Gen. Stanley McChrystal, former U.S. Forces Afghanistan commander and retired leader of the Joint Special Operations Command, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts.

The talk is free and open to the public.

A four-star general, McChrystal had a 34-year military career that spanned the post-Vietnam to the modern eras, as he adapted to lead joint special operations (2003-08) in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond. McChrystal’s leadership of JSOC is credited with the December 2003 capture of Saddam Hussein and the June 2006 location and killing of Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

He retired from the military in 2010 and co-founded McChrystal Group, a consulting firm that focuses on leadership issues. He is also the author of the leadership book, “My Share of the Task: A Memoir.” He serves on the board of directors for JetBlue Airways, Navistar, and the Yellow Ribbon Fund. He is also chairman of the board for Siemens Government Technologies. In 2011, McChrystal returned to public service after the Obama administration invited him to oversee Joining Forces, a high-profile initiative that supports military families.

His presentation will focus on field-tested leadership lessons that can translate into creating and managing evolutionary change and sharing a clear vision and mission. He stresses a uniquely inclusive model that focuses on building teams capable of relentlessly pursuing results.

The talk is part of the College of Engineering’s “Building the 22nd Century” conference. For more information, go to http://buildingthe22ndcentury.unl.edu.