Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Moellering visits Elon University on Feb. 22 as part of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business “Ethics in Business” speaker series. The chairman of USAA, one of the nation’s leading insurance and financial services company, will describe ethical dilemmas he faced in the business world and how he addressed them.
The talk, “Business Ethics in the Real World—A Cautionary Tale,” takes place at 4:30 p.m. in the LaRose Digital Theatre inside the Koury Business Center. The event is co-sponsored by Beta Alpha Psi, the PRME initiative and the Love School of Business.
Moellering will also discuss the climate of unethical conduct by major corporations that led to the financial meltdown, one that has increased regulation of business in the United States. His remarks will include reflections on why this happened and what should be done about it.
In 2007, Moellering was named chairman of USAA, a Fortune 200 insurance and diversified financial services company, having served on the USAA board for 11 years. USAA is number 132 on the Fortune 500 list with $97 billion in assets.
He was previously president and CEO of Lear Siegler Services Inc. of Annapolis, Md. During that time, Lear expanded from a field services company to a contract services company that provided numerous maintenance, flight training, systems integration and engineering services to government agencies and commercial customers worldwide, including a large operation in Europe.
In March 2002, Moellering formed JM Associates, a consulting business that includes management consulting, teaching and writing for publication. A 1959 graduate of West Point, Moellering holds a Master of Science degree in engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a graduate of the Stanford Business School Marketing Management Program for Senior Executives.
Moellering retired from the U.S. Army as a three-star general in 1987 with 28 years of service. After early formative assignments in combat and engineering units, which included combat in Vietnam, his key command assignments included command of an engineer district in Vicksburg, Miss.; Assistant Division Commander of the 9th Infantry Division and High Tech Test Bed in Ft. Lewis, Wash.; Commandant of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; and Commanding General of the U. S. Army Engineer Center at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Key staff assignments included service as a White House Fellow on the White House staff; teaching on the engineering and history department faculties at West Point; executive to the Army Chief of Staff in the Pentagon; and finally, assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Moellering has been active in many civic and charitable organizations. He is an adjunct faculty member of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, is a member of the board of directors of the National Defense Industrial Association, and was a founding member of the School of Business Administration Advisory Board of the Citadel.
He also serves on the boards of RTI International and the Thayer Leader Development Group of West Point. He is a frequent lecturer on leadership, business, ethics and the global war on terrorism. He and his wife have two sons and a daughter.