Secretary of defense 2006-11, CIA director, university president and a historian: Dr. Robert M. Gates has spent a lifetime as a student of history in the intelligence and defense arenas, serving eight U.S. presidents and earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor.

Gates will round out the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s 17th Perspectives set for Friday, Sept. 23 at the Sacramento Convention Center. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and Olympian Dara Torres will also speak at the event, which has a new half-day format.

Gates began his government service in 1966 when he joined the Central Intelligence Agency and then spent nearly 27 years as an intelligence professional. During that period, he spent nearly nine years at the National Security Council, The White House, serving four presidents of both political parties. He is the only career officer in CIA’s history to rise from entry-level employee to director.

Appointed by President George W. Bush as the 22nd Secretary of Defense in 2006, he continued until this year—achieving the record as the only Secretary of Defense in U.S. history to be asked to remain in that office by a newly-elected President.

Before becoming Secretary of Defense, Gates was the president of Texas A&M University. He is the author of the memoir, From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insiders Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War, published in 1996. A native of Kansas, Gates received his bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary, his master’s degree in history from Indiana University and his doctorate in Russian and Soviet history from Georgetown University. He also served in the U.S. Air Force as an intelligence officer.

Since its founding in 1995, Perspectives has hosted speakers like Gates—in all more than 90 of the world’s most influential individuals who share their personal views on world affairs and current events. Past speakers include Condoleezza Rice, Mikhail Gorbachev, Guy Kawasaki, John Glenn, Margaret Thatcher, Sugar Ray Leonard and Elizabeth Dole.

Perspectives continues to offer exclusive opportunities for hosting prospects, clients and employees in a VIP setting. Sponsor packages start at $2,500 and some include a pre-event networking reception attended by Perspective speakers and a VIP breakfast the day of the event. Individual tickets start at $99.

For more details and purchase tickets, visit metrochamber.org/perspectives or call 916-444-1919.