Gen. Leo J. (Lee) Baxter

Leo J. (Lee) Baxter is a native Minnesotan who departed active military service in 1999 as an Army Major General after 31 years.  He has served as the Senior Military Advisor to the Director of the George W. Bush Military Service Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute in Dallas, Texas and serves as the Senior Advisor, Warrior Initiatives, at the Brain Performance Institute, Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas-Dallas.  An adopted Oklahoman, he has subsequently served as Vice President of Cameron University, a regional university of the University of Oklahoma system, as a market President for BancFirst, one of Oklahoma’s largest banking institutions, as a Vice President of Communication Technologies, Inc. in Chantilly, Virginia, and as President and Chief Operating Officer for JB Management, Inc., a Service Disabled Veteran Owned defense business in Alexandria, Virginia. He now devotes his energy to civic and community matters, and to Signal Mountain Associates, Inc., which he founded in 1999.  This Oklahoma company provides consulting services in business development and marketing to a wide variety of defense and training management companies across the United States.

General Baxter’s military career revolved principally around command assignments in Europe and the United States.  He also served in Israel, Egypt and the Sinai desert as a United Nation’s peacekeeper.  His career culminated with command of the Army Personnel Center, where his responsibilities included implementation of U.S. Army Human Resources policy worldwide, and then as Commanding General of the United States Army Field Artillery Center and School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.  As the Chief of Field Artillery there, he served as proponent for all field artillery doctrine, tactics, techniques, procedures and equipment.  Additionally, he was responsible for the training of all U.S. Army and Marine field artillery men and women, and soldiers of numerous allied nations.  He has authored many articles on field artillery and fire support, training management and organization development.  He has also written a newspaper column describing various aspects of military life.

General Baxter has served the local community and the State of Oklahoma on numerous boards and commissions.  He was appointed by Governor Frank Keating to membership on the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma State Board of Career and Technology Education, and eight years later was appointed by Governor Mary Fallin to that same board, as well as the State Board of Education and the Oklahoma Council for Educational Opportunity for Military Children.  He serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a nonprofit think tank promoting free enterprise and limited government, is the past State President of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) for the State of Oklahoma, and is the President Emeritus of the United States Field Artillery Association, with 79 chapters worldwide.  Additionally, he serves on the National Board of Directors of the Armed Services YMCA headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, and the National Board of Directors of Operation Homefront in San Antonio, Texas; both nationally regarded nonprofits in support of veterans and their families.

Additionally, General Baxter’s community service and involvement has included:

   Chairman of the Board, Lawton Chamber of Commerce and Industry

   Chairman of the Board, Lawton Industrial Foundation

   Chairman of the Board, Army Museum of the Southwest

   Vice President of the Board, Lawton Community Theater

   Member of the Board, Last Frontier Council, Boy Scouts of America

   Member of the Board, Lawton Community Foundation

   Member, Advisory Board, Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra

   Member of the Board, Operation Homefront Oklahoma

   Campaign Manager, Armed Service YMCA Partner-Member Campaign

   Co-sponsor, Lawton New Economy Task Force

   Member, Leadership Oklahoma Class XIV

   Member, Association of Professional Fundraisers

   Member, Association of the U.S. Army

   Member, The Military Officers Association of America

   Member, Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce

   Member, Leadership Lawton Leadership Course

General Baxter has degrees from the University of North Dakota and Central Michigan University, has attended the Stanford University School of Advanced Management, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College.

He and his wife Terry live in Lawton, Oklahoma.  They restore century old houses, and develop property in nearby Medicine Park, Oklahoma.