Christopher J. Sharpsten (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — A retired major general in the U.S. Army will speak at the Celebration of Veterans co-hosted by Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law and ELPRO Services Inc. at 7 p.m. June 14 at the Parkersburg High School auditorium.

Christopher J. Sharpsten will speak about his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the evening discussion.

In his senior role as a general officer, Sharpsten was the director of operations for the U.S. Presidential COVID-19 Task Force, Operation Warp Speed, from 2020 to 2021 to accelerate the development and delivery of vaccines and therapeutics.

“We are honored to host Gen. Sharpsten in our community on a date which coincides with the official establishment of the U.S. Army by the Continental Congress in 1776,” Micalyn Harris, ELPRO Services president and CEO, said. “We share a special connection because of his leadership in logistics and distribution of vaccines during the pandemic and ELPRO’s important work in the cold supply chain to help ensure safe and effective vaccines, medications and therapies to patients worldwide.”

Also during the event, “The American Sentinel,” a special composition, will be performed by local singer-songwriter John A. Walsh. Walsh composed “The Fields of Gettysburg” to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Gettysburg.

“We are delighted to host Maj. Gen. Sharpsten in Parkersburg with ELPRO. Gen. Sharpsten is a hero to many for his extensive work in combating COVID-19, and his presentation is sure to be inspiring,” Jan Dils said. “It will be a wonderful night to celebrate with all of our local veterans.”

The event is free to the public, and veterans from all armed forces are invited to attend.

Sharpsten served in the Army for 33 years. He is a professional logistician with experience across a broad spectrum of positions during peacetime, deployments to war zones and humanitarian assistance operations.

He leveraged his extensive experience in both conventional Army and special operations to lead a myriad of cross-service and U.S. government interagency teams focused on solving national-level issues.

Sharpsten is now the executive vice president for defense programs at J.A. Green & Co., providing executive-level coordination for clients regarding national security issues, legislation and defense programs.

He earned his bachelor’s of science in civil engineering from the United States Military Academy, a master’s of business administration from Michigan State University and a master’s of science in national security strategy from the National War College in Washington, D.C.

Swiss-based ELPRO provides environmental monitoring data intelligence, hardware, software and GXP services to the leading pharmaceutical, life sciences, health care and logistics companies.

Dils began her law firm as a sole practitioner in 1994. Today, Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law, is the largest female-owned law firm in the U.S. with 150 team members at offices in Parkersburg, Beckley, Charleston, Huntington and Logan in West Virginia and Charlotte, N.C. The firm specializes in veterans disability claims, Social Security disability and personal injury.