William Inboden

William Inboden is a Professor and Director of the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida. He previously held roles including William Powers, Jr. Chair and Executive Director of the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas-Austin, and Senior Director for Strategic Planning on the National Security Council at the White House. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Texas National Security Review and holds affiliations with the National Intelligence Council, CIA Historical Advisory Panel, and State Department’s Historical Advisory Council.

• Education: Ph.D. and M.A. in History (Yale University), A.B. in History (Stanford University).

His research focuses on American foreign policy, Cold War strategy, presidential decision-making, and religion in public policy. He has authored books including The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, The Cold War, and the World on the Brink and Religion and American Foreign Policy, 1945-1960, and co-edited works on U.S. foreign policy decisions in Iraq and transitions between presidential administrations.

Inboden’s commentary appears in major outlets like the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and NPR. He has testified before Congress and received teaching awards for innovative courses on national security ethics and presidential decision-making.

• Awards: Texas 10, Lecturer of the Year, and multiple class accolades at the LBJ School.

He leads the Hamilton Center’s initiatives in classical and civic education and advises on national security strategy. His career spans academia, government service (including State Department roles and congressional staff positions), and think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute and Legatum Institute.