“Building Trust…..from my Foxhole” is the title of this year’s Robert M. Vance Lecture on Business Ethics. Retired Brigadier General E. Eric (Rick) Porter will deliver the lecture on Thursday, April 4 at 11 a.m. in Edmunds Hall.

Born in Columbus, Ga., and raised in Columbia, S.C., Porter retired as a brigadier general in the United States Army in April 2011 with more than 32 years of active duty service. He graduated from Presbyterian College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and was commissioned in the Adjutant General’s Corps. He is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College and the Naval War College. He earned a Master of National Security and Strategic Studies degree from the Naval War College.

Military Service

While on active duty, Porter served three years in Germany and two years in Korea. He spent 14 years serving in airborne units to include the U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa Fla., XVIII Airborne Corps, 82d Airborne Division, and a Special Mission Unit at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Porter commanded at every level to include Company, Battalion, Brigade, and General Officer level command. He deployed on three combat tours including Operation Urgent Fury, Grenada, Operation Just Cause, Panama, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan.  He served as the 62d Adjutant General of the U.S. Army.

Immediately following retirement, Porter was appointed as a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) in the U.S. Army and currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1 (HR Director), U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort Bragg, N.C., the largest command in the U.S. Army. It is comprised of 219,000 soldiers and 12,000 Department of the Army civilians, serving across the United States.

Awards and Achievements

Porter was inducted into the Presbyterian College ROTC Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2014, he was inducted into the U.S. Army Adjutant General’s Corps Hall of Fame. He was the 2017 recipient of the Presbyterian College Alumni Gold P award.

His military awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Master Parachutist Badge.

Porter served as the chair of the PC ROTC Alumni Council from 2011 to 2016. He currently serves on the Army Emergency Relief Board of Directors.

Porter is married to Sally, PC class of ’79, and has two sons:  Brandon and Cameron, PC Class of 2015.

Learn More about the Robert M. Vance Lecture Series on Business Ethics

Please visit the Robert M. Vance Lecture Series page for more information about the program and for a list of past speakers.