Lieutenant General Benjamin C. Freakley serves as the Professor of Practice of Leadership for Arizona State University and as a special advisor to ASU President Michael Crow for Leadership Initiatives. Additionally, he serves at the McCain Institute for International Leadership.   In this capacity, he focuses on leading in: complexity, adversity, embracing diversity and working with organizations and individuals to excel as Character-Driven Leaders.

General Freakley is retired from the U.S. Army after serving more than 36 years of active military service.  During his career, General Freakley led our Soldiers and military forces in combat three times.  He served as the Operations Officer, 1 st Brigade, 24 th Infantry Division (Mechanized) during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia.  In 2003 he served as Assistant Division Commander (Operations), 101 st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq. From 2003 to 2006, he commanded the Army’s largest training institute, the Infantry Center and School at Fort Benning, Georgia. In January 2005, as the Commanding General of the 10 th Mountain
Division (Light) he led the division in Afghanistan serving as the Commanding General Combined Joint Task Force-76, Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan.

In his last assignment, Lieutenant General Freakley commanded U.S. Army Accessions Command, responsible for world-wide recruiting for the Active and Reserve Components of the Army, Officer development with Army Cadet Command (Senior and Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and Officer Candidate School) providing the Army with Officers for the Active, Guard and Reserve. Additionally, the command was responsible for all initial military training for all Soldiers and Officers.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the United State Military Academy at West Point and a Master’s Degree in Advanced Military Studies. General Freakley’s awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star for Valor and ARCOM for Valor. He is an Eagle Scout, and in 2010 was named the Education Policy Leader of the year for the National Association for State Board Educators. In 2020 he was awarded the Citizen Service Award for investing in the civic health of our nation through support of national service by Voices for National
Service.

He is married to the former Susan French of Woodstock, Virginia. They have five sons, four daughters-in-law and eleven grandchildren.