About the author
Colonel B. Wayne Quist is the author of publications in the fields of national security, political science, and history, and spoke at the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Forum. After 9/11, he was a popular speaker on the ideology of al Qaeda and ISIS, writing and co-authoring several books and articles. He has a B.A. from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, where he grew up, and advanced degrees from University of Southern California and The National War College in Washington, D.C. Wayne served as a private in the Marine Corps Reserve and entered the Air Force after graduation from St. Olaf. He retired as a full Colonel with 3,500 flying hours, serving in Vietnam, Europe, Middle East, and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. His Middle East experience began in 1968 and he led a U.S. AWACS deployment into Saudi Arabia following the fall of the Shah of Iran. Over the years he has met with numerous heads of state and senior leaders in the region.
After retiring from the Air Force, Wayne lived in Europe and the Middle East heading operations for a Fortune 500 company. Returning to the U.S., Wayne became a partner in an investment banking firm specializing in the sale and recapitalization of privately held companies. He serves on the boards of the Christdala Preservation Association; Kierkegaard House Foundation; Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia (CDHR) in Washington, DC; Lake City Historical Society and Heritage Preservation Commission; he was the 2003 recipient of the Northfield High School Distinguished Alumni Award. Cofounder of Veterans Empowered, Inc.