Veterans Day: Mercyhurst hosts annual ‘Celebration of Valor’

Students, faculty, staff, and administrators are invited to attend Mercyhurst’s annual “Celebration of Valor” on Friday, Nov. 7, at 10-11:30 a.m. in the Mercy Heritage Room.

The annual observance offers the university a chance to highlight the contribution of veterans to the college’s academic and cultural community and to express the community’s gratitude.

An opening prayer will be offered by Vice President for Mission Dr. Greg Baker, with welcoming remarks made by President Kathleen A. Getz, Ph.D.

She will be followed by this year’s guest speaker, Ted Stanich, Mercyhurst’s own executive director of Intelligence Studies. His address is titled: “Serving our Country: You Never Know Where It Will Take You.”

Stanich joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1986 as a reservist. After completing basic training at Parris Island, he attended Infantry Training School at Camp Geiger. A training accident led to an injury that resulted in his medical discharge in early 1987.

In 1992, following graduate school, Stanich joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Criminal Investigation Division as a special agent. During his law enforcement career at the EPA, he advanced to serve as deputy director of the EPA Homeland Security Division and the Criminal Investigation Division.

In 2018, Stanich was promoted to the federal Senior Executive Service as the associate administrator of national security and the federal senior intelligence coordinator for the EPA, where he served as the senior EPA representative to the White House National Security Council. He retired from the federal government in July 2025.

Ted Stanich earned his MPA in Public Policy and Management from Ohio State University and his B.A. in Russian and B.S. in Criminal Justice from Bowling Green State University.

Planning for this year’s Celebration of Valor is under the direction of Veterans Service Coordinator Chris Popa. For more information, email him at cpopa@mercyhurst.edu.