General James T. Conway retired from active duty in 2010 after serving our nation for 40 years. Since then, he has joined and consulted for numerous corporate and non-profit boards, including Textron Inc., Colt Defense and General Dynamics. He also co-chairs the Energy Security Leadership Council (Securing America’s Future Energy), a non-partisan energy policy think tank.

Prior to his retirement, General Conway served as the 34th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps for four years. As Commandant, he served as the senior uniformed Marine responsible for the organization, training, and equipping of over 250,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel throughout the United States and overseas, as well as the management of the $40 billion annual Marine Corps budget.

Prior to becoming Commandant, General Conway served for four years on the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Senior Operations Officer in the U.S. military, where he oversaw the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Conway functioned as a military advisor to the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, and the President.

During his tenure, the Marine Corps experienced growth of 27,000 additional personnel, undertook major military construction efforts at bases and stations throughout the U.S., and integrated multiple next-generation weapons systems into its inventory. General Conway initiated new programs for the care of wounded warriors and brought Marine Corps family programs onto a war-time footing.

Among his numerous leadership positions, General Conway served as Commanding General of 1st Marine Division, and he was the commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force during two combat tours in Iraq, with 90,000 troops under his command, including Marines, soldiers, sailors, and British forces. He took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and First Battle of Fallujah.

General Conway graduated with honors from The Basic School, the U.S. Army Infantry Officers Advanced Course, the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the Air War College. He was born in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas and graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1969. He was commissioned as an infantry officer in 1970.

General Conway serves as Chairman of our Compensation Committee.