David H. Petraeus, the former commander of U.S. Central Command who served more than 37 years in the U.S. military, including command of coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been named a Kissinger Senior Fellow at the Jackson School of Global Affairs beginning in Fall 2023. 

Kissinger Senior Fellows are prominent statesmen who come to campus to teach courses and share their experiences in diplomacy and statecraft with Jackson School students.

Petraeus is a partner and chairman of the KKR Global Institute, which he established in May 2013. He is also a member of the boards of directors of Optiv and FirstStream, a venture investor in more than 15 startups, and engaged in a variety of academic endeavors. Prior to joining KKR, Petraeus served more than 37 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career with six consecutive commands, five of which were in combat, including command of the Surge in Iraq, command of U.S. Central Command, and command of coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Following retirement from the military and after Senate confirmation by a vote of 94-0, he served as director of the CIA during a period of significant achievements in the global war on terror, the establishment of important agency digital initiatives, and significant investments in the agency’s human capital.

Petraeus graduated with distinction from the U.S. Military Academy, and he is the only person in Army history to be the top graduate of both the demanding U.S. Army Ranger School and the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College. He also earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs.