General (Ret) Kenneth Frank McKenzie, Jr.

General (Ret) Kenneth F. “Frank” McKenzie, Jr. is the Executive Director of the University of South Florida’s Global and National Security Institute and the Florida Center for Cybersecurity (Cyber Florida). A retired U.S. Marine Corps General and former Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), he served for over 42 years, commanding at various levels and holding key strategic positions, including Director of the Joint Staff.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, McKenzie graduated from The Citadel and holds a master’s degree in teaching with a concentration in history. His military career includes commanding combat deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, serving as Director of Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5) on the Joint Staff, and leading CENTCOM from 2019 to 2022.

McKenzie is also a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, President of the Board of the Institute of Applied Engineering at USF, and a Board member for veterans’ health organization Warrior Legacy Ranch. His book The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century was published in 2024 by the Naval Institute Press.