Lieutenant General Claude Kicklighter
Center for Leadership, Ethics, and Service
Co- Director
Lieutenant General Claude M. “Mick” Kicklighter, a 1955 Mercer University graduate and retired U.S. military general, devoted over 50 years to the military and public service. Commissioned as an Army officer, he served two tours in Vietnam and later commanded the 25th Infantry Division before retiring as Commanding General, U.S. Army Pacific, in 1991. Following his military career, he led the national 50th Anniversary of WWII commemoration, served as Deputy Under Secretary of the Army for International Affairs, Assistant Secretary and Chief of Staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and was confirmed as the sixth Inspector General of the Department of Defense in 2007. He later directed the Center for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security at George Mason University and co-founded Mercer’s Center for Leadership and Ethics. Active in humanitarian work, he chaired Habitat for Humanity International and now serves on the board of Rescue: Freedom International. His numerous honors include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Presidential Citizens Medal, and Eisenhower Liberation Medal. He holds a B.A. from Mercer University and an M.B.A. from George Washington University.