The Alumni Speaker Series will wrap up the fall semester with a highly anticipated visit from Jason Yaley, A&S ’05 MPA ’06. Yaley works out of the Pentagon as strategy and policy advisor to the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—the second-highest ranking military officer in the U.S. Armed Forces. He will share his career story, offering advice on finding and being successful in government positions.
Yaley will speak on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Maxwell Auditorium. Refreshments will be served.
As a member of the vice chairman’s personal staff, Yaley is responsible for managing the strategic communication efforts of the Office of the Vice Chairman, including policy and messaging integration, strategic engagements and speechwriting.
He has previously served as a special assistant and speechwriter to the U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, as a counselor to the Commander of Air Combat Command, and as a staff member on the Air Staff, where he worked on communication planning and execution programs. He is also a lecturer on generational leadership and effective measures for managing a millennial workforce at military leadership forums across the country.
“While many of us take weekend trips to look at fall foliage, you’ll likely find Jason Yaley taking weekend trips to Afghanistan. His experiences, just five years since completing his M.P.A., are truly remarkable,” says Kim Brown, alumni programs coordinator. “Yaley was a real student leader on campus and is now making his mark in Washington, D.C., and beyond. I’m so excited for our students to have the chance to meet him and to learn from him. He clearly knows what it takes to be successful.”
Yaley holds an M.P.A. and certificate of advanced study in security studies from the Maxwell School, along with bachelor’s degrees in international relations and political science from the College of Arts and Sciences. He has completed additional study in crisis leadership, information warfare and public affairs and is currently a member of the Emerging Leaders Program at National Defense University’s Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Yaley’s event is free to attend and open to the public.
The Alumni Speaker Series is a collaborative effort of Career Services in the Division of Student Affairs, and the Office of Alumni Relations, which brings SU alumni back to campus each semester to share their career stories.
For more information about Yaley’s event, contact Brown at kmbrow04@syr.edu or 443-3616.
