Board of Trustees

Brigadier General
Thomas V. Draude, USMC (Ret)

President and
Chief Executive Officer

Brigadier General Tom Draude served in the United States Marine Corps for 30-1/2 years, retiring on 1 January 1993. His career included serving three times in Vietnam as an infantry platoon and company commander, and as an advisor to the Vietnamese Marines. He served as the Assistant Division Commander of the First Marine Division during Desert Shield and Desert Storm; he also was responsible for the Marine deception operations in the combat theatre. He retired as the Director of Public Affairs for the Marine Corps and served on the Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces. He received two Distinguished Service Medals and ten personal awards for combat, including two Silver Star Medals and the Purple Heart Medal.

Upon retirement from the Corps, General Draude became Senior Vice President and General Manager of USAA’s Southeast Regional Office (SERO) located in Tampa, Florida. He oversaw operations and directed the activities of over 1,700 employees who provide insurance products and services to policyholders in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. He joined USAA’s San Antonio, Texas, corporate headquarters in February 1993 as Vice President of Support Services. In August 1993, he was promoted to Senior Vice President, Administration and Marketing for USAA Federal Savings Bank, a USAA subsidiary also located in San Antonio. In April 1995, he was reassigned to USAA’s Property & Casualty Insurance Group, and assumed the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager of USAA’s Western Regional Office (WESTRO) in Sacramento, California, in September 1995. He was reassigned to the Tampa office in April 1996. While in Tampa, General Draude was an Adjunct Professor at Saint Leo University teaching courses on the Vietnam War and War and Peace.