New Board Members Appointed at The Institute for Defense and Business

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Dec. 3, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Institute for Defense and Business (IDB) is pleased to announce the appointment of Lieutenant General William E. Mortensen, USA (Ret.), Chairman and CEO, Mortensen and Associates, LLC, along with Mr. Rye Barcott, a commercial associate at Duke Energy and cofounder of Carolina for Kibera, Inc., to the company's Board of Directors.  The IDB Board of Directors sets the overall direction and philosophy of the organization, providing oversight and guidance.  Reflecting the Institute's global reach and perspective, these distinguished leaders in government, military, business, and academia bring broad vision to the organization and its mission.

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"The extensive leadership experience of General Mortensen, coupled with his in-depth logistics expertise gained through over three decades of service to our country will prove invaluable to the Board and the IDB in all its undertakings," said Chairman of the IDB Board of Directors and former North Carolina Governor James G. Martin.  "Rye Barcott's spirit of entrepreneurship and his early exposure to challenging conditions throughout the globe will serve us well as we keep the IDB and its many educational offerings current and relevant to today's defense and business environment."

About Lieutenant General William E. Mortensen, USA (Ret.):

Lieutenant General Mortensen held many and varied multi-functional logistics assignments and key strategic positions throughout the U.S. Army and in combatant commands.  He acquired a vast array of on-the-ground logistics and leadership experience, serving in peace and war in the USA, Germany, Bosnia and Iraq.  General Mortensen culminated his 35 years in the service as the U.S. Army Materiel Command's Deputy Commanding General at Fort Belvoir, VA. where he met all the Army's logistics, acquisition and technology support and materiel demands until his retirement in August 2008.  He resides in Southport, NC and is the Chairman & CEO of Mortensen and Associates, LLC, a consulting firm.  

General Mortensen is also an IDB Executive Fellow Emeritus and served in the Class of 2009-2010.  He holds a Masters in Business Administration from Boston University and also graduated from the Army War College in Carlisle, PA.   Mortensen holds a BS in Finance from Montana State University.

About Rye Barcott:

Rye Barcott is a social entrepreneur and author. He currently works as a commercial associate at Duke Energy, where he serves as a speechwriter to the Chairman and CEO.  While an undergraduate on an NROTC scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Barcott cofounded Carolina for Kibera (CFK) in 2001.  CFK invests in local talent to develop leaders and prevent violence through a unique model of participatory development in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya.  A major affiliate of UNC based at the Center For Global Initiatives, CFK is a Time Magazine and Gates Foundation "Hero of Global Health."

Barcott served for five years in the Marines in Bosnia, the Horn of Africa, and Iraq before earning a combined MBA and MPA at Harvard University, where he was a Reynolds Social Entrepreneurship Fellow and member of the Harvard Endowment Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility.  He is a TED Fellow, member of the World Learning Board of Trustees, and member of the Three Ships Media Board of Directors.  

Barcott's first book, It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine's Path to Peace, juxtaposes counter-insurgency and community development and will be published by Bloomsbury in April 2011.  

In addition to LTG William E. Mortensen, USA (Ret.) and Mr. Rye Barcott other Institute for Defense and Business Board of Directors include:

The Honorable James G. Martin (Chairman) – Former Governor of North Carolina and Senior Advisor, McGuireWoods Consulting, Charlotte, North Carolina

Mr. Thomas W. Bradshaw, Jr. – (Treasurer) – Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Raleigh, North Carolina

Mr. Seddon (Rusty) Goode, Jr. – President and Director, University Research Park, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina

Mr. Frank B. Holding, Jr. – (Vice Chairman) – Chairman & CEO, First Citizens BancShares, Inc. and First Citizens Bank, Raleigh, North Carolina

Mr. James (Jim) E.S. Hynes – Chairman, Board of Commissioners, Carolinas Health Care System, Charlotte, North Carolina

Dr. John D. Kasarda – Director of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and Kenan Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Kenan-Flagler Business School, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Dr. Holden Thorp – Chancellor, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Mr. Mark C. Cramer – President, Institute for Defense and Business, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

About the IDB:

The Institute for Defense and Business (IDB) is a non-profit research and education institute that facilitates ongoing information exchanges and partnerships among the Department of Defense, other government agencies, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. The IDB's flagship initiative in partnership with UNC Kenan-Flagler is the DoD Center of Excellence in Logistics and Technology (LOGTECH) featuring executive education, the LOGTECH MBA and the Depot and Arsenal Executive Leadership program. The Institute provides additional educational programs that support U.S. Government efforts on economic governance and stabilization, logistics cooperation and business transformation.  The IDB also delivers independent programs on logistics, life cycle engineering and an IU-UNC LogMBA.

For more information contact:  Maya Zumwalt, Director of Communications at [email protected] or call 919-969-8008.

SOURCE Institute for Defense and Business