NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 10, 2025--
Academy Securities, the nation’s first post-9/11 veteran owned and operated investment bank, today announced the addition of Vice Admiral Kelly Aeschbach to its Advisory Board and Geopolitical Intelligence Group.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250710591806/en/
Vice Admiral Kelly Aeschbach is a globally recognized leader in cyber operations, intelligence, and space strategy with more than 34 years of distinguished service in the United States Navy. A combat veteran, Vice Admiral Aeschbach completed multiple deployments in the Pacific and Middle East regions. In her final assignment, she served as Commander of Naval Information Forces where she was the Navy’s lead Information Warfare Officer. She was responsible for the training and development of over 20,000 personnel delivering critical information-related capabilities for the Navy and Department of Defense.
“We are honored to welcome Vice Admiral Aeschbach to our Advisory Board,” said Academy’s Chairman and CEO Chance Mims. “Her wide breadth of knowledge and experience across the full spectrum of information warfare and national security will help us deliver invaluable insights to our team and to the clients we serve.”
Vice Admiral Aeschbach commented on joining the firm: “It's an honor to join the highly respected Academy Securities team. I look forward to advising clients on how to navigate this complex geopolitical environment.”
Vice Admiral Aeschbach holds a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University and an M.B.A. from San Diego State University. She is a Fellow of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and a graduate of the MIT Seminar XXI Program. She has served on multiple advisory boards for cybersecurity, intelligence, and electronic warfare, and has contributed to interagency intelligence and risk governance efforts.
“Vice Admiral Aeschbach’s forward-thinking approach to emerging threats in cyber and space make her a vital addition to our Advisory Board,” said Academy’s Vice Chairman Phil McConkey. “We’re excited to have her on our team.”
About Academy Securities
Academy Securities is a FINRA registered Broker Dealer and a preeminent veteran owned investment bank with strengths in capital markets, asset management, public finance, geopolitical intel, fixed income, and equity trading. Leadership and staff have had intensive military training prior to entering and gaining in-depth financial services experience in global capital markets. We are mission driven with a high ethical code, a solid sense of accountability and strive for excellence in the pursuit of our clients’ success. Academy is our nation’s first post-9/11 veteran owned and operated investment bank and is certified as a DVBE, SDVOB, and MBE. The firm has a strong top and middle tier client base served by a national platform with offices in New York, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Chapel Hill, Louisville, Austin, Dallas, and Sacramento. Information about Academy Securities is available at www.academysecurities.com.
Vice Admiral Kelly Aeschbach, USN (Ret.)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House on Friday in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on their comfort in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.
Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.
On Friday, U.S. forces seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum, a sign of the Trump administration's plans for ongoing involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.
It's all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.
The meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. EST, will be open to the news media, according to an update to the president's daily schedule. “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.
Trump is set to meet with executives from 17 oil companies, according to the White House. Among the companies attending are Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, and ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.
The president is meeting with a wide swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets. Other companies slated to be at the meeting include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol.
Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested on social media that America would help to backstop any investments.
Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. Part of Trump's challenge to turn that around will be to convince oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as protections for companies entering the market.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are slated to attend the oil executives meeting, according to the White House.
Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of r estoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.
The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.
Trump also announced on Friday he’d meet with President Gustavo Petro in early February, but called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.
Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.
President Donald Trump waves as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
