Admiral Bobby R. Inman, USN (Ret.)

Commissioned as an ensign in 1952, Admiral Bobby Inman’s U.S. Navy career spanned nearly 20 years, serving around the world as a naval intelligence specialist.  Graduating from the National War College in 1972, he was selected for promotion to rear admiral in 1974 and vice admiral in 1976. In 1981, Inman was promoted to admiral, making him the first naval intelligence specialist to achieve a four-star rank in Navy history.

Between 1974 and 1982, Inman served as director of Naval Intelligence, vice director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, director of the National Security Agency, and deputy director of Central Intelligence. He retired with the permanent rank of admiral in 1982.

After his retirement, Inman went on to become the first chairman and CEO of Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation; chairman, president, and CEO of Westmark Systems, Inc.; and later chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Inman, who is now managing director of Gefinor Ventures, a venture capital company focused on new technologies, has spent the last 16 years investing in more than 30 start- up technology companies. He has also served on the boards of such companies as Xerox, SBC Communications, ESPC, Fluor Corporation, Massey Energy Company, Science Applications International Corporation, and Temple Inland Incorporated.

In addition to his corporate work, Inman is active in higher education and nonprofit pursuits, serving as the Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair in National Policy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, the University of Texas at Austin. He is a trustee of California Institute of Technology, the American Assembly, and the Center for Excellence in Education and is an active member of various public policy and professional organizations. Since 1995, Inman has served on the Board of Visitors for the School of Politics and Economics at Claremont Graduate University.