“Be a good person” says Admiral William H. McRaven

Admiral William H. McRaven is a retired U.S. Navy Four-Star Admiral and former Chancellor of the University of Texas System. Over his distinguished military career, he commanded special operations at every level, including combat roles in Desert Storm, the Iraq War, and the Afghanistan War. Under his leadership, U.S. forces conducted several high-profile missions, including the capture of Saddam Hussein, the rescue of Captain Phillips, and the operation to locate and eliminate Osama bin Laden. His final assignment was as Commander of all U.S. Special Operations Forces.

As Chancellor of the University of Texas (UT) System, McRaven led one of the nation’s largest and most respected higher education systems. In his role as Chief Executive Officer, he oversaw 14 institutions that educated over 220,000 students and employed 20,000 faculty, along with more than 80,000 healthcare professionals, researchers, and staff.

McRaven is a recognized national authority on U.S. foreign policy and defense, having advised Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama as well as other U.S. leaders on critical defense issues. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor for Lazard Financial Advisory and sits on the boards of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the National Football Foundation, the International Crisis Group, The Mission Continues, and ConocoPhillips.

A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, McRaven earned his bachelor’s degree in Journalism in 1977 and his master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey in 1991.

McRaven is the author of six books, including 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 the children’s book Make Your Bed with Skipper the Seal.

He met his wife, Georgeann, while they were both students at UT Austin.