies, certified to teach Situational Leadership II, the most taught leadership development model in the world.

General Foley co-authored the book Rules and Tools for Leaders (4th Edition) with General Perry Smith. He holds master’s degrees in computer systems and national security & strategic studies. For more than 30 years he was an active member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, the Association of the U.S. Army, and the Army Signal Corps Regimental Association. He serves on the board of directors for Leadership Augusta, the Executive Board for the Georgia-Carolina Council for Boy Scouts of America, the Central Savannah River Area Alliance for Fort Gordon, and the National Board for Lead Like Jesus, an organization co-founded by Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager.

In 2008, he was awarded the “Key to the City” to his hometown – Mariemont, Ohio, He is a distinguished alumnus and a member of the Sports Hall of Fame for Mariemont High School, and an Eagle Scout.

It is an honor to welcome General Jeff Foley as the 2015 commencement speaker. His commitment to lifelong learning, service, and leadership mirrors Union’s ongoing mission to engage, enlighten, and empower adults as they pursue a lifetime of learning, service, and social responsibility.