Lt. General Keith W. Dayton to receive Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity’s Lifetime Achievement Award

Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity proudly announces Lt. General Keith W. Dayton as the next recipient of the “Big Pi Award”. The Big Pi Award is presented by the National Fraternity to alumni Brothers held in high esteem by virtue of outstanding accomplishment which brings honor to the Brother and Pi Lambda Phi (Pilam). It is the lifetime achievement award for Pilam and the list of Big Pi recipients has become a “who’s who” of significantly accomplished fraternity alumni. Recipients of the Big Pi Award include Nobel Laureates, Hall of Fame athletes, public servants, titans of industry, award-winning entertainers, and advocates for freedom and justice. An entire list of Big Pis can be found on this webpage.

About Dayton & his induction

Dayton was initiated into Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity in 1967 while at the College of William & Mary. Upon graduating in 1970, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army where he would serve for 40 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant General (3-Stars). Among his many assignments while in the Army, General Dayton was the U.S. Security Coordinator Israel/Palestinian Authority; Director of Strategy, Plans and Policy, at the Pentagon, and Director of the Iraq Survey Group looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He also was the Deputy Director for Political-Military Affairs (Europe/Africa) for the Joint Staff J5. He held multiple command positions, had extensive academic and professional training on Russia, and was a War College Fellow at Harvard, among many other duties.

After his time in the Army, he served as the Director of the George C. Marshall Center in Garmisch, Germany, a position he held between 2010 and 2021. General Dayton’s extensive leadership experience, his broad and substantive engagement in and knowledge of European Affairs, and his demonstrated ability to manage complex and sensitive policy issues made him an often sought expert when it came to relations with Ukraine.

His induction into the Big Pi Chapter is planned for Saturday, August 6, 2022, in Baltimore as part of the Fraternity’s National Convention. More information will be available in the months to come.

Scholarship Fund

A scholarship fund has been launched in General Dayton’s honor by his William & Mary Alumni Brothers. To learn more about the fund and to donate, visit this webpage: Lt. General Dayton Fund