The Adams Presidential Center Board of Directors is a cross-partisan panel of local and national leaders in government, academia, and business. Board members are united by their shared commitment to open dialogue and a desire to inspire everyday citizens to embrace their responsibilities to our nation.
United States Marine Corps
19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
36th Commandant of the Marine Corps
General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. served as the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. In this role, he was the principal military advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council from 2015 to 2019.
General Dunford was commissioned in 1977 and served as an infantry officer at all levels, to include commanding the 5th Marine Regiment during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served as the 36th Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and Commander of all U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Raised in the Merrymount section of Quincy, Massachusetts, General Dunford attended St. Ann’s School in Wollaston and graduated from Boston College High School and Saint Michael’s College. He also earned master’s degrees in Government from Georgetown University and in International Relations from Tufts University.
In addition to serving as Chairman of the Board for the Adams Presidential Center and Foundation, General Dunford currently serves as Chairman of the Board for the Semper Fi Fund & America’s Fund which supports our wounded, ill, and injured active duty personnel and veterans from all services. He is a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bessemer Securities, the Atlantic Council, and the Travis Manion Foundation. He is the Co-Chairman of the Japan-U.S. Military Stateman Forum.