Admiral William H. McRaven, is a retired U.S. Navy Four-Star admiral and the former Chancellor
of the University of Texas System. During his time in the military, he commanded special
operations at every level. His career included combat during Desert Storm and both the Iraq
and Afghanistan wars. The forces under his command were responsible for the capture of
Saddam Hussein, the rescue of Captain Phillips and the mission to get Osama bin Laden. His
final assignment was the commander of all U.S. special operation’s forces.
As the Chancellor of the UT System he led one of the nation’s largest and most respected
systems of higher education. As the chief executive officer of the UT System, McRaven oversaw
14 institutions that educated 220,000 students and employed 20,000 faculty and more than
80,000 health care professionals, researchers, and staff.
McRaven is a recognized national authority on U.S. foreign policy and has advised Presidents
George W. Bush and Barack Obama as well as other U.S. leaders on defense issues. He
currently serves as a Senior Advisor for Lazard Financial Advisory and he is on the boards of the
Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the National Football Foundation, the International Crisis
Group, The Mission Continues, and ConocoPhillips.
McRaven graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 1977 with a degree in Journalism,
and received his master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey in 1991.
McRaven is the author of six books, SPEC OPS: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare, and
five New York Times Best Sellers, Make Your Bed, Sea Stories, The Hero Code, The Wisdom of
the Bullfrog and a children’s book, Make Your Bed with Skipper the Seal.
He met his wife, Georgeann, while they were students at UT Austin, and they have three grown
children. McRaven stays active with his writing, speaking and board commitments.
