Wednesday, July 1, 2026
NSF Hybrid Event
In-Person at
J Resort
345 N Arlington Ave, Reno, NV 89501
(Park at the East entrance, enter the casino, and take the stairs or elevator to the Mezzanine level)
Breakfast served 7:30-8:30 am, Forum 8:30-9:30 am
$30 members/$35 guests
Virtual on Zoom
Forum 8:30-9:30am PST
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kxI188PASDyk8Y8UPLI8QQ#
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
SPEAKER:
Bill Wilson
Former U.S. Navy SEAL Commander, Reno Business Leader
Thank You for Making our 2026 Youth Security Forum a Success!
First, a huge thank you to all who participated and supported our 2026 Youth Security Forum at UNR on May 19th!!! We had over 450 seniors attend from seven Washoe County high schools, along with 15 teachers and over 40 volunteers. The students engaged in lively discussions and scenario role-playing, sharing their views about spying and surveillance in America from George Washington’s Culper Ring to our present era of cyber spies, AI, and mega data collection.
Our students demonstrated a depth of thought and consideration worthy of the next generation of leaders. We are grateful for the roles they will play in creating a more perfect union for our country in the future.
America at 250: The Work Still Before Us
As the United States prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, communities across the country are being invited to pause, reflect on the nation’s past, honor the contributions of Americans across generations, and look ahead to the future we want to create together.
For the National Security Forum of Nevada, this milestone is more than a birthday celebration. It is an opportunity to ask what citizenship, service, sacrifice, leadership, and national unity require of us at a time when many Americans are concerned about division at home and uncertainty abroad.
Please join us on Wednesday, July 1st for a special NSF program celebrating America’s 250th with Bill Wilson, a former U.S. Navy SEAL commander and Reno business leader. Bill and I will share a timely and thoughtful conversation about leadership, service, and bridging divisions in our country as we reflect on 250 years of America’s ongoing quest for a more perfect union.
The words “a more perfect Union” remind us that America has never been a finished project. From the Revolution to today, each generation has inherited both the promise and the responsibility of self-government. America’s 250th anniversary gives us a moment to celebrate the ideals of liberty, equality, service, and government by consent of the governed – and to consider how those ideals must be renewed in our own time.
Bill Wilson brings a rare perspective to that conversation. Over a 28-year career as a U.S. Navy SEAL officer, he served in demanding leadership roles across the Naval Special Warfare community, Joint Special Operations Command, Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, and other theaters. He later transitioned into the private sector, co-founded a Reno-based software services company, and continues to serve the community as a business leader and member of the Navy SEAL Museum Board of Directors.
This will not be a conventional lecture. In keeping with NSF’s more conversational 2026 format, Bill will invite us to think together about what military service teaches about trust, accountability, courage, teamwork, and the obligation to lead across difference. At a moment when national conversations are often polarized and performative, this program will focus on the practical habits that help people build common purpose – in combat units, in businesses, in communities, and in a constitutional republic.
Program Overview
Drawing on his experiences as a SEAL commander, special operations leader, entrepreneur, and Nevadan, Bill Wilson will reflect on the meaning of service in a divided country and the leadership lessons that remain essential to America’s future.
The discussion will explore how teams succeed under pressure, how leaders earn trust, and why shared mission matters when people bring different backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives to the table. Bill will also discuss what it means to move from military service to civic and business leadership – and how lessons learned in national service can help strengthen communities closer to home.
As we celebrate America’s 250th, this program will ask an important question: What does it take – not in slogans, but in practice – to keep building a more perfect union?
Topics We Will Explore
- Leadership Under Pressure: What military service teaches about decision-making, accountability, and trust.
- Service Beyond Self: How the ethic of service can strengthen communities, businesses, and civic life.
- Bridging Divisions: What it takes to build teams across difference and restore a sense of shared mission.
- America at 250: How we can celebrate the nation’s achievements while honestly recognizing the work still ahead.
- From Battlefield to Business: Lessons from special operations leadership that apply to entrepreneurship, innovation, and community leadership.
- Citizenship and Responsibility: What each of us can do to help sustain democratic institutions, civil discourse, and national purpose.
Why Attend?
- Celebrate America’s 250th: Join NSF for a meaningful local commemoration of one of the most important milestones in American history.
- Hear a Remarkable Leadership Story: Learn from a former Navy SEAL commander whose career spans military command, special operations, business, and civic service.
- Reflect on National Unity: Engage in a timely conversation about bridging divisions and rebuilding trust across American life.
- Connect with Nevada’s National Security Community: Join military leaders, veterans, business professionals, academics, students, and community members for thoughtful discussion.
About the Speaker
Bill Wilson spent 28 years in the U.S. Navy as a SEAL officer. Commissioned as an Ensign in 1986, he graduated from BUD/S Class 141 in 1987 and reported to SEAL Team Three. His early career included platoon commander tours at SEAL Team Three and SEAL Team One, as well as service as an instructor at the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado. Bill later served at Naval Special Warfare Development Group, where he held element and team leader roles. In 1998, he led an interagency team in Eastern Europe that captured the first person indicted for war crimes. His follow-on assignments included service as Executive Officer at Unit One in Guam and as Operations and Plans Officer at Joint Special Operations Command, where he was part of the planning team for the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. In 2002, Bill became Commanding Officer of SEAL Team One and led the team’s 2004 deployment to Iraq as Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian Peninsula Commander. He later served as Detailer for the SEAL Officer Community, attended the U.S. Army War College, returned to JSOC as an Operations Officer, commanded the Naval Special Warfare Center, and served with Special Operations Command Africa as commander of a joint and allied team leading special operations in Libya. Bill retired from the Navy in 2014 and entered the software business in San Francisco. In 2016, he co-founded Alchemy, a software services company based in Reno. He currently works at Ridgeline Apps, a financial management software company in Reno, and serves on the Navy SEAL Museum Board of Directors. He has two sons and spends many days outside in Nevada’s remote deserts and mountains.
The National Security Forum is a non-partisan, educational, nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering civil discourse and informed discussion about timely and important national security topics. We bring expert speakers from around the U.S. to talk about national and international security, domestic and foreign terrorism, economic and financial threats, the safety of our food and water supply, energy policy, electrical grid stability, and a variety of other topics that affect all Americans. The National Security Forum partners with the Washoe County School District to host an annual Youth Security Forum to encourage future generations of national security leaders.
To support NSF continuing to bring national security programs to our community and our local students, please join NSF as a member or Friend of the Forum at: https://nationalsecurityforum.org/membership/about-our-membership/