National security director to speak at commencement

 
Bentz
PULLMAN, Wash. – Graduates from all colleges, regional campuses and distance education will be honored at the Washington State University fall commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, at Beasley Coliseum. Tickets are not required.
 
About 700-750 graduates are expected to participate in the two-hour ceremony. President Elson S. Floyd will confer degrees.
 
Guest speaker will be Brig. Gen. Julie A. Bentz, director for strategic capabilities policy on the National Security Staff (NSS) for the National Security Council and Homeland Security Council.  She is responsible for providing oversight and policy coordination to increase U.S. capability and capacity for nuclear defense. 
 
This includes writing presidential policy, coordinating interagency dialogue, informing presidential budgetary decisions, and building consensus on interagency initiatives. These initiatives include detection, nuclear forensics and attribution, countering improvised explosive devices, and developing U.S. technical capability to counter nuclear threats.
 
Prior to her assignment on the NSS, Bentz served as the principal deputy for nuclear defense within the Office of the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters.
 
Before that, she worked on the Homeland Security Council where she helped establish a joint domestic nuclear detection office within the Department of Homeland Security. She also played a key role in developing a government-wide approach to nuclear forensics including creation of the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Center.
 
Bentz is assigned to the NSS from the National Guard Bureau. She has served in a variety of active, reserve and National Guard assignments in nuclear defense, homeland security, health physics, environmental sciences and traditional nuclear, biological and chemical officer assignments. 
 
She holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
 
For updates on WSU fall commencement, go online here
 
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Source:
Teri Hansen, WSU Events and Outreach, 509-335-2531, nelson@wsu.edu