HIGH POINT, N.C., June 9, 2014 – Gen. Colin Powell, former secretary of state, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and national security advisor, has joined a newly formed board at High Point University, the National Board of Advisors.
HPU’s National Board of Advisors will be comprised of Fortune 500 CEOs, thought leaders, and distinguished visionaries who have positively impacted the United States and the world in significant ways.
“Gen. Powell’s trusted wisdom and solid values will add measurably to our National Advisory Board,” says Dr. Nido Qubein, HPU president. “Beyond his distinguished career where he worked with four different U.S. presidents, his commitment to our nation’s youth through the America’s Promise Alliance is commendable.”
For more than 50 years, General Colin L. Powell has devoted his life to public service. Having held senior military and diplomatic positions across four presidential administrations, Powell’s deep commitment to democratic values and freedom has been felt throughout the world.
The son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell was born in Harlem and was raised in the South Bronx. He attended the City College of New York where he earned a Bachelor of Science in geology. He also joined the ROTC program at CCNY, where he discovered his calling and launched his military career. He received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in 1958, and went on to serve in the United States Army for 35 years, rising to the rank of four-star general.
From 1987-1989, Powell served as President Ronald Reagan’s national security advisor. He served from 1989-1993 as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for both President George H.W. Bush and President Bill Clinton. He was not only the youngest officer and first ROTC graduate to ever serve in the position, but also was the first African-American to do so.
Powell joins another distinguished member on the National Advisory Board – Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Wozniak helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple’s first line of products, the Apple I and Apple II, and influenced the popular Macintosh. In 1976, Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer Inc. with Wozniak’s Apple I personal computer. The following year, he introduced his Apple II personal computer, featuring a central processing unit, a keyboard, color graphics and a floppy disk drive. The Apple II was integral in launching the personal computer industry.
