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Brigadier General
David S. Gibson
Permanent Professor 2002–2017
B.S., Duke University
M.S., Trinity University
Ph.D., Ohio State University
David S. “Hoot” Gibson, the Academy’s 73rd Permanent Professor, was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1960. He is a 1983 Distinguished Graduate of the Duke University AFROTC program, where he served as Cadet Wing Commander his senior year and earned degrees in both Physics and Computer Science. After receiving his commission, he was assigned to the Air Force Electronic Warfare Center, Kelly AFB, TX, where he served as Chief, Software Development Section, Studies and Analysis Directorate. He earned his Master’s degree in Computing and Information Science from Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, in 1986. From 1986 to 1990 Hoot served as a Secure Systems Analyst and then as Chief of the Computer Security Special Applications Branch at the National Security Agency, Fort Meade, MD. Upon reassignment to Detachment 4 of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Peterson AFB, CO, he served as the Chief of Information Systems and as Operational Test and Evaluation Test Director for the Cheyenne Mountain Space Defense Operations Center Upgrade. From 1992 to 1994 he taught in the Air Force Academy’s Department of Computer Science. After earning his PhD in Computer and Information Science at the Ohio State University in 1997, he returned to the Academy and served as Deputy Head, Department of Computer Science, and later Department Head. In 2002 he was appointed Permanent Professor. During his tenure, the department continued to offer its major in Computer Science, added a new major in Computer and Network Security, and supported interdisciplinary programs in Operations Research, Computer Engineering, and Systems Engineering. His department also is home to the Academy Center for Cyberspace Research, which conducts research in cyber operations, information assurance, and cyberspace education. While deployed for six months in 2003–2004, he served as Chief of Information Operations and US Senior National Representative for HQ Kosovo Forces, Pristina, Kosovo. Returning again to head his department, from 2006 to 2008 Hoot served additional duty as Chairman of the Basic Sciences Division. During a sabbatical, academic year 2008–2009, he served as the Academy’s Director of Communications and Information. From 2014 to 2015 he had another sabbatical assignment to the National Security Agency and the United States Cyber Command, Fort Meade, MD, where he served as Chief of the Weapons and Tactics Division in the Advanced Concepts and Technology Directorate. During most of his time at the Academy, Hoot was the institution’s senior communications and information/cyber operations officer. He was promoted to brigadier general and retired in 2017, having been responsible for leading his department and the entire Academy into the cyber warfare age.
Hoot continues his support of cyber education by volunteering on several ABET projects and as a member of ABET’s Computing Accreditation Commission Executive Committee. He also is helping the Association for Computing Machinery and other organizations develop cybersecurity curricula.