Profiles In Leadership: Commander Kirk Lippold, USN (Ret.)

The newest video in our “Profiles in Leadership” series features Commander Kirk Lippold, USN (Ret.), who was the Commanding Officer of the USS Cole when it came under a suicide terrorist attack by al Qaeda in the port of Aden, Yemen on October 12, 2000.

In one of the first engagements in the Global War on Terror, Commander Lippold and his crew distinguished themselves by saving the American war ship from sinking. His first-person experience underscores the importance of preparing ethical leaders to respond to situations and challenges that are impossible to predict.

Our “Profiles in Leadership” series spotlights individuals who exemplify General Marshall’s enduring example of ethical leadership, based on the pillars of Selfless Service, Unwavering Integrity and Visionary Leadership. 

Commander Lippold on the meaning of ethical leadership:

“You’re going to do what’s necessary to lead your people regardless of what the consequences are, you’re going to stand in the heat, you’re going to trust in your people and have their back.”

June 21 Off Duty Event with Brinton Rowdybush

1947 – When the U.S. Assumed Post-War Leadership

Join us Wednesday, June 21 from 5:30-7 p.m. ET for an in-person speaker event at Dodona Manor featuring Brinton Rowdybush. 

Rowdybush will discuss 1947 – a pivotal year for General Marshall that marked the beginning of the “Cold War” in earnest. In January 1947, President Truman appointed Marshall Secretary of State. Britain stepped back from its leadership role in international affairs and the United States stepped up. Marshall played a critical role in these developments during his first six months in office, ably seconded by several key individuals at the State Department. This period set the stage for the next 40+ years of American foreign policy until the collapse of the Soviet Union.

J. Brinton Rowdybush retired from the State Department in 2011 after more than 20 years as a foreign service officer. His overseas tours were in Mexico, France (twice), Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. He was the U.S. Consul in Bordeaux from 2004-2007 and taught international relations and European politics at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from 2007-2009. His Ph.D. is in Political Science from UC Berkeley. RSVP to: ckoester@georgecmarshall.org

June 15 Foreign Policy Forum with Mike McCurry

Former White House Press Secretary to Discuss Public Diplomacy in the Age of Social Media

Join us Thursday, June 15 from Noon – 1:30 p.m. ET on Zoom for a special foreign policy forum featuring former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry, who will discuss the challenge of public diplomacy in the age of social media.

McCurry is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Public Theology at Wesley Theological Seminary. He has nearly four decades of experience in the nation’s capital, serving in the White House as Press Secretary to President Bill Clinton (1995-1998) and as Spokesman for the U.S. Department of State (1993-1995).

June 7 Book Club

“The Woman Who Smashed Codes” by Jason Fagone.

Join us Wednesday June 7 from Noon-1 p.m. ET for a Zoom discussion of “The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America's Enemies” by Jason Fagone.

“Joining the ranks of ‘Hidden Figures’ and ‘In the Garden of Beasts,’ the incredible true story of the greatest codebreaking duo that ever lived, an American woman and her husband who invented the modern science of cryptology together and used it to confront the evils of their time, solving puzzles that unmasked Nazi spies and helped win World War II.”

Dodona Garden Shed Restoration

High School Volunteers Pitch In!

In Bloom: Vegetable Garden Update

The vegetable garden at Dodona that was planted by our team of garden volunteers is already thriving! This year, the garden will include potatoes, rhubarb, corn, cucumbers spring greens and tomatoes.

We are proud to follow in the footsteps of General and Mrs. Marshall – both avid gardeners who loved tending to their garden as a respite from their busy lives. Today, we grow many of the same annuals they did in the 1940s and 50s, including zinnias, tomatoes and corn.

Our garden team is planting and tending to different plants as the season progresses. For tips on when to plant vegetables in your garden, check out this guide from the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Volunteer Profile: Jacqueline Ellis

Jackie Ellis has been volunteering her considerable gardening services at Dodona Manor for 17 years. She found her way to care-taking the grounds of General Marshall’s home through one of her clients, Eeda Dennis, who worked closely with B. Powell Harrison on the restoration of Dodona and is a former board member.

In 2006, Mrs. Dennis recommended Jackie to board member Fred Morefield, who was looking for someone to pour much needed love and care into the neglected rose and vegetable gardens George and Katherine Marshall loved so well. And as it turns out, Jackie was perfect for the task.

When you were asked to work on the Dodona gardens, what happened?

Of course, I said yes. The opportunity to start from scratch? You bet! With a very generous grant from Burpee Seed, the Marshall Center was able to buy tools, materials and hire a gardener (me!) to start a vegetable garden at Dodona. The Rust family grant also made it possible to bring Katherine Marshall's rose garden back to life.

What is your favorite part of the work you do on the grounds at Dodona?

My favorite area is the vegetable garden. I really enjoy growing things and every season is different. All the produce we grow goes back to the community in donations to Loudoun Hunger Relief. I also enjoy the camaraderie among the volunteers. We learn so much from each other.

Sometimes it comes as a surprise that 17 years have gone by. I have been privileged to witness the changes Dodona has been through as it has become the special place it is.