The 70th U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been named a Distinguished Chair of Liberty University’s Helms School of Government, where he will work to advance Liberty’s distinct Christian mission from his extensive leadership experience and expertise in public policy, international relations, and national security. His role officially began on Sept. 1; the public announcement came upon his return to campus in October, where he greeted students from the Convocation stage and was a keynote speaker at the third annual CEO Summit.
Secretary Pompeo said he is looking forward to serving Liberty’s student body and building relationships with faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the university across the country.
“I am honored to join Liberty University and thrilled to work with the Helms School of Government. Nothing is more important to our nation’s future than the proper education of young Americans. Liberty’s mission, to promote academic excellence while fostering a love for Jesus Christ and a commitment to Christian life, is one in which I believe deeply, and I am looking forward to contributing to it in the days ahead.”
Pompeo joins Liberty after a successful career as a public servant. Graduating first in his class at the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1986, Pompeo served as a cavalry officer for five years with the 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry in the US Army’s Fourth Infantry Division. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where he was editor of the Harvard Law Review. Before entering politics, Pompeo founded Thayer Aerospace, a specialized aircraft machinery manufacturer, where he served as CEO for more than a decade. He later became president of Sentry International, an oilfield equipment manufacturing, distribution, and service company.
Pompeo entered politics in 2010 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Kansas’ 4th Congressional District, where he served from 2011-17. He was a member of the House Intelligence, Energy and Commerce, and House Select Benghazi committees. Pompeo was appointed director of the CIA in 2017 and was sworn in as the 70th Secretary of State in April 2018. As secretary of state, he developed a fierce defensive posture for religious liberty on an international scale, making religious freedom a top priority in U.S. foreign policy for the first time in America’s history.
