RICHMOND, Va. — Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General, announced Tuesday that Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Francis M. McGinn, president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Guard Association of the United States, joins the slate of expert presenters for the annual Virginia National Guard Distinguished Speaker Series. McGinn is the eighth presenter in the series and presents on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at the Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
McGinn succeeded Brig. Gen. (Ret.) J. Roy Robinson as president of the National Guard Association of the United States on Jan. 2, 2024. McGinn serves as chief executive officer of NGAUS. He is responsible for the
association’s day-to-day operations in Washington, D.C., and a staff of 28 employees. He also oversees the National Guard Educational Foundation, which maintains the National Guard Memorial Museum, and the NGAUS Insurance Trust.
His principal duties include providing the Guard with unified representation before Congress and a variety of other functions to support a nationwide membership of more than 45,000 current and former National Guard officers across 54 states, territories, and the District of Columbia. He was elected NGAUS president by the association’s board of directors in November 2023. He had previously served on the board for 15 consecutive years. General McGinn has four decades in uniform, all of it as a traditional, part-time member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. For much of the time, he juggled his military duties with the demands of full-time positions in civilian law enforcement. This includes 30 years in the Massachusetts State Police and two years as commander of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Station.
He began his military career in 1981 as an enlisted Soldier, earning his commission as second lieutenant through the Massachusetts State Officer Candidate School in 1984. His final assignment was as mobilization assistant to the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. He retired in 2021. Other career highlights include serving as Deputy Commander-Army National Guard at the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and Assistant Division Commander – Support of the 42nd Infantry Division. He deployed to Iraq with the 42nd Infantry Division from 2004 to 2005, serving as garrison commander of Forward Operating Base Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq.
McGinn holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Massachusetts-Boston and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Anna Maria College. He has completed numerous schools as part of his military education, including the U.S. Army War College, the General and Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar at Harvard University, and the National Security Studies Management Course at Syracuse University.
He has earned multiple military decorations including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (with one Bronze Oak Leaf cluster), the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with four Bronze Oak Leaf clusters), and several Massachusetts National Guard awards.
The Virginia National Guard Association hosts the annual Legislative Reception at the Library of Virginia immediately following the completion of the Distinguished Speaker Series presentation.