• Alum serving as U.S. Army’s chief legal officer

    Brad Carson swearing in ceremony

    Brad Carson, BA ’89, has dedicated his life to helping others, and as General Counsel of the Department of the Army, he holds a unique position in which he works tirelessly to support and protect both our country and those serving it.

    Carson serves as legal advisor to the Secretary of the Army, as the Chief Legal Officer for the Army and as the Designated Ethics Official, which means he is responsible for oversight of the worldwide Army Ethics Program. Because of his extensive service and experience, President Barack Obama nominated Carson for the post in September 2011. Confirmation came quickly, and he was sworn in on January 17, 2012.

    [Watch clips from Carson’s confirmation hearing here and here.]

    Carson has taken an interesting path from Waco to the Pentagon. He came to Baylor as a National Merit Scholar and graduated with honors while also being selected as a Rhodes Scholar, and later earned a master’s from the University of Oxford and a juris doctor from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

    He practiced commercial law before being elected to the United States of Representatives, where he served from 2000-04. After leaving office, he was a fellow at Harvard and later became CEO of Cherokee Nation Businesses, LLC. For two years (2009-10), Carson served on active duty as a Navy officer in Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star for service as an intelligence officer. Immediately before his appointment, he was a professor of business law at University of Tulsa.

    His accomplishments are many and we are certainly proud Carson is a part of the Baylor family.

    Sic ’em, Brad!