USC’s Bob Caslen names another military veteran to top position
The University of South Carolina has named a new top spokesperson, the school announced Friday.
Larry Thomas, a USC graduate and retired U.S. Navy captain who is currently working as the head of external affairs for BP, will be paid $235,000 per year. His hiring and salary were approved by the board of trustees on Friday.
“I am very excited to return to my alma mater,” Thomas said in a statement. “The University of South Carolina is a very special place. I appreciate the confidence that President Robert Caslen and the board have placed in me to lead communications for this great university.”
Thomas was one of four finalists for the position. Another was Jeff Stensland, a former reporter for The State who had been the school’s highest-ranked spokesman since Wes Hickman became chief executive officer of the university’s My Carolina Alumni Association in April 2019.
Stensland was praised by Caslen and board chair John Von Lehe.
Thomas graduated from USC with a journalism degree in 1983, according to his resume. After that, he served for 25 years in the U.S. Navy as a spokesperson.
Caslen, a retired three-star general in the U.S. Army who led forces in Iraq, has surrounded himself with military veterans since becoming president of USC in July.
Another one of the finalists, Freddie Mack, also served as an Army public affairs officer and a deputy public relations assistant at the office of the joint chiefs of staff.
All four finalists were men. Caslen said a top candidate was female, but she dropped out because the pay was not high enough.
