Article Text

Retired four-star Gen. Stanley McChrystal will lead a Feb. 27 fireside chat benefiting an Alexandria nonprofit that uses traditional boatbuilding to help young adults develop workplace and life skills.

The event at Belle Haven Country Club will center on leadership and character, drawing from McChrystal’s latest book, On Character: Choices That Define a Life. He will be joined by Alexandria Seaport Foundation program director Matt Roberts, who will discuss learning in nontraditional environments.

McChrystal and his wife, Annie, have supported the foundation for several years. Executive director Deb Roepke said Annie McChrystal became familiar with its work after touring the organization’s workshop.

The foundation operates its Seaport Apprentice Program along the Potomac River waterfront in Old Town. Participants ages 18 to 23 spend six to nine months learning woodworking and wooden boatbuilding while developing math, craftsmanship, teamwork, job-readiness and life skills.

The program serves young people facing academic, economic or personal challenges. Apprentices also receive guidance from experienced mentors, with participants going on to pursue higher education, earn driver’s licenses and enter the workforce.

“Participants don’t just build boats,” Roepke said. “They build confidence, discipline and a sense of purpose.”

The organization is also helping shape boatbuilding education beyond Alexandria. Roberts and volunteer Katherine Hamilton are participating in a yearlong Boatbuilding Educator Fellowship organized by the Teaching With Small Boats Alliance. Fellows are developing a curriculum for a future national certification in wooden boatbuilding.

The Feb. 27 gathering will include a reception, buffet dinner and signed copies of McChrystal’s book. A silent auction will offer a private dinner with McChrystal and his wife.

Following his military career, which included commanding Joint Special Operations Command and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, McChrystal moved into education, leadership consulting and public service. He became a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and co-founded the Alexandria-based leadership advisory firm McChrystal Group.

Rob Dugger and Joan Huffer are hosting the event. All proceeds will support the Alexandria Seaport Foundation.