Eric Greitens was born and raised in Missouri and is a 1992 graduate of Parkway North High School. He was an Angier B. Duke Scholar at Duke University where he studied ethics, philosophy, and public policy. Selected as a Rhodes and Truman Scholar, he attended the University of Oxford from 1996 through 2000. There he earned a master’s degree in development studies in 1998, and a doctorate in politics in 2000.

His research was driven by his humanitarian work in war zones, and his thesis, 'Children First', investigated the ways in which international humanitarian organizations can best serve war-affected children. He has worked as a humanitarian volunteer, documentary photographer, and researcher in Croatia, Rwanda, Zaire, the Gaza Strip, Albania, Cambodia, Mexico, Bolivia, and India. His 'Community Strategies for Healing,' and his strong, compassionate photographs reflect the dignity and strength of human beings engaged in struggle.

Eric is also a United States Navy SEAL officer and he has deployed four times during the Global War on Terrorism; to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, and Southeast Asia. He has served as the Commander of a Joint Special Operations Task Unit, Commander of a Mark V Special Operations Craft Detachment, and as Commander of an Al Qaeda Targeting Cell.

In 2005-2006, he was appointed by the President to serve as a White House Fellow. The White House Fellowship is a non-partisan, non-political appointment that each year brings together professionals from around the nation to serve the people of the United States while learning about leadership at the highest levels of government. It is considered America’s most prestigious fellowship for leadership and public service.