Robert Ivany

After 13 years as president of the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Bob now serves as the president emeritus. He came to Houston after retiring as a major general with 34 years of service to our nation. During his Army career, Bob was fortunate to serve in a wide array of challenging assignments. A 1969 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, he fought in Vietnam where he was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and the Purple Heart for wounds received in action. He went on to command armored cavalry units from platoon to regiment. He completed tours in the United States,Vietnam, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Germany. Bob’s background and expertise allowed him to contribute to theeducation of emerging and senior leaders in the military, corporate and not for profit sectors.

Bob was born in Austria after his parents fled from Hungary. He then immigrated to the U.S. and retained his language ability while earning a doctorate in Modern European History, teaching at West Point, and advising the Hungarian Army after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Bob also led the joint effort to transform the Kuwaiti Armed Forces after the first Gulf War. He observed firsthand the leadership of the President of the United States from 1984-86 as the Army Aide to the President. In this assignment, he carried the “football” (a briefcase, the contents of which are to be used by the President of the United States to authorize a nuclear attack while away from fixed command centers) for Ronald Reagan and witnessed the unfolding of global events. His final assignment as the Commandant of the Army War College offered him wide interaction with corporate CEO’s and business school faculty engaged in leader development and change management. Bob has given presentations on leadership to over 100 groups. He presented his insights on President Reagan to executives varying from Noble Energy to JP Morgan Chase. He has given keynote addresses for corporate conferences, civic luncheons and business school seminars. He served on the board of directors for the Mutual of America Capital Management LLC and chair of the board for the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas and Mental Health America of Greater Houston. He now sits on the board of directors of Allegiance BancShares of Houston and the Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart.

Scholarly Work/Publications/Awards

Bob has received the Ellis Island Medal of Freedom, the Humanitarian Award from the Chapel of Four Chaplains, the Americanism Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution, the George Washington Award for DistinguishedService from the Sons of the American Revolution, the Director’s Award from the United States Secret Service, theAdmiral Thomas J. Hamilton Award for Leadership, and with his spouse the Aaron and Hur Award from the U.S. ArmyChaplaincy. The Republic of Hungary awarded him the Officer’s Cross, Order of Merit and the American HungarianFoundation presented Bob the George Washington Award. He was named a distinguished graduate of St. Ignatius High School, Cleveland, Ohio and has earned numerous military awards. In 2017, Pope Francis bestowed on him the “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” medal, the highest award given to a lay person. He received the Army War College Military Writing Award for his article published in Parameters, “Soldiers and Legislators: a Common Mission”. His article “From Success to Significance” appeared in the summer 2014 edition of Leader to Leader and his chapter on developing leaders was published in Leading Organizations: From the Inside Out.

Education

• Bachelor of Science (BS) United States Military Academy at West Point (1965 — 1969)
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) University of Wisconsin-Madison (1974 — 1976)

Companies

• Faculty Member Thayer Leader Development Group (2018)
• President University of St. Thomas-Houston (2004 — 2017)
• Adjunt Professor Columbia Business School (2003 — 2004)
• Commadant U.S. Army War College US Army (2000 — 2003)
• Major General US Army (1969 — 2000)