[Macon, Georgia] – Catholic private school, Mount de Sales Academy, located in Macon, Georgia, will welcome guest speaker Major General Arnold L. Punaro for the school’s Honor Code Ceremony held Thursday, August 14, 2025.
Major General Arnold L. Punaro, Mount de Sales Academy class of 1964, is the Chief Executive Officer of The Punaro Group, LLC, a Washington-based firm supporting Fortune 100 companies with a wide range of business services. He is currently Chairman of the Secretary of Defense’s Reserve Forces Policy Board and Chairman of the National Defense Industrial Association. He was recognized by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential individuals in U.S. Defense. He also serves on the board of the Atlantic Council and the Georgia Institute of Technology Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.
He is a retired Marine Corps Major General who has also served as the executive vice president of an $11-billion technology and professional services firm, and as the staff director of the Senate Armed Services Committee, among other positions. He has received multiple awards throughout his career, including the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service and the 2014 Reserve Officers Association’s Minuteman of the Year award. He is also a published author of three books: On War and Politics: The Battlefield Inside Washington’s Beltway (published in 2016), The Ever-Shrinking Fighting Force (published in 2021), and If Confirmed: An Insider’s View of the National Security Confirmation Process (published in 2024).
“Major General Punaro was chosen as our Honor Code Ceremony speaker because he is an MDS graduate who truly understands what it means to be a Cavalier,” said Upper School Division Head, Emily Brown. “He has carried forward the lessons he learned here, both in knowledge and in character, to build a successful career in the military and in the private sector. His life reflects the values we strive to instill in our students, particularly the importance of integrity in both personal and professional settings.”
We look forward to welcoming Major General Punaro back to campus to share his lessons learned with the students.
About Mount de Sales Academy
Mount de Sales Academy, an independent Catholic school established in 1876 and sponsored and inspired by the Sisters of Mercy, is a Christ-centered college preparatory community of learners who are poised to discover, challenged to innovate, and motivated to serve. www.mountdesales.net