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ExxonMobil presents Lt. Gen. Marvin Brailsford, U.S. Army retired, at ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ Feb. 24 in “An Evening with Lieutenant General Marvin Brailsford” in celebration of Black History Month. The presentation, sponsored by ExxonMobil’s Black Employee Success Team (BEST) and hosted by ¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ, is free and open to the public. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in the University Reception Center, 8^th Floor of the Mary and John Gray Library.

Born in Burkeville, Texas on January 31, 1939, Brailsford graduated with honors from Prairie View A&M University in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and as a distinguished military graduate.  In addition to receiving a Master of Science degree in bacteriology from Iowa State University, he has also completed the executive program at the Graduate School of Business Administration, University of California, Berkeley; Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; the U.S. Army War College; the U. S. Army Command and General Staff College; the Chemical Officer Advanced Course and the Armor Officer Basic Course.

Lt. Gen. Brailsford culminated his 33 years of military service in 1992 as deputy commanding general of the United States Army Material Command.  During his career, he held a variety of command and staff positions including commanding general of the U.S. Army Armament, Munitions and Chemical Command, the 59^th Ordnance Brigade, the 60^th Ordnance Group, the 101^st Ordnance Battalion, and staff assignments in Vietnam, Germany and the United States.

He is a recipient of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (five oak leaf clusters), the Army Commendation Medal, the Parachutist Badge and the Army General Staff Identification Badge.

After his retirement from the Army, he served as president of Metters Industries, an information technology and system engineering company.  He is also a retired vice president of Kaiser Hill, LLC. which successfully accomplished the environmental clean-up of the Rocky Flats nuclear production facility near Denver, Colo. He founded his own company in 1995, The Brailsford Group, Inc., a management consulting company. Brailsford is also a retired director of two publicly traded companies, Illinois Tool Works, Inc., a Fortune 200 company and Conn’s, Inc.

Brailsford is actively involved in his church, his community and his alma mater. He is a Rotarian and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

¿ìÉ«ÊÓƵ’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) works with students from all backgrounds to provide meaningful cross-cultural interaction through a variety of events throughout the year.

Black History Month is one several special times on campus sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Campus activities throughout February centered on the theme “Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories” where students were introduced to the more than 25 African American sites that have received the National Park Service’s Historical Landmark designation.

Other months of emphasis supported by ODI annually include Women’s History, LGBTQIA Pride, Hispanic Heritage and International Student Appreciation.

ODI promotes respect for cross-cultural awareness with the goal of helping all students to become active, productive, and collaborative within the University community. Sponsored activities recognize diversity on multiple levels including, but not limited to, race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and religious/spiritual diversity.