Woolsey Speaks on Energy Independence

PASADENA, Calif.--Former CIA director R. James Woolsey will discuss "The Need for Energy Independence" as part of the Chen-Huang Sustainable Energy Seminar Series at 8 p.m. on May 6 in Beckman Auditorium at the California Institute of Technology.

The audience will hear how the end of foreign oil dependency could benefit U.S. national security and the environment from Woolsey, who served as Central Intelligence Agency director under President Bill Clinton. Woolsey, whose home is run by solar power, is one of the most outspoken advocates for energy independence. He has traveled throughout the country educating audiences on the need to end energy dependence by utilizing renewable fuels.

Woolsey is currently of counsel at the law firm Goodwin Procter LLP in Washington, D.C., and serves as a senior executive adviser to the global consulting firm Booz Allen. He specializes in alternative energy and security issues. He received his BA degree from Stanford University, an MA from Oxford University, and an LLB from Yale Law School.

In addition to his work at the CIA, he also served in other positions under presidents Carter, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush. He was a delegate-at-large to the U.S.-Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) and Nuclear and Space Arms Talks, and an adviser on the U.S. Delegation to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I). Woolsey is cochairman (with former secretary of state George Shultz) of the Committee on the Present Danger. He is also chairman of the advisory boards of the Clean Fuels Foundation and the New Uses Council, and a trustee of the Center for Strategic & International Studies and the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He also serves on the National Commission on Energy Policy.

The lecture series is underwritten by the Chen-Huang Endowed Energy Seminar Fund, which was established with a gift from Marina Chen and her husband, Chi-Fu Huang, in June 2006. Chen is a Caltech alumna who received her master's degree in 1980 and her PhD in 1983, both in computer science. The seminar series is directed by Nathan S. Lewis, Caltech's George L. Argyros Professor and professor of chemistry.

For further information, contact the Caltech Ticket Office at [email protected] or call (626) 395-4652. The Public Events website is at http://events.caltech.edu/events/event-5282.html.