William A. Navas, Jr.
Maj Gen, USA, Ret.
Executive Director
National Security Professional Development Program
Navas participated in ROTC at the University of Puerto Rico and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant in 1965 together with his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering. He served as a citizen-soldier for over 33 years, holding a myriad of command and staff positions. His final assignment was as Director of the Army National Guard in the National Guard Bureau in Washington, one of the highest positions for a National Guard officer in the Department of Defense.
During his tenure as Director he formulated, developed and coordinated all programs, policies and plans affecting the Army National Guard and its more than 362,000 citizen-soldiers. He oversaw the Army National Guard’s participation in numerous overseas deployments and domestic crisis responses. He is the recipient of numerous U.S. military awards and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Medals of the Departments of the Army and Defense.
He retired from active military service on 1 October 1998 and worked as a private consultant in defense and management matters, served on several boards and advisory panels and published articles and papers related to current national security issues.
After being nominated by President Bush he was confirmed by the Senate on July 12, 2001 as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs a position he held until December 2007. In January 2008 he was appointed to his current position where he is responsible for the development and implementation of a national strategy for the development of National Security Professionals.
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