Ray Royalty
Dr. Ray Royalty comes to Converse University after serving over 37 years in the U.S. Army as an Infantry officer in both active and reserve billets. Retiring at the rank of Major General.
At the time of his military retirement, Dr. Royalty was serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Fort Eustis, Virginia. Other significant assignments during his time in uniform included duty with the 1st Infantry Division as a Senior Combat Advisor supporting the Iraqi military during Operation Iraqi Freedom; Director, Army Protection, Headquarters Department of the Army G-3/5/7, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.; and as the Commanding General, 84th Training Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky.
During his time in the Army Reserve, Dr. Royalty gained extensive corporate experience by working across multiple Fortune 500 companies in leadership positions for manufacturing, sales, IT project management, and enterprise software implementations.
Military awards and decorations include the Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and the Army Staff Identification Badge along with various other decorations while serving from platoon to service levels of responsibility. These include the Distinguished Service Medal (3), Legion of Merit (2), and the Bronze Star Medal.
Dr. Royalty’s doctoral dissertation, informed by his experiences as a combat advisor in Iraq, is a cross-cultural human research engagement entitled U.S. Military Advisors in Iraq: A Phenomenological Research Study on the Role of National Culture on Tactical Decision-making During Wartime (UMI Dissertation Publishing, ProQuest Number: 3718052).
Lastly, Dr. Royalty represents the third generation from his family to have served with the 1st Infantry Division in foreign campaigns during times of conflict – World War II, Vietnam, and Iraq.