Major General John Bartrum '90 to Speak at McKendree University Oct. 5
(LEBANON, Ill., September 13, 2023) – Major General John J. Bartrum, Chief Executive
Officer of Brightstar Innovation Group, LLC, and the mobilization assistant to the
surgeon general of the Air Force and Space Force, will be coming to McKendree University
to speak on Thursday, October 5 at 7 p.m. at the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts.
Maj. Gen. Bartrum is speaking as part of the university’s annual Wayne E. Lanter Lecture
Series, which invites influential business leaders and entrepreneurs to share their
insight and strategies for success. He will be visiting the university during the
day, holding thoughtful discussions and answering questions from McKendree students.
Admission to the evening event is free and open to both students and the general public.
Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the event.
Attendees can expect an invigorating hour-long discussion with Maj. Gen. Bartrum, who is a true visionary and an accomplished leader in the world of strategic advising and consulting solutions. With expertise spanning federal government policy, problem solving, government strategic growth, and executive leadership, his insights are invaluable and applicable for students, entrepreneurs, and lifelong learners.
Bartrum graduated from McKendree in 1990 and currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Brightstar Innovations Group, LLC, a leading innovative strategic advisory and consulting firm he founded in 2019. Prior to founding his company, he was a partner in Squire Patton Boggs, one of the top five law firms in the world. He has more than 39 years of federal appropriations, healthcare, life science, defense, veterans and leadership experience. Maj. Gen. Bartrum is a Capitol Hill veteran, retired federal Senior Executive Service career official, and a Fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration. In his Air Force position, he provides leadership within the Air Force medical service operations, composed of a $6.1 billion, 44, 000-person integrated healthcare delivery system that serves 2.6 million beneficiaries at 76 military treatment facilities worldwide. He has also served in all branches of the government and as a senior professional staff member for both parties in the House of Representatives Appropriates Committee.
Additionally, Maj. Gen. Bartrum is a combat veteran and the senior Air Force Reserve Medical and Medical Service Corps officer with military experience in both active duty and reserve forces. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at age 17, serving for six years in active duty before continuing his service in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. As an enlisted member, he worked in aircraft maintenance in the 375th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Scott Air Force Base. In the Reserves, he rose through the ranks over the course of more than 39 years and was promoted to the rank of major general in June 2022. In 2020, he was mobilized as the government-wide COVID-19 Emergency Support Function-8 (public health and medical services) Deputy Incident Manager for the U.S. government. His efforts enhanced the interagency doctrine and oversaw the coordination of the joint federal agency medical response. Maj. Gen. Bartrum was recognized with many awards for this activity, including the Department of Health and Human Services Pinnacle Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Federal Health Care Executive Award for Excellence from the American Hospital Association.
To learn more, please visit the Hett’s website or call (618) 537-6863.
-McK-
