Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Colby M. Broadwater III
Lieutenant General Colby M. Broadwater, III, is the third president of the American College of the Building Arts. He became president in April of 2008. The original need for the college was clearly demonstrated after Hurricane Hugo and was started to assure that a colony of artists and artisans would be educated in the classical building disciplines suited to restoration of historic structures. President Broadwater came to the American College of the Building Arts after a 34-year military career.
Along the way, he is credited with reducing the College’s debt load, reorganizing staffing levels, and implementing programs that have increased student enrollment - all without any degradation of ACBA’s education product. During the tenure of General Broadwater’s leadership, the school has achieved accreditation by ACCSC for its four-year undergraduate degree. Another focus of Broadwater was to secure an infrastructure for the school’s long-term survival. Originally housed in the Old Charleston Jail, Broadwater’s stewardship and vision led to working with the City of Charleston to assist in procuring the now permanent home for ACBA in the historic Trolley Barn built in 1897, on Meeting Street, in downtown Charleston. The structure was beautifully suited to the college and with renovations now rests on the National Register of Historic Places so that students will continue to learn, enjoy, and graduate from for generations to come.
Prior to being named president, Lt. General Broadwater served on the ACBA Board of Trustees and spent one and a half years working in corporate America, on national and international levels, overseeing multi-million-dollar government contracts for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
During President Broadwater's military career, he served as a key advisor and staff member at the highest echelons: Office of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Chief of Staff, US European Command; Deputy Commander, Joint Headquarters Centre, NATO; Deputy Commander and Acting Commander, First United States Army; Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander, III US Corps and Fort Hood.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Lt. General Broadwater commanded operations in Turkey and Northern Iraq as Commander, Joint Task Force, North, in Ankara, Turkey. Concurrently, he supported the formation of the future Iraqi Government in the follow-on to the London meetings (both in Iraq and Turkey).
He also certified all NATO headquarters for deployment to Afghanistan for three years and the ground forces of Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia for military operations with NATO as a part of NATO enlargement.
General Broadwater commanded at every level from company/battery to numbered army. Awards include the Joint Distinguished Serve Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star, the Defense Superior Service Medal, The Legion of Merit, and the Legion d'Honneur (Officer) from the Nation of France.
General Broadwater is married to Jane Mason Broadwater of Summerville, SC. He received a B.A. in History from The Citadel in 1972, an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in 1991, and an M.A. in International Relations from Salve Regina University in 1991. They have a son who graduated from Davidson College who serves as a Battalion Commander in the Army Special Forces (National Guard) and is a special agent with the FBI.