Harriot College Alumni Profile: Bryce Goodwin
ECU “40 Under Forty” Leadership Recipient
Bryce Goodwin, Multidisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Security Studies (BS, ‘17) and Political Science (BA, ’17) alumnus, who lives outside Washington, D.C. in Pentagon City, Arlington, VA, is one of ECU’s 2022 “40 Under Forty” Leadership Awardees.
“I feel blessed and incredibly humbled to have been selected as one of this year’s ECU 40 Under Forty. It was entirely unexpected,” Goodwin said. “It feels nice to be recognized by my alma mater for the work that I have done, and I’m excited to return to Greenville with my family and receive this award.”
Goodwin’s #HarriotCollegeMajor is helping him #MakeAMajorDifference as an employee in the intelligence community for the Department of Defense. Previously, he worked in roles as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense and as a Director for one of the offices of the Secretary of Defense.
Throughout his career, Goodwin has worked on a broad array of situations and topics of grave sensitivity to national security. He has responded to emerging strategic and existential threats from foreign actors; provided recommendations on national strategic documents, such as the National Defense Strategy and the National Intelligence Strategy; and condensed and briefed classified intelligence to provide counsel to senior defense leaders. Lastly, and most importantly to him, he directed a diverse staff composed of active-duty military, career government civilians, and political appointees that acted as the engine driving daily operations of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
“I most enjoy the fact that in my career I’m doing something bigger than myself, and that I’m part of a community of highly motivated and skilled professionals,” he said. “I also enjoy the nature of my work and the unpredictability of my day-to-day— the work is mostly reactive and associated with emergent issues.”
During his time as a student, Goodwin said ECU prepared him to succeed by teaching the value of persistence and a strong work ethic.
“I learned how to leverage the resources available to me,” Goodwin said. “I believe many of the tenets of becoming a good student are important to professional success; resolve, dedication, humility, and a willingness to fail and learn.”
Goodwin shared a little-known fact about himself, stating that he is a member of the U.S. Marine Core Base Quantico Shooting Club and that he routinely shoots targets farther than 1,000 yards away.