Kenneth Mckenzie — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Served as the 14th commander of the United States Central Command from March 2019 to April 2022
Executive Director for the Florida Center for Cybersecurity since July 2022
Executive Director of the Global and National Security Institute, University of South Florida since May 2022
President, Board of Directors, of the Institute for Applied Engineering, University of South Florida
Will become President of The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, on July 1, 2026
Commissioned in 1979 via the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps at The Citadel

Biography

Kenneth Franklin McKenzie Jr. is a retired United States Marine Corps general, best known for serving as the 14th commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) from March 2019 to April 2022. During his tenure, he oversaw the successful special forces raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019 and managed the 2020–2021 withdrawals of U.

S. troops from Iraq. He also briefly led U.