Robert “Bobby” M. Chesney graduated from Alamo Heights High School in 1989. During his time at Alamo Heights, he was captain of the football team, Homecoming King, a National Merit Scholar and National Honor Society member, as well as the guitarist for a band that played at the original Mule Stall.
After graduating, Bobby attended Texas Christian University and then Harvard Law School, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. After Harvard, Bobby clerked on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He practiced litigation at the firm David Polk and Wardwell before teaching at Wake Forest University. Renowned for his National Security Law and Cybersecurity talents, he served as a member of the United States’ Intelligence Science Board, the Advanced Technology Board, and for the Justice Department with the Detention Policy and Presidential task forces. Bobby has testified as an expert before Congress on many occasions and, in 2021, was appointed to the Cybersecurity Advisory Committee for the United States’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Before becoming a professor at the University of Texas School of Law in 2008, Bobby served as the founding Director of The Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law, a university-wide research center focused on understanding international security issues. He maintained this post from 2007 until his appointment as Dean of the University of Texas School of Law in 2022. In addition to his roles as Director and Professor, he served as the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs from 2011-2022. Bobby holds the James A. Baker III Chair in the Rule of Law and World Affairs. In addition to his work at the University of Texas, Bobby co-founded Lawfare, the nation’s leading online source for analysis of national security legal issues, and co-hosts The National Security Law Podcast.
Bobby is married to his wife, Heather, and has three daughters, Riley, Kate, and Alice. Bobby’s mother, Weezie, and sister, Debbi, are also AHHS alumni. His father, Mac, is a prominent local architect. When not working or spending time with family, Bobby plays guitar in a cover band, The Deep Eddies, with other Austin dads.