Jay Kopelman named Rhodes Chair at Barrett Honors College

Jay Kopelman, author and lieutenant colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (ret.), has been named the 2014 John J. Rhodes Chair in Public Policy and American Institutions in Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University. He will deliver the 2014 Rhodes Lecture, titled From Baghdad to America: Life After War. The lecture, focusing on military and veterans' issues, is scheduled for 7 p.m., Feb. 26, 2014 at the Galvin Playhouse on the Tempe campus. Admission is free. 

Kopelman, who served 21 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, now is a contractor with Janssen Healthcare Innovation – a part of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies. As a global trial manager, he helps lead innovative approaches to using new technologies that encourage and assist health care providers and patients to take a more active role in their health and post-event outcomes. Specifically, he is leading the implementation of a novel approach to cardiac rehabilitation at the VA Medical Center in San Francisco and the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine in La Jolla, Calif.

Kopelman’s military experience includes serving as an aviator in the Navy and Marines, as deputy director for advisor training at Camp Pendleton, Calif. and as a Special Operations Forces liaison officer for the 1st Expeditionary Force in Fallujah, Iraq. He is the author of two books, including the New York Times and international best-selling memoir, "From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava," and "From Baghdad to America: Life After the War for a Marine and His Rescued Dog." He serves on the advisory board of the Virtual Reality Medical Center, a San Diego-based company that uses simulation technologies to treat returning and combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and as a member of the board of directors of Freedom Is Not Free. He supports the San Diego-based Challenged Athletes Foundation and raises funds for its Operation Rebound program that brings sports and exercise to permanently disabled veterans and first responders.

Who: Jay Kopelman, author and lieutenant colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (ret.)

What: 2014 John J. Rhodes Lecture, titled "From Baghdad to America: Life After War"

When: 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014

Where:  Galvin Playhouse on the Arizona State University Tempe campus

Admission is free and open to the public. Seating is general admission and reservations are required. Information and ticket reservations are at http://barretthonors.asu.edu/event/rhodes2014/.

In conjunction with the Rhodes Lecture, Barrett will host a Celebration of Service to recognize and honor active, retired and discharged service members who have ties to the honors college – including students, alumni and family members. Service members are encouraged to submit their stories at http://barretthonors.asu.edu/2013/11/rhodes-lecture-2013-military-submit-your-story/.