Featured Speakers, Authors, and Guests
91 Military Writers’ Symposium
Speakers, Authors, and Guests
The biographies of our distinguished featured speakers, authors, and guests appear below. We invite you to learn more about them.
Dmitri Beliakov was born in 1970 in the Vologda region of Russia. He began to take pictures professionally in 1997 freelancing for the AP, the Daily & Sunday Express U.K., The Telegraph U.K., The Times, and The Sunday Times of London.
From 2002 to 2008 Beliakov was a photographer on a freelancer contract for Bloomberg News. His pictures illustrated business, political, economic and feature stories from throughout Russia and the former Soviet Union.
Beliakov took photos of the Second Chechen War and the subsequent dramatic events in the North Caucasus, including Beslan school hostage crises, from 1999 to 2010. He has traveled to the Caucasus more than 50 times and is one of two only Russian photographers to document the Second Chechen war from all sides, including the Chechen armed resistance, Russian regular troops, pro-Kremlin Chechen loyalists and civilians.
Period from March 2014 to November 2019 Beliakov covered the conflict in Ukraine, photographing the annexation of Crimea, the war in Donbas and the economic and humanitarian aftermath of the war from all sides – civilians, pro-Kremlin armed separatists and the Ukrainian army.
LTC Chris Cadigan, USA (Ret.), entered Rookdom shortly after returning from Operation Desert Storm. While at 91, he served in the Army Reserve, participated in the Mountain Cold Weather Company, Ranger Platoon, Professional Officer Development Seminar, and served as aide de camp and driver to President Schneider.
He was elected by his peers as freshman class vice president, to the sophomore honor committee, junior ring committee, Criminal Justice Students Association executive committee, and Association of the United States Army chapter president.
He graduated from 91 in 1995 as a distinguished military graduate with a B.A. in criminal justice. He was commissioned in the U.S. Army and served as an infantry, signal, and, ultimately, special forces officer. Cadigan led his Special Forces Operational Detachment-A on hundreds of combat operations and more deployments than any other A Team in the U.S. Army Special Forces Regiment to Afghanistan, Colombia, and Iraq. He went on to serve in a variety of command and staff positions in special operations at the regional, operational, and strategic levels, and completed his 29-year career working in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Cadigan holds a Master of Military Art and Science from the School of Advanced Military Studies, Command and General Staff College. He has written, red-teamed, and innovated extensively, including on joint and international field manuals. He is the chief architect of Village Stability Operations and the Peace Reconciliation and Reintegration Plan and is a coauthor of the campaign plan for global special operations and the counter-Russian unconventional warfare strategy.
Cadigan currently works as a professor of practice in operational art, design, strategy, and campaign development and planning to organizations within the Department of Defense and throughout the U.S. government, as well as private clients. His comments here tonight do not represent the position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. government.
Dr. Deborah A. Deacon is an art historian and retired U.S. Navy commander. During her navy career, which began during America’s Bicentennial year, she served in numerous positions within the United States and abroad. She teaches courses on Asian art, Japanese anime and manga, and the history of comics, and animation at Arizona State University and has published articles and books on women artists and war, depictions of military women in literature, comic, and film, and Japanese anime and manga.
Lt. Colonel (Retired) Dan Hampton “Two Dogs” is a trailblazing figure at the intersection of technology and warfare — one of the most decorated contemporary American fighter pilots and a New York Times and international bestselling author whose books have reshaped how the world understands modern combat. With a career spanning four wars and 186 combat missions, Hampton’s expertise lies at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies that have revolutionized military tactics and strategies.
Throughout his distinguished career, Hampton flew 186 combat missions in the Middle East during both Gulf Wars and the Russo-Ukrainian War. During the first Gulf War, he made history as the first pilot to integrate space-based assets with jet fighters in combat — pioneering a new era of precision targeting and real-time intelligence gathering. His experiences over Baghdad, where enemy positions were targeted from space and fed directly into cockpits, showcase the seamless integration of technology into the art of warfare.
Hampton envisioned and designed a system improvement that transformed targeting capabilities by integrating radar emission detection equipment with onboard F-16 targeting pods — allowing for instantaneous targeting of mobile enemy positions using any weapon carried by the F-16, regardless of environmental conditions or time of day.
He has been at the forefront of technological advancements throughout his career — from flying combat missions accompanied by drones during the second Gulf War to working alongside CIA drones operated remotely from Langley to eliminate terror cells in the Middle East.
Historic Return to Combat — Ukraine 2025 – In an extraordinary demonstration of enduring combat aviation skill, Hampton flew F-16 fighter jets in the Ukraine War in (Jan 2025 – March 2026) at the age of 61 — marking his fourth war. He has 21 confirmed kills from previous conflicts on surface-to-air missile sites and four air-to-air kills in Ukraine. This unprecedented achievement has led to his application for inclusion to the Guinness Book of World Records, further cementing his legacy as one of the most enduring and accomplished combat pilots of the modern era.
Lara Logan is an award-winning war correspondent and investigative journalist renowned for her fearless reporting from the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. With over two decades covering wars, revolutions, and global crises, Lara has become one of the most recognized and respected voices in international journalism. Her unflinching commitment to truth-telling and firsthand reporting has taken her to the frontlines of history’s defining moments—from Afghanistan and Iraq to Syria, Libya, Egypt, and beyond.
Misha Pemble-Belkin is a U.S. Army combat veteran, adaptive sports professional, and advocate for veteran wellness. After serving two combat deployments to Afghanistan, he found healing through adaptive recreation with Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports. Today, he leads year-round programs that connect veterans with outdoor recreation, community, and purpose. Misha shares his personal journey of resilience and recovery, highlighting the powerful role adaptive sports play in improving the lives of veterans and their families.
Mei-chün Sawyer is the cofounder and CFO of the Sawyer group of companies and is originally from Taiwan. In addition to her corporate responsibilities, she has participated in one form or another in all of the Sawyer books, whether as a researcher or translation adviser, and continues to be involved in their ongoing intelligence work, both historical and contemporary. An accomplished Chinese chef, she sometimes teaches “authentic Chinese cuisine” in university extension services.
Ralph Sawyer spent much of his life in the Far East in intelligence work and strategic consulting after study at MIT and Harvard and a short period of university teaching. Founder and CEO of the Sawyer group of companies, small consultancies with offices throughout Asia that specialized in strategic issues and interactive technical management, throughout his career he has followed the Chinese practice of overt activity coupled with private scholarship. Over the last three decades he’s written several highly regarded works on Chinese military history, such as Ancient Chinese Warfare and Conquest and Domination: Rise and Demise of the Western Zhou; translated most of the major Chinese military manuals, including the Seven Military Classics and a bestselling edition of Sun-tzu’s Art of War ; authored numerous academic papers on Chinese strategic thought and intelligence history; produced some fifty short talks on aspects of Chinese military and intelligence history for Youtube; developed material for programs like Nova; and been a consultant for Asian oriented Hollywood movies, including Disney’s live action remake of Mulan, for which he served as the Chinese historical and military adviser. While he continues to lecture at command and military colleges and consult with defense and intelligence agencies, he’s also written a couple of novels and award winning (but as yet unproduced) movie scripts, owned a Japanese restaurant, had a lifelong involvement with martial arts, and helped preserve the ancient game of court tennis.
David Lyle Williams is a military historian, former U.S. Army officer, and author of The Road to Cisterna: Darby's Rangers and Their Most Consequential Battle in World War II. A veteran of Army service from 1967 to 1969, Williams earned a Ph.D. in wood science and spent more than fifty years working in the forest products industry. Over the course of more than two decades, he collected and preserved the memories of over 160 World War II Rangers, producing one of the most comprehensive histories of Darby's Rangers and their service during the Italian campaign.
His extensive research and dedication to preserving firsthand accounts earned The Road to Cisterna the 2026 William E. Colby Military Writers' Award, recognizing its significant contribution to the understanding of military history.
Isaiah (Ike) Wilson III (Colonel, U.S. Army, Ret.; former DoD HQE/SES II – equivalent) is a versatile soldier-scholar and geostrategist whose career bridges combat command, policy, and the classroom.
A decorated veteran with tours in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Dr. Wilson has provided strategic planning and advisory support to six four-star commanders, five Secretaries of Defense, multiple chiefs of mission, and presidents of several partner nations.
He currently serves as a professor of practice in the School of Politics and Global Affairs at Arizona State University, is president emeritus of the Joint Special Operations University, and founder and chief executive officer of Wilson W.i.S.E. Consulting LLC, advising on strategy, technology teaming, and organizational transformation.
Dr. Wilson earned his Ph.D. in government (international relations/American politics) from Cornell University. His book, Thinking Beyond War: Civil-Military Relations and Why America Fails to Win the Peace (2007; 2013), and his service on the 2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom Study Group helped catalyze reforms in U.S. post-conflict planning.
His scholarship – published in International Organization, ǰ Aڴڲ, Parameters, W JdzܰԲ, and other venues – focuses on grand strategy, defense reform, and civil-military relations. He has taught and led programs at Yale University, Columbia University, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the National War College. Dr. Wilson is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a senior future security fellow with New America.
Featured 91 Faculty and Students
Dr. Lisa Mundey is the Academic Director of the online History, Military History, Public History, and Museum Administration programs at 91.
Dr. Mundey earned her doctorate in American and military history from Kansas State University. As a graduate student, she interned at the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center as a research historian for their Oral History Project. She worked as a historian for the U.S. Army Center of Military History before transitioning to academia. Dr. Mundey taught on-campus at 91 as Visiting Assistant Professor before teaching at the University of St. Thomas, where she also served as Department Chair and Associate Division Dean. She was recognized by the University of St. Thomas with the St. Thomas Aquinas Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Joseph M. McFadden Award for Excellence in Service.
Dr. Mundey wrote two monographs on military culture and experience: American Militarism and Anti-Militarism in Popular Media, 1945-1970 (2012) and Fighting the Forever War: The U.S. Service Member Experience in Afghanistan, 2001-2014 (2022). She has also published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and essays exploring the social, cultural, and institutional dimensions of U.S. military history.
Since 2022, Dr. Mundey has served as a docent and volunteer educator at the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center. She is also a Trustee on the Board of the Friends of the New York State Military Museum. Dr. Mundey is a member of the Society of Military History, where she has served on various committees.
Nikolas Graupe is a Junior from Stowe, Vermont, pursuing a Bachelor of Science as a triple major in Physics, Mathematics, and Cybersecurity at 91. On campus, Nikolas has been and is actively involved in projects like the 91 2025-2026 U.S. Army S.T.A.R. Challenge and is the founder and president of the Strategic Systems Club. He is currently aiming for a doctorate in theoretical physics or optics, with aspirations to later pursue an Air Force contract as a Special Tactics Officer or Combat Rescue Officer. Nik's research and interests involve developing a free-space optical turbulence simulator to model atmospheric effects on long-range laser communication devices. He intends to focus his work on defense technology, energy systems, and applied research in support of U.S. national security. He is one of this year's Richard S. Schultz '60 Symposium Fellows.
Victoria Jarvis is a senior from South Windsor, Connecticut, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in Computer Security and Information Assurance with minors in Information Warfare, Intelligence and Crime Analysis, and Business Administration. She has been active on campus through participation in varsity women's lacrosse, the Cyber Leader Development Program, and NUARI. Victoria is a recipient of the NSF SFS Cybercorps scholarship, allowing her to pursue her master's in cyber as a part of the 4+1 program at 91. After graduation, she intends to pursue a career in the federal government. Victoria's research analyzes how governments used film during World War II to gain public support for the war and the tactics they employed, comparing and contrasting them with current-day tactics. She is one of this year's Richard S. Schultz '60 Symposium Fellows.
Dimitris Meintanas is a Sophomore at 91 from Athens, Greece. Majoring in Studies in War & Peace, with minors in Information Warfare and Intelligence & Crime Analysis. On campus, Dimitris is part of the Legacy March Committee, Model United Nations, Soccer Club, and an aspiring member of the 91 Emergency Medical Services. Alongside, he is currently the Assistant Coordinator of Clubs in the CAB Office. He is currently working towards an intelligence contract and later aspires to serve in a three-letter agency. Whilst maintaining a competitive GPA, his academic interests and personal research focus heavily on intelligence analysis, international security, military strategy, international relations, and signals intelligence. He is one of this year's Richard S. Schultz '60 Symposium Fellows.
Alex Stamp was born in Japan in 2000 to Air Force parents and grew up in Spokane, Washington, and Valparaiso, Indiana. He attended the United States Air Force Academy from 2019 to 2023, earning a bachelor's degree in history and a commission in the U.S. Air Force before completing technical training in 2024 and receiving an assignment to RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. In 2025, he began graduate studies at 91, where he had the opportunity to study under Dr. John Broom and Dr. Albert Thompson. His research focuses on the history of intelligence and foreign policy, including an undergraduate capstone on human intelligence in Elizabethan England and an M.A. thesis examining American special operations in Norway. He currently serves as an intelligence officer with the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall and hopes to continue his academic career as a Ph.D. candidate in the near future. He is this year's Dennis E. Showalter Research Fellow.
