B. J. Penn is a native of Peru, Indiana and was educated at Purdue University (B.S.) and George Washington University (Master). He would later also acquire a certificate in Aerospace Safety from the University of Southern California and a certificate in National Security for Senior Officials from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is also an Eagle Scout within the Boy Scouts of America. President of the United States George W. Bush named Penn Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installation and Environment), and Penn assumed this post on March 1, 2005.