Gov. Eric Greitens told The Maneater in 2008 that he believed quiet leadership is more effective than authoritative leadership. This was before he was elected governor of Missouri.
Greitens has served as the governor of Missouri since early January. Prior to holding this position, Greitens received numerous awards while serving as a U.S. Navy SEAL, including the Purple Heart.
According to his campaign, his biggest goals for his first few months in office were aimed toward supporting law enforcement and economic development. To this end, Greitens has taken a position which will involve an audit of health care spending, a push to enact right-to-work legislation and major budget cuts.
Among making government appointments to commissions and task forces, he has also pledged to “evaluate the purpose and results of each existing board and commission in the state,” according to an April 11 news release. Another notable policy change is the allowance of religious entities to receive grants from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
Before his time in the military and as the state’s governor, Greitens studied at Duke and then Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar, where he wrote a his dissertation about community leadership. During his time in college, he became a prolific boxer and a two-time Blue and Gold medalist at the BUSA National Boxing Championship.
Being a part of the armed services has been a notable piece of Greitens’ identity, and not just in his role as governor. After his time in the military, Greitens worked to create The Mission Continues, an organization which aims to help veterans transition into roles helping the community. He has also penned several New York Times Best Sellers: “The Heart and the Fist,” “The Warrior’s Heart” and “Resilience.”
As a father to two young sons, Greitens has often cited his family-oriented mentality as a source of inspiration. His wife, Sheena Greitens, is an assistant professor of political science at MU.
Gov. Greitens is not only tied to the university as a legislator, but as a Senior Fellow in Public Affairs.
However, Greitens’ decision to take a loud approach toward the budget may work to place him under heightened scrutiny in the time to come, especially likely through the eyes of UM System students. However, the final results of these changes are still, for the time being, mostly up in the air.