2018 Roger Trask Award WinnerDr. Stephen P. Randolph |
Dr. Stephen P. Randolph served as the The Historian of the U.S. Department of State from April 2012 until December 2017. In that capacity he was responsible for the publication of the official documentary record of U.S. foreign relations, the Foreign Relations of the United States series. He was further responsible for the Office of the Historian’s timely provision of thorough, relevant, and accurate historical expertise in support of Department policymakers.
In his role as The Historian Dr. Randolph was further responsible for representing the Department on the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). During his six years on the Commission, he was selected by the Archivist of the United States to chair the Commission’s Executive Committee, and then to lead the strategic planning initiative undertaken between 2014-2016.
Prior to his arrival at the State Department, Dr. Randolph served on the faculty of the Eisenhower School at the National Defense University from 1997-2011. During his tenure he served as professor, department chairman first of the Department of Grand Strategy and later of the Department of Military Strategy and Logistics, and finally as Associate Dean, responsible for strategic planning, accreditation, and curriculum development.
Dr. Randolph’s selection to the faculty at the National Defense University culminated his 27-year career in the Air Force, during which he flew F-4s and F-15s, and commanded an F-15 squadron during Operation Desert Storm. During the later stages of his military career, Dr. Randolph served as senior policy maker and advisor on the Air Staff and the Joint Staff, retiring as a colonel in 2001.
Dr. Randolph graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1974 with a degree in history. He earned a Master’s Degree in the History of Science from the Johns Hopkins University in 1975, and a Ph.D. from the George Washington University in 2005. He is the author of Powerful and Brutal Weapons: Nixon, Kissinger, and the Easter Offensive, published by Harvard University Press in 2007.