A.B. Cruz III

A.B. Cruz III is a Senior Advisor at BarkerGilmore who has distinguished himself across multiple industries, having served as Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, Chief Risk Officer, and Corporate Secretary in biotech pharma, telecommunications, media/entertainment, financial services, oil & gas, education, and the military. A.B. has helped lead four public (NASDAQ: VIA & SSP | NYSE: SNI & EBS) and three private companies (USAA, BET, ARINC) – spanning several very different highly regulated industries and representing over $60B in total annual revenue – through challenge, crisis, and change. He is also a former Navy Admiral who, during his 33+ year military career, shaped and led numerous high-performing operational teams in demanding, high-stress, and ambiguous environments, and represented the United States internationally in multiple high-level engagements with foreign militaries. A.B. is visionary leader of the highest character who has developed and implemented many value- and brand-building initiatives and is a well-respected and credible thought leader.

Most recently, A.B. served as Senior Vice President and Divisional General Counsel at USAA, a Fortune 100 financial services company, where he led the legal teams that supported the Company’s C-suite members and their organizations. He spearheaded the optimization of the chief legal office’s operating and interaction models and reviewed and approved new products and services to foster USAA’s future growth, competitiveness, and technology transformation. Prior to USAA, A.B. was Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, Chief Compliance & Ethics Officers, and PAC chairman for Emergent BioSolutions, Inc. Before Emergent, A.B. concurrently served as the Deputy Director of Maritime Operations for U.S. Fleet Forces Command and as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary for Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. Prior to that, A.B. was the Deputy Commander for both U.S. 4th Fleet and Naval Forces Southern Command and served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for The E.W. Scripps Company.

A.B. currently serves on the board of Graf Acquisition Corp IV, Inc. and is the President of the Board of Governors for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. He has served on numerous boards and previously served as the board chair for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and as an advisory board member for Bellatorum Resources and VetStoreUSA. A.B. is currently a board director and audit committee chair for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, a board director and governance committee chair for the World Affairs Council of San Antonio, and a board director for the Down Syndrome Association of South Texas. He also serves as a board trustee, executive committee member, finance committee chair, and treasurer for Saint Mary’s Hall, and as a board trustee and governance committee member for the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation.

A.B. holds a J.D. from The Catholic University of America, an M.A. in Marketing from The University of Maryland, and a B.S. in General Engineering & Physical Sciences from U.S. Naval Academy.