William H. McRaven

William H. McRaven is Professor of National Security at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin and a Senior Advisor at Lazard. He previously served as Chancellor of the University of Texas System.

McRaven is a retired four-star Admiral in the U.S. Navy, where he commanded special operations forces at every level and was in charge of the U.S. Special Operations Command. Adm. McRaven's military career included combat during Desert Storm and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a recognized national authority on U.S. foreign policy and has advised Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and other U.S. leaders on defense issues.

McRaven is the author of "Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare" and four New York Times bestsellers; "Make Your Bed," "Sea Stories," "The Hero Code" and the number one New York Times bestseller and 2023 Best Business Book of the Year, "The Wisdom of the Bullfrog." In 2011, he was the runner-up for Time magazine's Person of the Year. In 2012, Foreign Policy magazine included him on its Top 100 Global Thinkers list, and in 2014 Politico magazine listed him on the Politico 50.

McRaven serves on the boards of ConocoPhillips, the International Crisis Group, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the Mission Continues, the National Football Foundation, and the Office of Strategic Services Society. McRaven earned an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and received a master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.