General (Ret.) David H. Petraeus Joins Concordia Leadership Council

During his highly decorated, 37-year career in the United States Army, General Petraeus was widely lauded for his leadership of the Surge in Iraq, which reduced violence by over 80%, by his command of the organization that overhauled all aspects of preparation of U.S. Army units for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, and by his command of the coalition in Afghanistan, which halted and reversed the momentum of the Taliban and enabled the commencement of the transition of tasks to Afghan forces and institutions.

A graduate with distinction from the United States Military Academy who later earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University, Petraeus’ career was distinguished by significant achievements during numerous military roles and leadership positions, including service in Cold War Europe, Central America, the United States, Haiti, Bosnia, Kuwait, and Iraq and Afghanistan. His career culminated with six commands as a general officer, five of which were in combat.

Following retirement from the military, having been confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 94-0, Petraeus served as Director of the CIA, during which time the Agency played the central role in a number of significant achievements in the global war on terror, established an overarching strategic plan for the Agency, and initiated new investments in the Agency’s most important element, its human capital.

General Petraeus is now a Partner with the global investment firm KKR and the Chairman of the KKR Global Institute. He is also a Visiting Professor of Public Policy at the City University of New York’s Macaulay Honors College, a Judge Widney Professor at the University of Southern California, a non-resident Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, an Honorary Visiting Professor of the Strategy and Security Institute at the University of Exeter, and a member of the advisory boards of a number of veterans organizations.

He has been named one of America’s 25 Best Leaders by the U.S. News and World Report, a runner-up for Time magazine’s Person of the Year, and a Foreign Policy magazine top 100 public intellectual. He has also been decorated by 13 foreign countries.

On joining the Leadership Council, General Petraeus noted, “In a world that is confronting numerous economic, security, and geopolitical challenges, it is easy to default to narrow pursuit of national self-interest. However, it is increasingly imperative that we promote a coalition mindset that builds partnerships and personal connections that promote cooperation and collaboration to create a more sustainable and prosperous future. I look forward to working with the Concordia team to help foster relationships between the public and private sectors of society as these partnerships will be essential aspects of our country’s national and economic security in the years to come.”

“We are honored to have General Petraeus join the Concordia Leadership Council and, on behalf of everyone at Concordia, we would like to welcome him to the team. His deep expertise and knowledge in national security, international affairs and governmental organization is invaluable to us, and we look forward to working with him to continue to advance Concordia’s mission in supporting private-public partnerships for social and economic impact,” said Concordia Co-Founders Matthew Swift and Nicholas Logothetis.