Valley Forge Military Academy And College Names New President

WAYNE, PA – Valley Forge Military Academy and College has tapped a South Philadelphia native and VFMC graduate to lead the institution come April.

John English, Chairman of VFMAC announced Army Major General Walter T. Lord as its next president. A South Philadelphia native, Lord is a graduate of Valley Forge Military College and is a product of Valley Forge’s Army ROTC Early Commissioning Program, the academy said in a press release.

Lord is joining VFMAC after a 36-year distinguished military career.

He will be the second Valley Forge alumnus to lead the institution and the first who was commissioned at Valley Forge Military College.

Lord has served as a member of the VFMAC Board of Trustees since 2013 and is currently the Chairman of the College Oversight Committee.

Lord serves as the Military Executive, Reserve Forces Policy Board, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington D.C. He was recommended to this position by the chair of the board and designated by the Secretary of Defense, serving as both the military adviser to the chair and as military executive officer for the Reserve Forces Policy Board. He also supervises the operations and staff of the board. He most recently served as a Special Assistant to the Vice Chief, National Guard Bureau.

Lord was commissioned in 1984 through the in the Army’s Early Commissioning Program offered at Valley Forge Military College.

Prior to receiving his commission, Lord enlisted in 2nd Battalion, 11th Infantry in 1982 at age 17. He served his initial company grade assignments with 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment in Philadelphia. He has earned a vast number of advanced degrees starting with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from LaSalle University and continuing through the United States Naval War College and numerous highly-recognized centers of higher education.

"We are honored General Lord has agreed to serve as our next president," John English, VFMAC Board Chair said. "He has brought so much to us as a board member we know that as a full-time leader, we can expect even greater things. As a graduate, General Lord knows us well. He understands the value of a VFMAC education and knows that what our cadets learn here readies them for further education or a position in the workforce."

Image via Valley Forge Military Academy and College