Vice Admiral Robert Sharp to Keynote the 2019 AGS Fall Symposium

The American Geographical Society (AGS) announced Vice Admiral (VADM) Robert Sharp will be the keynote speaker for the 2019 AGS Fall Symposium: Geography 2050: Borders and a Borderless World. VADM Sharp will give his keynote presentation on Thursday, November 21, 2019 at Columbia University.

VADM Robert Sharp is the seventh Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Prior to this, VADM Sharp served as Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence and Director of the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office. Additionally, he conducted multiple deployments to Afghanistan as Director of Intelligence of a Special Operations Task Force, leading joint, inter-agency intelligence professionals supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. VADM Sharp holds a Naval War College Diploma and earned a Masters of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of Armed Forces. He has been the recipient of the Vice Admiral Rufus L. Taylor Award for Excellence in Intelligent Instruction, the United States Army’s Knowlton Award for Military Intelligence, the Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton Award for Leadership, and the Naval Intelligence Foundation Navy League Award for Exceptional Leadership for excellence in operational intelligence support to the Fleet.

Symposium Chairman, Dr. Wesley Reisser, noted, "AGS is thrilled to welcome Vice Admiral Robert Sharp to give the keynote address at this year's Geography 2050.” He adds, “NGA is at the forefront of analyzing our fast changing world and the impact that borders have upon it."

Geography2050 is an annual, multi-year, strategic dialog about the vital trends reshaping the geography of our planet in the coming decades. Organized by the American Geographical Society, the event convenes government officials, academics, entrepreneurs, and leaders in the non-profit sector to facilitate discussion of the major forces that will change our society. Now in its 6th year, Geography2050 highlights the importance of the use and understanding of geography and geospatial sciences in an increasingly globalized world.