From Barracks to the Boardroom: Bob Ellithorpe’s Leadership Journey

In his new role as the Managing Director of the Hollingsworth Center for Ethical Leadership, Bob Ellithorpe ‘85 now looks to share his leadership experiences with tomorrow’s leaders of character.

As the newly named Managing Director of Texas A&M’s Hollingsworth Center for Ethical Leadership (HCEL)— a campus hub for leadership development that began with a focus on members of the Corps of Cadets — Bob Ellithorpe ‘85 oversees faculty and staff members, course curriculums and professional resources that impact the leadership journeys of students from all across Texas A&M’s campus.

Ellithorpe’s role with the HCEL stands as the culmination of nearly 40 years of leadership experience in the military, corporate and higher-education realms. In alignment with the Center’s teachings, his own leadership journey has featured a great deal of determination, relying on those around him for support when needed and observance of the Aggie Core Values.

An Early Spark For Service

As the son of an Air Force officer, military service was something that had always sat at the forefront of Ellithorpe’s mind. His decision to look toward the United States Marine Corps as an avenue for service, however, started when he was 15 years old. After receiving the book, “Good-Bye, Darkness” — William Manchester’s memoir over his experiences as a young Marine during World War II — from his grandmother, Ellithorpe felt called to one day lead Marines.

“I wasn’t an avid reader, but I read that book cover to cover. It sparked something inside of me. I thought to myself that, if I really wanted to challenge myself at some point in the future, I couldn’t think of anything more challenging than leading Marines in combat,” Ellithorpe said.

As is typical in life, Ellithorpe’s later interests briefly led him toward another unique dream: racing motorcycles.

“Back in high school, I was racing motorcycles out in Southern California. I thought for a while that that was going to be my career path,” Ellithorpe recalled.

“I was in the process of converting to be a professional racer when I had a really nasty accident and a horrific injury to my knee. I was never going to race again. So, I had to plan to do something else. That’s when I remembered that book and the Marine Corps.”

Ellithorpe cites his then high school girlfriend and now wife, Debbie, as a key individual who helped him re-establish his path toward becoming a Marine, even before he realized he’d be on that path again.

“The summer between our junior and senior years of high school, [Debbie] told me that, if I was serious, she’d like for me to go to college. Because of her influence, I ended up taking three math classes my senior year to meet that goal. My injury was one month before graduation. Had I not taken those courses, I would not have had enough courses to qualify to get into college, so there was some foresight there” said Ellithorpe.

Now equipped to attend college, Ellithorpe had to consider which school would set him up for success as a Marine Officer in the future. The answer to that question came to him from a relative whose father had attended Texas A&M.

“Through them, I got exposed to Texas A&M. I got to hear about the school, the traditions and the Corps of Cadets, and something started making sense in my mind. I thought, if I want to be a Marine, I need to go to Texas A&M, join the Corps of Cadets, take advantage of that program and learn how to be a leader,” Ellithorpe said.

From California to College Station

When he first arrived on campus at Texas A&M, Ellithorpe was a member of Squadron One in the Corps of Cadets. He would later transfer to the then newly formed Squadron 17. As a member of the Corps, Ellithorpe learned many valuable lessons, to include the value of team work and self-discipline.

“As a fish (freshman) in the Corps, you learn that you will sink or swim as a team. I had played football in high school, so I’d had exposure to team sports. The Corps took that idea of teamwork to the next level. We built bonds that have stood the test of time. I’m still in a group chat with 11 of my Corps buddies, and we visit everyday about all of our life events,” said Ellithorpe.

“The Corps also taught us a lot about discipline. I don’t just mean using ‘yes sir’ and ‘no sir’, I mean having real discipline to properly care for yourself, your body and your mind. Discipline meant attention to the small details, like your uniform and your room, because those things matter. The attention to detail we learned on the Quad, readily and easily translated to caring for your rifles, sidearm, radio and your Marines,” he continued.

Though he was on the right start toward his career goal with the Marine Corps, the knee injury he sustained in high school continued to present itself as an obstacle. Rather than let this continuing issue keep him down, though, Ellithorpe found it to be a teaching and pivotal moment in his life.

“I arrived at Texas A&M with a pair of crutches, and spent my fall semester of my freshman year crutching across camps. My knee injury resulted in three surgeries and two and a half years of physical therapy. I learned a lot about perseverance during that time and the value of leaning on your support network,” Ellithorpe said.

“Through Texas A&M’s medical center, my therapist, Sue Hill, helped me work to get that injury behind me. I applied to the Marine Corps twice and was denied. I then met Captain Dan Prater, who supported me with a third application. Looking back, working with Sue to recover and then with Dan Prater who never gave up on me, I see the support network that was provided to me through Texas A&M. It really made me think about how I could then be that support network to someone else.”

After his third application to the Marine Corps was accepted, all of the lessons learned and values instilled in Ellithorpe guided him in his preparation for Officer Candidate School.

“Bob Fawcett and Drew Bennett were two officers that helped us prepare, ahead of graduation, for Officer Candidate School and then The Basic School. Those values of discipline and preparation were really present once again. We were better prepared for what was to come after graduation and commissioning because of those things,” said Ellithorpe.

Upon graduating from Texas A&M with a degree in Political Science and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, Ellithorpe was excited to finally achieve his longstanding dream of leading Marines.

A Career of Service

As anticipated, Ellithorpe’s professional career began with his work as an officer in the Marine Corps. Though Texas A&M and the Corps of Cadets had given him the tools to lead, the magnitude of that responsibility didn’t fully hit him until he arrived at his first station.

“When you stand in front of your first platoon as a Second Lieutenant, and look at your 42 Marines and one Corpsman, you get instant clarity on the impact of the profession of arms, and the charge and responsibility that come with being a leader. A&M helped prepare me to stand in front of that platoon, to stay ready to lead and to make a positive impact on them by doing the right things,” Ellithorpe explained.

Among many things, Ellithorpe’s exercise of servant leadership was a prominent aspect in his role as a Marine officer.
“As an officer, you’re expected to be the first in and the last out. You eat last. If the leader is hungry, then he or she should do everything they can to make sure the food is delivered to their Marines first. The same goes for facing danger. You need to face danger first and be the last to leave to ensure that everybody makes it out of the firefight,” said Ellithorpe.
Ellithorpe says that that aspect, along with the values he carried with him from Texas A&M, translated to his later roles in the aerospace manufacturing realm.

“It all equates to the civilian world. The Marine Corps taught me that, regardless of your rank, you’re obligated to ensure that the front line has what it needs to be successful. Ammunition, food, water and whatever else matters to the mission, and if something is missing, it’s your obligation to fix that and get it there.”
“When I look back at being a Marine and when I look back at my various roles in aerospace defense manufacturing, I always tried to make sure that I brought servant leadership with me. It doesn’t make you soft, it means that you’re there to provide for others and make sure that they’re successful. Through their success comes the success of the organization,” he continued.

An Aggie to the Corps

Through trial, tribulation, tenacity and a strong dose of Aggie grit, Ellithorpe’s career path has now led him back to Aggieland with the same Corps of Cadets that he began his journey with.

After spending the past three years as an adjunct faculty member at Texas Christian University’s M.J. Neely School of Business, Ellithorpe is excited to continue to shape young leaders through the Hollingsworth Center for Ethical Leadership. Though the Hollingsworth Center is housed within the Corps of Cadets, its courses are available to all students at Texas A&M. Under Texas A&M’s new citizenship and service initiative, which was introduced by Texas A&M President, General Mark A. Welsh III, in the fall of 2024, Ellithorpe’s experiences and vision will guide students from across campus in becoming ethical leaders.

“The world needs leaders of character. Our nation is faced with a lot of challenges today, between social divide, adaptability to changes in technology and geopolitical forces. Those elements in our society require leaders to make good decisions that lead to positive impacts on our communities. It’s our responsibility as a university to prepare our students to step into those roles and act with ethics and integrity,” Ellithorpe explained.

As Texas A&M, the Corps of Cadets and Bob Ellithorpe embark on this new chapter in making leaders, adherence to the Aggie Core Values remains at the heart of the mission.

“Texas A&M has a reputation in this world of being a university that makes leaders. Part of the Hollingsworth Center’s next chapter is finding how to expand what we do. Some day in the future, a graduate from Texas A&M is going to face a dilemma. If they meet that dilemma with ethical honor and their character intact, then we will have helped them meet that test.”