View source for Brad Carson

{{Short description|American politician (born 1967)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Brad Carson
| image               = Brad carson23.jpg
| office              = 21st [[List of presidents of the University of Tulsa|President of the University of Tulsa]]
| term_start          = July 1, 2021
| term_end            = May 31, 2025
| predecessor         = Gerard Clancy
| successor           = Rick Dickson (acting)
| office1             = [[Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness]]
| status1             = Acting
| appointer1          = [[Barack Obama]]
| term_start1         = April 2, 2015
| term_end1           = April 8, 2016
| predecessor1        = [[Jessica L. Wright|Jessica Wright]]
| successor1          = Peter Levine (acting)
| office2             = [[United States Under Secretary of the Army]]
| president2          = Barack Obama
| term_start2         = March 28, 2014
| term_end2           = June 30, 2015
| predecessor2        = [[Joseph W. Westphal]]
| successor2          = [[Patrick Murphy (Pennsylvania politician)|Patrick Murphy]]
| office3             = [[General Counsel of the Army]]
| president3          = [[Barack Obama]]
| term_start3         = 2012
| term_end3           = 2014
| predecessor3        = [[Steven J. Morello]]
| successor3          = Alissa Starzak
| state4              = [[Oklahoma]]
| district4           = {{ushr|OK|2|2nd}}
| term_start4         = January 3, 2001
| term_end4           = January 3, 2005
| predecessor4        = [[Tom Coburn]]
| successor4          = [[Dan Boren]]
| birth_name          = Brad Rogers Carson
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1967|3|11}}
| birth_place         = [[Winslow, Arizona]], U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| nationality         = American<br>[[Cherokee Nation]]
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse              = Julie Carson
| children            = 1
| education           = [[Baylor University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Trinity College, Oxford]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|MA]])<br>[[University of Oklahoma]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
}}
'''Brad Rogers Carson''' (born March 11, 1967) is an American lawyer and politician who was the 21st president of the [[University of Tulsa]] from 2021 to 2025. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], he served two terms in the [[United States House of Representatives]] from 2001 to 2005.

He is the only person to have voted on the authorization of the Iraq War in Congress and to have subsequently fought in it.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 27, 2017 |title=Game changer: tales of transformation |url=https://www.centreforpublicimpact.org/game-changer-tales-transformation/ |access-date=September 3, 2017 |website=Centreforpublicimpact.org}}</ref> He served with the 84th EOD Battalion of the US Army in 2008–2009, earning a Bronze Star, and from 2015 to 2016, was the Acting [[Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness]], where he initiated a number of notable reforms to modernize civilian and military personnel systems.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook on Brad Carson's Decision to Depart DoD |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/693252/statement-by-pentagon-press-secretary-peter-cook-on-brad-carsons-decision-to-de/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250317063057/https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/693252/statement-by-pentagon-press-secretary-peter-cook-on-brad-carsons-decision-to-de/ |archive-date=March 17, 2025 |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=U.S. Department of Defense |language=en-US |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Schmidt |first=Michael S. |date=June 9, 2016 |title=Defense Secretary Seeks to Find and Keep Those With Key Expertise |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/10/us/politics/defense-secretary-seeks-to-find-and-keep-those-with-key-expertise.html |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref> He served as [[Under Secretary of the Army]] from 2014 to 2015 and as [[General Counsel of the Army]] from 2012 to 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title=Carson sworn in as 20th general counsel of the U.S. Army |date=March 27, 2014 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/73710/Carson_sworn_in_as_20th_general_counsel_of_the_U_S__Army |access-date=July 7, 2017 |publisher=United States Army}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Carson sworn in as 31st Under Secretary of U.S. Army |date=March 28, 2014 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/122752/carson_sworn_in_as_31st_under_secretary_of_us_army |access-date=July 2, 2017 |publisher=United States Army}}</ref>

On April 5, 2021, the [[University of Tulsa]] announced Carson had been selected to be the 21st president of the university, effective July 1, 2021.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Krehbiel |first1=Randy |title=Former Congressman Brad Carson named new University of Tulsa president |url=https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/former-congressman-brad-carson-named-new-university-of-tulsa-president/article_9c12899a-9631-11eb-842a-8ff293e8eaa9.html |access-date=April 5, 2021 |website=Tulsaworld.com |publisher=Tulsa World}}</ref> He resigned from the position on May 31, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=mbush |date=2025-05-06 |title=University of Tulsa president to step down |url=https://utulsa.edu/news/university-of-tulsa-president-to-step-down/ |access-date=2025-09-09 |website=The University of Tulsa |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2024, Carson launched Americans for Responsible Innovation,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Americans for Responsible Innovation – Dedicated to policy advocacy in the public interest for emerging technology. |url=https://responsibleinnovation.org/ |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=responsibleinnovation.org}}</ref> a new policy group dedicated to [[artificial intelligence]]. He currently serves as president of ARI, which is based in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heath |first=Ryan |date=Mar 6, 2024 |title=Exclusive: New approach to regulating AI |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/03/06/ai-regulation-ari-biden-silicon-valley}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Carson was born in [[Winslow, Arizona]]. His father worked for the [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]]. During Carson's childhood the family relocated a number of times, resulting in Carson being raised in several different [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] communities, including [[Indian reservation|reservations]] in [[Nevada]], [[Arizona]], and [[Kansas]], as well as the [[Qualla Boundary|Eastern Band Cherokee Reserve]] in [[North Carolina]]. As a teenager, Carson moved back to Oklahoma, where his family has roots in the [[Cherokee Nation]], of which Carson is an enrolled member.<ref name=CNOofficial>{{cite web|url=http://www.cherokee.org/News/Stories/112613CherokeeNationPrincipalChiefcongratulatesCherokeecitizenBradCarsononpresidentialnomination.aspx|title=Cherokee Nation Principal Chief congratulates Cherokee citizen Brad Carson on presidential nomination|publisher=cherokee.org|access-date=August 13, 2018|archive-date=April 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424234907/http://www.cherokee.org/News/Stories/112613CherokeeNationPrincipalChiefcongratulatesCherokeecitizenBradCarsononpresidentialnomination.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Carson studied at [[Jenks Public Schools|Jenks High School]] and [[Baylor University]], where he was elected to [[Phi Beta Kappa]]. He became the first student at Baylor in 55 years to be awarded a [[Rhodes Scholarship]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rhodesscholar.org/winners/winning-institutions/|title=Office of the American Secretary: The Rhodes Trust: Winning Institutions Search|access-date=November 25, 2019}}</ref> As a [[Rhodes Scholar]], Carson went to [[Trinity College, Oxford]], and earned a second BA (which [[Master of Arts (Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin)|became an MA]] a few years later) in [[Politics, Philosophy, and Economics]]. He attended the [[University of Oklahoma College of Law]], graduating at the top of his class in 1994.

According to ''[[The Almanac of American Politics]]'', Carson had originally intended to attend Yale Law School, only to change his mind while at Oxford.

== Career ==
After graduation from the University of Oklahoma, Carson took a job at a prestigious Oklahoma law firm, [[Crowe & Dunlevy]]. His firm was awarded the Exceptional Contribution to Legal Services Award by Legal Services of Eastern Oklahoma in 1996, and in 1997, Carson was selected as a [[White House Fellow]], where he was assigned to [[The Pentagon]] as a special assistant to the [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]].

=== Election to Congress ===
[[File:BradCarson OfficialPortrait.jpg|thumb|Brad Carson's official photo as a Member of Congress]]

In 2000, he was elected as a Democrat to the [[United States House of Representatives]] from Oklahoma's [[Oklahoma Congressional Districts|2nd Congressional District]], located in the northeastern part of the state. In the primary, Carson defeated long-term state representative Bill Settle, who was chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pierce|first=Daniel S.|url=https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P2-5742856/hungry-democrats-pick-between-settle-carson|title=Hungry Democrats Pick between Settle, Carson|date=September 18, 2000|website=|access-date=|archive-date=October 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021070228/https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P2-5742856/hungry-democrats-pick-between-settle-carson|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After redistricting changed the political composition of his district to be much more favorable to a Democratic candidate, Carson was reelected in 2002 with nearly 75 percent of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ok.gov/~elections/02gen.html |title=Summary Results |access-date=October 23, 2007|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071117025600/http://www.ok.gov/~elections/02gen.html |archive-date=November 17, 2007}}</ref>

During his tenure in Congress, Carson was generally seen as a moderate Democrat.  He was a member of the conservative Democratic [[Blue Dog Coalition]], and served on the Transportation Committee,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newson6.com/story/7683695/carson-nabs-seat-on-house-transportation-committee |title=Carson nabs seat on House Transportation Committee – NewsOn6.com – Tulsa, OK – News, Weather, Video and Sports – KOTV.com |website=NewsOn6.com |date=January 31, 2001 |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref> the Natural Resources Committee,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.c-span.org/organization/?2133&congress=108 |title=House Natural Resources Committee |access-date=October 20, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709213449/http://www.c-span.org/organization/?2133 |archive-date=July 9, 2016}}</ref> and the Small Business Committee.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.c-span.org/organization/?2126&congress=107 |title=House Small Business Committee |access-date=October 20, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709213644/http://www.c-span.org/organization/?2126 |archive-date=July 9, 2016}}</ref> On October 10, 2002, Brad Carson was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]].

=== 2004 U.S. Senate election ===
{{Main|2004 United States Senate election in Oklahoma}}
In 2004, Carson did not seek reelection to the House and ran for the open U.S. Senate seat that was being vacated by retiring Republican [[Don Nickles]]. He easily won the Democratic primary, and after a tough campaign, lost the election to Republican [[Tom Coburn]], his predecessor in the House. Despite Carson's loss, election analyst [[Stuart Rothenberg]] called the Carson campaign the best-run campaign in the nation in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rollcall.com/2004/10/01/gop-hasnt-yet-sewn-up-control-of-the-senate/ |title= GOP hasn't yet sewn up control of the senate |work=Roll Call |date= October 2004 |access-date=July 28, 2022}}</ref> The ''Weekly Standard'' called him "The Perfect Democrat".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/author/304 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622093814/http://www.weeklystandard.com/author/304 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 22, 2011 |title=304 Articles |work=Weekly Standard |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref> After the election, Carson wrote an article for ''[[The New Republic]]'' which was the subject of much discussion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/12/0517/9721 |title=Brad Carson speaks – and pens a brilliant TNR article |website=Dailykos.com |date=November 11, 2004 |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref> He was succeeded in the House by fellow Democrat [[Dan Boren]].

=== Post-Congressional work ===
[[File:Brad carson.jpg|thumb|left|Brad Carson addresses his Veterans Advisory Committee (2004).]]After the 2004 Senate election, Carson's term in the [[United States Congress]] expired on January 3, 2005; Carson was succeeded by [[Dan Boren]]. Carson indicated that he had no immediate plans to seek political office, and, in January 2005, he accepted a semester-long teaching fellowship specializing in [[U.S. politics]] at [[Harvard University]]. Upon leaving Harvard, he returned to his hometown of Claremore, Oklahoma, and worked as chief executive officer of [[Cherokee Nation Businesses]], which is owned by the [[Cherokee Nation]] of Oklahoma in [[Catoosa, Oklahoma]].

As an expert in Indian law, Carson oversaw one of the largest businesses in the state, with thousands of employees, hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, and more than a dozen in-house lawyers who specialized in Indian and corporate law.  In December 2008, Carson left his post at Cherokee Nation Businesses to deploy to Iraq as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy.  He was officer-in-charge of weapons intelligence teams embedded with the U.S. Army's 84th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion in the nine southern provinces of Iraq; the teams worked with EOD teams at seven bases and investigated bomb sites, caches, smuggling routes, and other activities related to improvised explosive devices. For this work, Carson received, among other awards, the [[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]]. On his return, he was elected to the board of Cherokee Nation Businesses.<ref>Clifton Adcock, [http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=298&articleid=20091214_298_0_Whenfo324973 "Former U.S. Rep. Brad Carson, named to Cherokee board, tells of mission in Iraq"], ''[[Tulsa World]]'', December 14, 2009.</ref>

==== University of Tulsa ====
In January 2010, Carson assumed a position as professor of business and law at the [[University of Tulsa]], and as director of the National Energy Policy Institute, a non-profit energy policy organization funded by billionaire [[George Kaiser]]'s family foundation.<ref>Rod Walton, [http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectid=49&articleid=20100126_49_E1_Baasni630064 "Ex-lawmaker to head TU energy institute: Brad Carson will direct NEPI, founded with a Kaiser gift"], ''[[Tulsa World]]'', January 26, 2010.</ref><ref>Marc Ambinder, [https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/07/can-these-two-democrats-inject-rationalism-into-the-energy-debate/59687/ "Can These Two Democrats Inject Rationalism Into the Energy Debate?"], ''[[The Atlantic]]'', July 14, 2010.</ref> In his academic work, Carson has written extensively about the economics of renewable energy.<ref>{{cite SSRN|ssrn=2014773|title=Renewable Energy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118017129.html |title=Energy Finance and Economics: Analysis and Valuation, Risk Management, and the Future of Energy – Betty Simkins, Russell Simkins |website=Wiley.com |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref> He has also contributed journalism to ''[[The Weekly Standard]]'', ''[[The New Republic]]'', ''Blueprint'', and ''[[Democracy: A Journal of Ideas]]''. In 2010, Carson contributed to a symposium<ref>[http://www.democracyjournal.org/article.php?ID=6737 Democracy Journal] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229094101/http://www.democracyjournal.org/article.php?ID=6737 |date=December 29, 2010 }}</ref> issue of ''Democracy: A Journal of Ideas'', in which he was one of ten writers (including Martha Nussbaum, Michael Sandel, and others) discussing the future of progressive political thought and politics. He is the author of several other works, including a guide to federal appellate practice, a work co-authored with judge Robert Bacharach (who was appointed by President Obama to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals). More recently, he has been working on a long series of articles about military reform for the online journal War on the Rocks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://warontherocks.com/2016/09/defense-reform-in-the-next-administration/ |title=Defense Reform in the Next Administration |website=Warontherocks.com |date=September 12, 2016 |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://warontherocks.com/2016/09/the-pentagons-fig-tree-reforming-the-military-health-system/ |title=The Pentagon's Fig Tree: Reforming The Military Health System |website=Warontherocks.com |date=September 26, 2016 |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref>

==== Work with Barack Obama ====
Carson had met [[Barack Obama]] in 2004 when they were both nominees of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] for open seats in the [[United States Senate]].  Carson endorsed Obama in 2006 for the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 presidential election]].<ref>Carson, Brad.[http://tribes.barackobama.com/page/content/firstamscarson "Congressman Carson's Open Letter To Indian Country"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226194131/http://tribes.barackobama.com/page/content/firstamscarson |date=December 26, 2007}}, ''The Native American Times'', July 16, 2007.</ref> Carson served as Obama's personal representative in the approval of candidates for delegates from Oklahoma to the [[2008 Democratic National Convention]]. Oklahoma was the first state to name its complete delegation to the 2008 Democratic Convention.

=== Obama administration ===
[[File:UnderSecretaryCarson.jpg|thumb|Under Secretary of the Army, Brad Carson]]
On September 14, 2011, President [[Barack Obama]] nominated Carson to serve as the General Counsel of the [[United States Department of the Army]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/14/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts |title=President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts |date=September 14, 2011 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref> The United States Senate confirmed Carson by [[unanimous consent]] on December 17, 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/galleries/pdcl/index.htm |title=Today's Senate Floor Log |access-date=March 7, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227172904/https://www.senate.gov/galleries/pdcl/index.htm |archive-date=December 27, 2011}}</ref>

On January 6, 2014, President Obama nominated Carson to be [[United States Under Secretary of the Army|Under Secretary of the Army]], to replace [[Joseph W. Westphal]], whom the president had nominated to be the [[United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/06/presidential-nominations-sent-senate|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|title=Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|date=January 6, 2014}}</ref> On February 12, 2014, Carson was confirmed by the United States Senate<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/government/former-u-s-rep-brad-carson-confirmed-as-undersecretary-of/article_c04ac564-ba03-5f37-b12d-6a441f194089.html |title=Former U.S. Rep. Brad Carson confirmed as undersecretary of the Army &#124; Government |website=Tulsaworld.com |date=February 14, 2014 |access-date=July 7, 2017}}</ref> and he was sworn in as the 31st Under Secretary of the Army on March 27, 2014.<ref name="army.mil">{{cite web |date=March 27, 2014 |title=Carson sworn in as 31st Under Secretary of U.S. Army &#124; Article |url=https://www.army.mil/article/122752/Carson_sworn_in_as_31st_Under_Secretary_of_U_S__Army/ |access-date=July 7, 2017 |publisher=United States Army}}</ref> Fellow Oklahoma Democrat, Principal Chief [[Bill John Baker]] of the Cherokee nation, praised Carson, saying, "I applaud President Obama for nominating Brad Carson to this post [...] Brad is a Cherokee citizen and has committed his life to one of our Cherokee values: serving people. As a U.S. Congressman he served the people of Oklahoma's second district, as a CEO he served Cherokee Nation Businesses and the Cherokee people [...] he will be a champion for our American military in his role as Army undersecretary."<ref name=CNOofficial/>

As chief operating officer of the Department of the Army, Carson led day-to-day-business operations of the global U.S. Army business enterprise, with over 490,000 active-duty soldiers, 335,000 National Guard soldiers, 200,000 Army Reserve soldiers, and over 330,000 civilians. He supervised the development and submission of the Army's budget, which exceeded $150 billion. In a move lauded by veterans groups, Carson made national headlines when he formally apologized to veterans of the Iraq War for the Army's mishandling of chemical weapons exposures.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/world/middleeast/army-apologizes-for-handling-of-chemical-weapon-exposure-cases.html|title=Veterans Hurt by Chemical Weapons in Iraq Get Apology|date=March 26, 2015|work=The New York Times}}</ref>
[[File:UnderSec Visits USASOC (14484124149).jpg|thumb|Carson visiting with Green Berets at Fort Bragg]]Carson served as the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness from April 2015 until April 2016, resigning while still awaiting Senate formal approval.<ref>{{cite news|author=Tilghman, Andrew|title=Pentagon's top personnel official resigns |url=http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2016/03/14/pentagons-top-personnel-official-resigns/81759816 |newspaper=Military Times|date=March 14, 2016|access-date=July 2, 2017}}</ref> As undersecretary, Carson led a number of pioneering initiatives such as the Department of Defense's "Force of the Future" reforms, which included updating the recruitment, development, and management systems of the military and civilian workforce, the largest personnel change in nearly 50 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/careers/2015/08/28/force-future-report-ash-carter-review/32476549|title=force-future-report-ash-carter-review|first=Military|last=Times |publisher=militarytimes.com|date=August 28, 2015}}</ref><ref name="csis.org">{{cite web|url=http://csis.org/event/future-personnel-policy-dod|title=The Future of Personnel Policy at DoD |access-date=April 14, 2016 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415183457/http://csis.org/event/future-personnel-policy-dod|archive-date=April 15, 2016}}</ref> 

From 2017 to 2021, Carson taught courses related to national security and public sector innovation at the [[University of Virginia]]'s [[Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 6, 2021 |title=Batten Professor Selected as University of Tulsa's Next President |url=https://news.virginia.edu/content/batten-professor-selected-university-tulsas-next-president |access-date=2023-10-23 |website=UVA Today |language=en}}</ref> 

=== The University of Tulsa president ===
Carson was sworn in as president of the [[University of Tulsa]] in July 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=photos |first=Staff and Wire |date=April 5, 2023 |title=Throwback Tulsa: Brad Carson named TU's president two years ago today |url=https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/history/throwback-tulsa-brad-carson-named-tus-president-two-years-ago-today/collection_f39d28a2-9634-11eb-a467-87e8c86fc01e.html |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=Tulsa World |language=en}}</ref> He succeeded Gerard Clancy, who left office after a vote of no-confidence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=The World |first=Randy Krehbiel Tulsa |date=November 14, 2019 |title=TU faculty votes 'no confidence' in President Gerard Clancy, Provost Janet Levit |url=https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/tu-faculty-votes-no-confidence-in-president-gerard-clancy-provost-janet-levit/article_5d5842ec-0335-504f-aaad-ef557e84363e.html |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=Tulsa World |language=en}}</ref> In July 2023, Carson was president when the university launched a new Honors College, focusing on [[literature]] and [[philosophy]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=daxsom |date=January 5, 2023 |title=TU announces new Honors College, inaugural dean |url=https://utulsa.edu/honors-college-inaugural-dean/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=The University of Tulsa |language=en-US}}</ref> During Carson's tenure in 2022, the university had more [[National Merit Scholarship Program|National Merit Scholars]] per capita than other university in the nation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Ava |date=September 18, 2023 |title=TU welcomes most Merit Scholars of any university this fall – The Collegian |url=https://tucollegian.org/tu-welcomes-most-merit-scholars-of-any-university-this-fall/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2023, Carson pushed for the organizing of more concerts at [[Chapman Stadium]], seeing the university hold the first major concert in the venue since 1990 with the performance of [[Def Leppard]], [[Mötley Crüe]], and [[Alice Cooper]]. He also expanded the university's programs in Tulsa's arts district and led the university in taking over organizing responsibilities for Tulsa's Mayfest.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 18, 2023 |title=Editorial: University of Tulsa making city stronger through out-of-box ideas and partnerships |url=https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-university-of-tulsa-making-city-stronger-through-out-of-box-ideas-and-partnerships/article_6bbddad6-3d2a-11ee-aae8-6b91b7f6d85d.html |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=Tulsa World |language=en}}</ref>

In 2023, TU was recognized as a "free speech" university and was the first university in Oklahoma to receive a "green light" rating by the [[Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression]]. This recognition was given after the [[Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression]] aided Carson in revising the university's policies on speech and assembly.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fire |date=2023-10-31 |title=University of Tulsa becomes first Oklahoma college to earn top rating for free speech {{!}} The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression |url=https://www.thefire.org/news/university-tulsa-becomes-first-oklahoma-college-earn-top-rating-free-speech |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=www.thefire.org |language=en}}</ref> 

In May 2025, Carson announced he would leave the University of Tulsa to focus on his artificial intelligence nonprofit, effective May 31.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Krehbiel |first1=Randy |title=TU President Brad Carson stepping down |url=https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/article_87eed845-9b19-4e6d-b2aa-3aecc39c709a.html |access-date=May 7, 2025 |work=[[Tulsa World]] |date=May 6, 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Artificial Intelligence ===
In late 2023, Carson announced he would be the co-founder and president of a new policy group, Americans for Responsible Innovation, dedicated to [[artificial intelligence]]. Americans for Responsible Innovation advocates for responsible guardrails on AI, including accounting oversight, incident reporting, and export controls.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Americans for Responsible Innovation – Dedicated to policy advocacy in the public interest for emerging technology. |url=https://responsibleinnovation.org/ |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=responsibleinnovation.org}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Carson's wife, Julie, served on the [[Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education]]. They live in [[Claremore, Oklahoma]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Brad Carson |url=http://www.utulsa.edu/academics/colleges/Collins-College-of-Business/Faculty-and-Staff/C/Brad-Carson.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113090613/http://www.utulsa.edu/academics/colleges/Collins-College-of-Business/Faculty-and-Staff/C/Brad-Carson.aspx |archive-date=November 13, 2011 |access-date=September 13, 2011}}</ref> They have one son.<ref name="army.mil" /> In 2017, Carson completed the [[Marathon des Sables]], a 250-km [[ultramarathon]] in the [[Sahara|Sahara Desert]] often called the world's toughest footrace.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le Marathon des Sables 2017 |url=https://itra.run/Races/RaceResults/Le.Marathon.des.Sables.LE.MARATHON.DES.SABLES/2017/22391}}</ref> In 2018, he completed the Jungle Ultra, a similar race through the [[Amazon rainforest|Amazon jungle]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Multi Day Ultra Marathons {{!}} Multi Day Trail Running |url=https://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=Beyond the Ultimate |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Electoral history==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ {{ushr|Oklahoma|2|}}: Results 2000–2002<ref name="clerkresults">{{cite web |url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html|title=Election Statistics|access-date=August 8, 2007|publisher=Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226190314/http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html|archive-date=December 26, 2007}}</ref>
!|Year
!
!|Democratic
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|3rd Party
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
|-
|[[U.S. House election, 2000|2000]]
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|'''Brad Carson'''}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |107,273
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |55%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |[[Andy Ewing]]
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |81,672
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |42%
|
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |Neil Mavis
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} |[[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]]
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" |6,467
|{{Party shading/Libertarian}} align="right" |3%
|
|-
|[[U.S. House election, 2002|2002]]
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |'''Brad Carson'''
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |146,748
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |74%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |{{nowrap|[[Kent Pharaoh]]}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |51,234
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |26%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ [[List of United States Senators from Oklahoma|Oklahoma Senator (Class III)]] results: 2004<ref name="clerkresults" />
!|Year
!
!|Democratic
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|3rd Party
!|Party
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
|-
|[[U.S. Senate election, 2004|2004]]
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |Brad Carson
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |596,750
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |41%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |'''[[Tom Coburn]]'''
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |763,433
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |53%
|
|{{Party shading/Independent}} |Sheila Bilyeu
|{{Party shading/Independent}} |[[Independent (politician)|Independent]]
|{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |86,663
|{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |6%
|
|}

==See also==
* [[List of Native Americans in the United States Congress]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{C-SPAN|87345}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Tom Coburn]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of the [[List of United States representatives from Oklahoma|U.S. House of Representatives]]<br>from [[Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district]]|years=2001–2005}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Dan Boren]]}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Don Carroll (Oklahoma politician)|Don Carroll]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[List of United States Senators from Mississippi|U.S. Senator]] from [[Oklahoma]]<br>([[Classes of United States Senators|Class 3]])|years=[[2004 United States Senate election in Oklahoma|2004]]}}
{{s-aft|after=Jim Rogers}}
|-
{{s-off}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Under Secretary of the Army]]|years=2014–2015}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Eric Fanning]]<br>Acting}}
|-
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness]]<br>Acting|years=2015–2016}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Peter Levine (civil servant)|Peter Levine]]<br>Acting}}
|-
{{s-prec|usa}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Merrill Cook]]|as=Former U.S. Representative}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States order of precedence|Order of precedence of the United States]]<br>''{{small|as Former U.S. Representative}}''|years=}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Jim Bridenstine]]|as=Former U.S. Representative}}
{{s-end}}

{{University of Tulsa presidents}}
{{USSecArm}}
{{OKRepresentatives}}
{{USCongRep-start |congresses=107th–108th [[United States Congress]]es |state=[[United States congressional delegations from Oklahoma|Oklahoma]]}}
{{USCongRep/OK/107}}
{{USCongRep/OK/108}}
{{USCongRep-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, Brad}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:21st-century United States representatives]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford]]
[[Category:American Rhodes Scholars]]
[[Category:Baptists from Arizona]]
[[Category:Baptists from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Baylor University alumni]]
[[Category:University of Oklahoma College of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Cherokee United States representatives]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Native American members of the United States Congress]]
[[Category:Obama administration personnel]]
[[Category:People from Claremore, Oklahoma]]
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[[Category:United States Department of Defense officials]]
[[Category:United States under secretaries of the army]]
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