Admiral William H. McRaven, USN (Ret.)

Admiral William H. McRaven is a retired U.S. Navy Four-Star admiral, best-selling author and former Chancellor of the University of Texas System. He is a recognized national authority on U.S. foreign policy and has advised Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and other U.S. leaders on defense issues. During his time in the military, he commanded special operations forces at every level, eventually taking charge of the U.S. Special Operations Command. His career included combat during Desert Storm and both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He commanded the operations that captured Saddam Hussein, rescued Captain Phillips and the 2011 Osama bin Laden mission. As the Chancellor of the UT System he led one of the nation’s largest and most respected systems of higher education. Admiral McRaven has been recognized for his leadership numerous times through distinguished awards and by publications. He currently serves on the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the National Football Foundation. He is the author of four books including, SPEC OPS: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare; Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life and Maybe the World; Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations; and his newest book, The Hero Code: Lessons Learned from Lives Well Lived.