Maj. Douglas D. McVey

McVey was chosen after a search conducted by Headmaster James A. Freeman, Ph.D., advised by an 11-member committee composed of members of TMI’s Board of Governors, faculty, staff, alumni and parents of cadets.

“During the long process of sifting through resumes and interviewing candidates, Maj. McVey easily emerged as the forerunner among many distinguished individuals,” says Freeman. “I am confident that he is the right choice to lead our young men and women to new heights of success.”

McVey currently serves as executive officer for the 12th Brigade ROTC, headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, where since 2003 he has supervised 21 university ROTC programs and 202 high-school Junior ROTC programs throughout Texas and New Mexico. He will retire this summer after a 23-year career as a Special Forces/Foreign Area officer and will take up his new position at TMI on Aug. 1.

“ROTC and JROTC are citizenship programs that train leaders — not just for the military, but for life,” says McVey, who has worked at brigade headquarters since 2003. “I knew that (TMI’s) Corps had a tradition of excellence and have learned that it’s also an excellent school,” he says. “In the Army, I’ve grown up with values of loyalty and respect. TMI teaches these values to all students and combines them with Christian teachings, and that’s what attracted me most.”

As commandant, McVey will head the school’s military department and its award-winning JROTC program, designated by the Army as an Honor Unit with Distinction. More than 40 percent of TMI students are members of the military program, which has been optional since 1972.

McVey will be the 41st commandant of cadets since the school’s founding in 1893. He succeeds Army Lt. Col. John A. Coulter II, who was recalled to active duty last November and is now serving as an operations officer at the Joint Command Post in Kabul, Afghanistan.