For everything Admiral Joe Lopez has accomplished in his impressive career with the U.S. Navy, he still believes his first lessons in how to overcome failures, how to become resilient, and how to lead were inspired by his two years spent at WVU Potomac State College.
“I wasn’t the best student. I was a disappointment to myself my first semester at Potomac State,” he said. “I actually got an F in mathematics, and I was so hard on myself. But I overcame all of that to graduate Cum Laude.”
Admiral Lopez is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the 123rd commencement exercises for Potomac State College on May 9. His address will focus on leading a life of purpose and service.
Lopez’s 39-year naval career culminated in tours as Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces, Southern Europe. Additionally, he served as Commander of all U.S. and Allied Bosnia Peace Keeping Forces, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Warfare Requirements and Assessments, Commander of the U.S. Navy Sixth Fleet, Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, and Director of Current Operations for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Earlier career highlights include Commanding Officer, River Assault Division 153, Mekong Delta, Vietnam, and service in the destroyer navy, including Commanding Officer of USS Stump and Commander, Destroyer Squadron 32.
Admiral Lopez was awarded numerous medals and honors, including two Defense Distinguished Service Medals, two Navy Distinguished Service Medals, three Legion of Merits, the Bronze Star (Combat V), three Navy Commendation Medals (Combat V), and the Combat Action Medal. He is the fifteenth member of the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School Hall of Fame. Notably, he is just one of two flag officers in the history of the U.S. Navy to achieve a four-star rank after direct commission from enlisted service.
With all the accomplishments and highlights on his professional resume, he hopes to instill in the PSC Class of 2026 a sense of direction based on his years of experience and hard-earned wisdom. He said he intends to speak less about his military accomplishments and more on each individual’s need to “find a purpose” and why it’s crucial to “live a life of service.”
“I want these graduates to know that we still live in an extraordinary country that offers them opportunities not equaled in other parts of the world,” he said. “Each young person today has the inherent right to succeed in whatever endeavor he or she chooses. I want them to know that failure will happen, but great people have stumbled and risen from stumbling.”
Lopez said he would like to impress upon the new graduates the importance of education and the way presents himself or herself in the world.
“For me, the way a person speaks is especially important. Vocabulary is very important to me,” he said. “I am a big advocate for expanding your vocabulary and learning new words and never using the same adjective twice in your speech or in your writing. It takes a great deal of work, but I believe you need to keep learning in life.”
The admiral said he has fond memories of his years spent as a student at Potomac State College.
“I lived just off the main campus and was always inside the student union,” he said. “I played basketball for Coach (Dana) Lough, and I knew Dean McKee personally.”
In fact, when asked about his favorite memory, Lopez admitted it involves Dean Kirkland McKee, for whom the Church-McKee Performing Arts Center is partially named.
“I was throwing a baseball around with a friend, and that ball happened to go through a plate-glass window of the music building. On the other side of the window, a student was getting piano lessons. I got a personal visit from Dean McKee the very next day.”
Since his transition from the United States Navy, Admiral Lopez has directed several organizations and served on a number of public and private boards. He served as Chief Operating Officer for Brown and Root Services, Senior Vice President of Kellogg, Brown, and Root, President of Information Management Corporation, and Chief Executive Officer of Technology and Supply Management, LLC.
Admiral Lopez’s board memberships have included the Board of Visitors of the National Defense University, EADS North America, CNA Corporation, Armed Forces Benefit Association, West Virginia University Board of Governors, Imagine West Virginia, Arizona State University Flag Advisory Council, Reserve Oil and Gas Company, and Board of Trustees of the National Youth Science Foundation.
Lopez has received numerous honors from his home state of West Virginia, including designation by the Governor as a “Distinguished West Virginian.” He was also named West Virginian of the Year by the West Virginian Capital newspapers. Additionally, the Interstate 64 Bridge spanning the Kanawha River at Chelyan, West Virginia, was named in his honor by the State Legislature.
In addition to being an alumnus of Potomac State College, Lopez is also a graduate of the West Virginia Institute of Technology and the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. He holds a BA (Cum Laude) in International Relations and an MS in Management. He has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humanities from West Virginia Institute of Technology and an Honorary Degree in Information Technology from Potomac State College of West Virginia.
Four years ago, Dr. Gordon Gee – then President of West Virginia University - invited Admiral Lopez to be an inaugural member of the Distinguished West Virginia Archives, housed at the university library in Morgantown.
At the time, Gee charged WVU Libraries and its West Virginia and Regional History Center (WVRHC) with gathering and preserving the papers of West Virginians who have climbed to the highest levels in their professional arenas. The collections of the Distinguished West Virginians are available to researchers, historians, filmmakers, and others who may be interested.
Even though he is now retired and lives in Great Falls, Virginia, Lopez said he still considers himself both a Catamount and a Mountaineer.
“I still have my college letterman’s jacket. I should donate it to Potomac State to be displayed somewhere because I never wore it, to be honest, and it looks brand new,” he said. “My brother and I continue to have season tickets to games in Morgantown, and I follow sports here at Potomac State avidly.”
At nearly 84 years old, Lopez said he still looks forward to every day. He mentioned his stepdaughter recently had a baby boy, and he said he loves being a grandfather and a family man.
“That is what is most important. You want to know you made a difference and you want to know you had an impact during your time in the world,” he said. “When you turn around and realize it’s your last day on earth, you want to make sure you left the world a better place than you found it.”