Mike McConnell, U.S. director of national intelligence, will speak at the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences graduation Saturday and be presented with an honorary degree for public service.

“I am deeply honored to be returning to my alma mater – the great institution that I attended 22 years ago,” McConnell said in a news release. “George Washington’s public administration curriculum and the skills that I learned at the University have been invaluable to me as the director of national intelligence.”

McConnell was appointed director of national intelligence in 2007, acting as an adviser to the president. He previously served as director of the National Security Agency under President Bill Clinton from 1992 to 1996.

A former admiral in the U.S. Navy, McConnell was given the National Security Medal by President Clinton in 1997.