Washington D.C. - The Ferris State University Information Security and Intelligence (ISI) Distinguished Speaker Series will host U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland for a lunch and talk on Monday, Nov. 30, in Grand Rapids.

The event is scheduled for noon at Grand Rapid’s Community College Applied Technology Center, 151 Fountain St. NE. The event is limited to students, faculty and university administrators, but members of the press are invited and encouraged to attend.

Hoekstra is the top Republican and former chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The ISI speaker series invited Hoekstra as a result of his experience and insights on current intelligence issues as the fight against radical jihad and efforts to modernize and reform the U.S. intelligence community.

The recently launched speaker series brings senior experts in the fields of information security and intelligence to Grand Rapids to address students and local professionals on current topics of interest.

Hoekstra is the second speaker in the series. Last April, the ISI speaker series hosted Special Agent Tom Betro, Director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), as its first speaker.

The Ferris State University ISI program was started in the fall of 2007 to meet the increasing demand for people skilled in analyzing and converting data into knowledge. Students in the program learn how to apply the latest visual analysis, geographic information systems, data mining, and digital forensics tools to meet this challenge. Graduates of the program are prepared for private and government opportunities in information security and intelligence-related fields.