Chapman Cox is Chairman of the Governing Board of Alliance Defense Fund. He brings to this position leadership experience in the legal profession, public service, corporate management, and trustworthy stewardship.
Mr. Cox was born in Ohio, and attended public schools in Indiana, Colorado, and California. He earned a B.A. magna cum laude from the University of Southern California and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. After graduate school, he served for three years as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, including combat duty in Vietnam. During his civilian professional career, he continued to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve and retired as a colonel.
Upon returning from Vietnam, Mr. Cox entered the private practice of law in California and Colorado. He was the managing partner of Sherman & Howard (a multi-state law firm), an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Law School, and a member of the board of governors of the Colorado Bar Association. He is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a former member of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security.
In the administration of President Reagan, Mr. Cox served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (first term) and as General Counsel of the Department of Defense (second term). He received two Distinguished Public Service Medals from the Department of Defense, and a Distinguished Public Service Medal from the Department of the Navy. Later, as a private citizen, he served as a member of the Defense Policy Board.
Following public service, Mr. Cox held senior executive positions with two multinational corporations. He was president and chief executive officer of United Service Organizations, Inc. and senior vice president of Lockheed Martin IMS.
Throughout his career, Mr. Cox has contributed a significant portion of his time to community service. He served as president of the Ladies Relief Society of Denver, as chairman of the Colorado Commission on Space Science and Industry, and as a loaned executive to United Way International. He is a former board member of United Service Organizations, Inc., Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra, Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation, The Fund for American Studies, Freedoms Foundation, New Covenant Trust Company, Presbyterian Lay Committee, and Army Navy Club of Washington, DC. He is currently a director of Manhattan Initiative, Inc. and independent trustee of several private trusts.
From young adulthood, Mr. Cox has been committed to his faith in Jesus Christ as the incarnation of God's Word. He is an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and has served a wide range of local, regional, and national activities, both within the denomination and in other faith-based organizations.
Mr. Cox is the husband of Jeannette Korody Cox of Anchorage, Alaska, who is a professional musician and art historian. They have two sons: Charles is a Marine Corps pilot; and Andrew is a senior executive in the Department of the Navy.