Convocation Ceremony

Thursday, September 8, 2011
Jarman Auditorium @ 4 P.M.

Keynote Speaker: Brigadier General Joseph L. Bass

Brigadier General Joe Bass is the Commanding General of the Expeditionary Contracting Command, a subordinate command to the Army Contracting Command that provides effective and agile expeditionary contracting across the full spectrum of military operations for Army service component commands and the joint Warfighter, and provides effective and responsive contracting support to the Army and other federal agencies at Army installations outside of the continental United States.

His previous assignment was as the Acting Deputy Director, U.S. Army Contracting Command. He also served as ACC's Chief of Staff prior to becoming the Deputy Director.

Brigadier General Bass entered the Army in 1983 as a Distinguished Military Graduate through the Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Longwood and was commissioned in the Quartermaster Corps.

He has held numerous command and staff positions during his 26 years in the Army. Early in his career he served in logistical command and staff positions and was assigned to troop units at Fort Bragg, Belgium, and Germany, including serving as the Commander, 5th Quartermaster Detachment (Air Delivery), Kaiserslautern, Germany. Brigadier General Bass has over 18 years of acquisition experience and has served in a variety of acquisition assignments.

Brigadier General Bass's awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense and Army Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Service and Army Commendation Medals, and the Army Achievement Medal. He has earned the Combat Action Bade, Master Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Parachute Rigger Badge, and French, Dutch, German, and Thai Parachutist Badges.

He has a Master of Arts Degree in Management from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri, and a Master of Science Degree in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, DC. He is a 1983 graduate of Longwood, where he earned a B. S. in business administration. Brigadier General Bass and his wife Kim have four children.