Richard A. (Dick) Chilcoat
Dean and Edward and Howard Kruse Endowed Chair for the Dean of the Bush School
Richard A. (Dick) Chilcoat, LTG, U.S. Army (Ret.) joined the Bush School in 2001 as Dean and holder of the Edward and Howard Kruse Endowed Chair. He holds an undergraduate degree from the United States Military Academy (USMA), West Point, NY and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Chilcoat has directed and facilitated the Army Strategic Leadership Course for Army general officers, served as the 43d Commandant of the United States Army War College and was appointed as the 9th President of the National Defense University by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, serving in this post until 2000. His military service included combat tours in Vietnam; staff and command tours of duty in the infantry, aviation, operations, and policy & strategy; and Executive Assistant to General Colin Powell during the First Gulf War. Throughout his long military career, he served as an educator and trainer, to include Assistant to the Dean of the USMA Academic Board, Assistant Professor of Social Sciences, and member, USMA Athletic Board. During his cadet career he was First Captain and Brigade Commander of the Corps of Cadets, President of the Class of 1964, and captain of the varsity basketball team. Retiring after 42 years of active military service, he provided professional consulting services to business and academic enterprises about education & training, executive professional development, and leadership prior to his arrival at the School. He frequently lecturers on the subjects of national security affairs, professional military education, strategic leadership, transformation, and change management and currently serves as a member of the Board of Visitors of the CIA University, and a member of the Board of Directors for the National Defense University Foundation.
