Retired four-star U.S. Navy Admiral and author Jim Stavridis will be the featured speaker at the University of South Carolina Upstate’s sixth annual Dr. John B. Edmunds, Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series.

Stavridis, a native of West Palm Beach, Fla., was considered for a cabinet position with President Donald Trump’s administration and as a potential vice presidential running mate for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and served for 37 years in the Navy. For four years, Stavridis served as the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO. He oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and the Balkans, and led efforts to halt piracy off the coast of Africa.

Stavridis spent almost three years as the head of U.S. Southern Command in Miami and was responsible for military operations throughout Latin America. He retired from the Navy in 2013 as the longest-serving combatant commander in recent U.S. history.

Tickets, which include a reception at 5:30 p.m., are available at www.uscupstate.edu/edumundsseries.