College of the Canyons presented the fourth annual “McKeon Leadership Forum” Thursday at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center.

The McKeon Leadership Forum is a speaker series aimed at promoting civic engagement through personal involvement, according to event officials. Leaders from the world of politics, government, and military are invited to speak at the forum.

In partnership with the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corp. and U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, the forum is a tool meant to engage community members into dialog and inspire them to become involved in current issues, according to officials.

“Civic engagement is something that we take very seriously here at this college,” said Steven Zimmer, president of the board of trustees. “We try to work with our associated student government to get everybody involved and to get out to vote.”

Related: College Of The Canyons Ranked One Of America’s Best Colleges For Student Voting

General Jack Keane (Ret.), chief of staff for the U.S. Army, was also invited as the event’s special keynote speaker to present his views on “America’s Global Security Challenges.”

“I never try to turn down a college speaking engagement because I know how valuable it can be as a student when you get a different perspective at times from a guest lecturer,” said General Keane. “I was delighted to do this.”

General Keane served 37 years of public service to the United States of America and retired in 2003 from his appointment as acting chief of staff and vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army, according to officials.

“I spent a lifetime in the Army around 18 to 22-year-olds and despite the shifting lifetime concerns and aspirations of different generations, I developed over the course of 38 years of experience with this age group an unshakable confidence in American youth,” Keane said.  

Keane currently serves as a chairman on the board for a public policy think tank called, Institute for the Study of War and is a senior strategic analyst for Fox News who speaks throughout the country on leadership and national security, according to officials.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.