William H. McRaven is professor of national security at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and a senior advisor for Lazard. He previously served as chancellor of the University of Texas System. He 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. McRaven’s 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 three New York Times best sellers, Make Your Bed, Sea Stories, and The Hero Code. 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.