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General Robert H. Reed, U.S. Air Force (ret.) is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and a veteran. You should know his story, because it’s a Syracuse University story—one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

Robert Harvey Reed was born in Elkhorn City, Kentucky on October 10, 1929. Reed launched his Air Force career as an aviation cadet in 1952 at a time in our history when demand for pilots was greatly outpacing the supply.

Reed completed his initial pilot training in Arizona in 1952, which earned him a commission as a Second Lieutenant and a seat at the F-94C All-Weather Fighter-Interceptor School in Georgia the following year. His first duty station was New Castle Air Force Base in Delaware with the 332dnd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. Over the next decade or so, Reed was assigned to several fighter squadrons at locations including Ladd AFB in Alaska, Bunker Hill AFB in Indiana, South Dakota, British Columbia, and Griffiss AFB in New York. While stationed in New York, he balanced flying F-101B Voodoo aircraft and attending Syracuse University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations in 1959.

Reed graduated from the Air War College in June 1972, following numerous assignments from California to Florida to Vietnam, logging 6,100 flying hours on seven different fighter aircraft, and completing a Master of Public Administration degree at George Washington University. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the Headquarters of the US Air Force in Washington, D.C. as Chief of the Doctrine Development Branch. There he served in a variety of key leadership roles in the Air Force before becoming the Air Force Assistant Vice Chief of Staff, subsequently, the Air Force representative for the United States Delegation to the Military Staff Committee at the United Nations. In 1986, Reed was honored with a promotion to the rank of General (four-star) and appointment as Chief of Staff for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in the final years of the Cold War. At SHAPE, Reed led a staff of 2,800 allied officers across 16 NATO nations. General Reed retired from the Air Force in 1988 after completing 35 years of distinguished service. 

Demonstrating a continued commitment to public service, Reed joined the Myrtle Beach Air Base Redevelopment Authority as vice chairman. On the topic of leadership, Reed stated, “One of the key qualities is the ability to motivate people. You have to be able to communicate and convince people of the importance of mission, and get them to buy into it. The other thing is to always operate with a sense of fairness in the treatment of people, because if you begin to show any kind of favoritism that can destabilize morale. The third thing is maintaining high standards of discipline, conduct, and ethics—you can’t compromise on those.”

General Reed has received extensive recognition for his accomplishments as an Air Force pilot and senior leader, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal. He even has a stretch of highway named after him—the General Robert H. Reed Highway in his home state of Kentucky.

General Robert H. Reed, U.S. Air Force (ret.) is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.

Louis J. Giuliano is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and also a military veteran. You should know his story, because it’s a Syracuse University story—one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

Louis J. Giuliano is a man of principle and an American businessman who graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry (’68) and Master of Business Administration in Marketing (’69) from the Whitman School of Management. Giuliano is also a U.S. Army veteran who made the rank of First Lieutenant and served honorably in Vietnam.

In the business world, Mr. Giuliano began working with the Aerospace group at Allied Signal. He served at Allied for nearly 20 years and rose to President of the Avionics Systems Group, responsible for seven operating units nationwide. In 1988, Mr. Giuliano joined ITT as Vice President of Defense Operations and, in 1991, became President of ITT Defense and Electronics, a position he filled for another eight years. As President and CEO of the ITT Defense and Electronics department, Mr. Giuliano received an important contract in 1997 with the U.S. Army’s Communications and Electronics Command. This partnership would transform tactical communications with the development and implementation of a new U.S. Army combat radio, the SINCGARS. Then, from 2001 to 2004, he led ITT Industries as Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. During his tenure, his chief priority was to improve operating performance and he oversaw significant increases in ITT’s market capitalization (250%) and stock price (170%).

In November 2004, former President George W. Bush appointed Mr. Giuliano to governor of the U.S. Postal Service. The Senate confirmed him in 2005 to serve a full nine-year term.

Mr. Giuliano attributes his time in the service for his success in the corporate world. He stated in a USA Today article about fellow veteran corporate leaders, “there is debate over whether it was combat or military training that gave them a leadership edge. The military teaches the responsibility of serving, not just fulfilling your own needs.”

Currently, Mr. Giuliano serves as Non-Executive Chairman of Vectrus, a leading provider of global service solutions in areas of Infrastructure Asset Management, IT, and Network Communication services, and Logistics and Supply Chain Management Services. He is also Senior Advisor to The Carlyle Group and is the Operating Executive to the Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, and Transportation and Industrial Groups. He is actively involved with the CEO Forum and the Advisory Board for the Princeton University Faith and Work Initiative. In addition, he is the Founder of Workforce Ministries, Honorary Chairman of the Westchester County Red Cross Armed Force Emergency Services, and he holds several other board positions for organizations including Accudyne Industries and Meadowkirk Retreat Center.

Notably, Mr. Giuliano is also a sponsor of Syracuse University’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) based out of the Whitman School of Management and Institute for Veterans and Military Families. Mr. Giuliano is married to his wife Barbara and they have two daughters and six grandchildren.

Louis J. Giuliano is an alumnus of Syracuse University and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.

Sean O’Keefe is an alumnus of Syracuse University and also the former acting Secretary of the Navy. You should know his story, because it’s a Syracuse University story—one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

Sean O’Keefe was born to Patricia Carlin and Patrick Gordon O’Keefe in Monterey, California. As the son of a naval engineer, O’Keefe moved around often as a child. Following his high school graduation in Connecticut in 1973, O’Keefe attended Loyola University in New Orleans. He graduated four years later with a Bachelor of Arts in 1977. But rather than taking a little personal time before jumping into his career, O’Keefe immediately proceeded to Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs to continue his studies in its intensive, yearlong Master of Public Administration program.

Mr. O’Keefe entered public service as a budget analyst for the Department of Defense (DoD) shortly after earning his M.P.A. in 1978. He later joined the Senate staff, working on the Senate Committee on Appropriations for eight years before taking over as staff director of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. O’Keefe eventually moved back to DoD as its Comptroller and CFO in 1989. Notably, from 1992 to 1993, O’Keefe served as the acting Secretary of the Navy under President George H.W. Bush. Later during President George W. Bush’s first term, Sean served as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget for a year and then as the NASA Administrator from 2001-2004.

Between these impressive government postings, O’Keefe held a number of significant positions in higher education and the private sector. Following his term as acting Secretary of the Navy in the mid-1990s, O’Keefe joined the business school faculty at Pennsylvania State University. He then rejoined the Maxwell School of Syracuse University as the Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy where he taught for six years and directed the Maxwell School’s National Security Studies Program.

Following his terms at OMB and NASA, O’Keefe served for three years as Chancellor of Louisiana State University from 2005 to 2008. He then served as a vice president with General Electric for a year before taking over as Chairman and CEO of EADS North America (now Airbus North America) in 2009, a role he served in through 2014. Luckily, Mr. O’Keefe has returned to Syracuse University—yet again—as its 17^th University Professor and the Phanstiel Chair of Strategic Management and Leadership. He concurrently serves as a Distinguished Senior Advisor with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.

O’Keefe is a recipient of numerous awards in recognition of his extraordinary public service career. These include, among others, the Distinguished Public Service Award, the Navy Public Service Award, Syracuse University’s George Arents Award and Chancellor’s Award for Public Service, and five honorary doctorates.

Sean O’Keefe is an alumnus of Syracuse University and also the former acting Secretary of the Navy. You should know his story.

Donald S. MacNaughton, Jr. is an alumnus of Syracuse University, and also a military veteran. You should know his story, because it’s a Syracuse University story—one that speaks to our past, our present, and our future.

Born July 14, 1917 in Schenectady, NY, MacNaughton attended Syracuse University on a basketball scholarship and received his bachelor’s degree in 1939. Not long after graduation, McNaughton joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and served in the South Pacific during World War II. Naturally, at war’s end, 1st Lieutenant McNaughton returned to Syracuse University to earn a law degree in 1948.

McNaughton launched his career as an attorney just north of Syracuse in Pulaski, NY. After six years, he took a position with Prudential as an associate legal counsel and eventually rose to become its 10^th President and Chief Executive Officer. During his leadership tenure, Prudential expanded its real estate investments, diversified into auto and home insurance, plunged into the international marketplace ahead of its competitors, and tripled annual sales in life insurance to $43 billion.

In 1978, after serving as CEO for nine years, MacNaughton left Prudential to lead the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA Inc.), one of the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chains. Later in 1982, MacNaughton stepped down as its president, though stayed on as chairman of HCA’s executive committee. MacNaughton also served on the boards of HealthTrust and Mountain View Hospital, Inc. and was a Syracuse University College of Law trustee from 1977-2002.

In addition to his wide recognition as a prominent leader in the insurance and health care industries, Donald S. MacNaughton, Jr. received numerous Syracuse University and national honors. He received Syracuse University’s Letter Winner of Distinction for basketball in 1968 and, a year later, the George Arents Pioneer Medal, SU’s highest alumni award. McNaughton also received an honorary degree from Saint Peter’s University in 1976. In 1979, he was nominated as an advisory member of the National Commission on Social Security, a study charged by Congress and comprised entirely of private citizens to evaluate social security system.

Beyond his storied career, MacNaughton and his family have left a permanent mark on Syracuse University. His legacy lives on through his children and grandchildren, two of which (Donald and David) are also highly successful Syracuse University graduates. In addition, SU’s Winifred MacNaughton Hall was dedicated in his wife’s name in 1998.

Donald S. MacNaughton, Jr. is an alumnus of Syracuse University and a veteran of the U.S. military. You should know his story.