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An Aggie has been selected as the next dean of Texas A&M’s Bush School of government and public service.
John Sherman, class of 1992, fills the vacancy after Mark Welsh was promoted to president.
Sherman, who starts August 1, was in his fourth year as the U.S. defense department’s chief information officer as part of a 30 year career in national security.
A&M continues three dean searches, at the school of architecture, the school of performance, visualization and fine arts, and the graduate and professional school.
Searches also continue for A&M’s next chief operating officer and vice president for faculty affairs.
News release from Texas A&M:
Texas A&M University has named accomplished national security expert John B. Sherman ’92 as the next dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service.
Sherman, the chief information officer for the U.S. Department of Defense since 2021, will start in his new role Aug. 1. He replaces Gen. (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, who served as dean of the Bush School before being named president of the university. Dr. Frank B. Ashley III has been the acting dean since August.
Sherman has served in national security for 30 years, holding senior positions in the Central Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).
Sherman said his decades of defense and intelligence experience will help bolster the Bush School’s reach and impact.
“I’m tremendously honored and humbled to be selected as the next dean of the Bush School. Gen. Welsh and Dr. Ashley are leaving behind some pretty big boots to fill,” Sherman said. “The spirit of service and focus on preparing students for the future they instilled in the school will be our guiding light as we look to the challenges the next generation of leaders will face. Liz and I are excited to get back home to College Station and beginning this next chapter in our lives.”
Sherman is a Distinguished Military Graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. While at Texas A&M, he was a Ross Volunteer and served as commander of the Corps of Cadets. He also earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Houston.
After graduating from Texas A&M, Sherman was an air defense officer in the U.S. Army’s 24th Infantry Division.
In his current role, Sherman serves as the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense for information management, information technology and information assurance, as well as space systems, satellite communications and telecommunications matters.
His experience includes IT modernization, cybersecurity, data collection and analysis, organizational strategy and international affairs.
“When President Bush laid out his vision for the Bush School of Government and Public Service and the importance of preparing new generations of dedicated public servants, he thought of people like John Sherman,” Welsh said. “John is a true public servant, having worked in government service his entire career, including 25-plus years in the U.S. intelligence community. He’s built an incredible professional reputation as a leader in public service and national security, but maybe more importantly, for how he treats others. He’s a great Aggie, and we’re incredibly proud to welcome him and his wife, Liz, back home to Aggieland.”
Dr. Alan Sams, Texas A&M provost and executive vice president, said he expects Sherman to further the Bush School’s impact due to his remarkable experience as a public servant.
“Undoubtedly, John Sherman’s impact will be most profound on the educational experience for our students and consequently, their impact after graduation. He is the ideal choice to leverage his wealth of expertise, demonstrated leadership and aspirational vision to lead the school in this time of extraordinary potential elevating the success of our faculty and staff and the international prestige of the Bush School,” Sams said.
Sherman’s awards include the Distinguished and Meritorious Presidential Rank, the Defense Intelligence Agency Director’s Award, the CIA Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service and the NGA Meritorious Civilian Service Medal.
His wife, Liz, is a member of the Texas A&M Class of 1991, and she also works in national security. They have two grown children, both with careers in public service.