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Brigadier General
Andrew P. Armacost
Permanent Professor 2008–2019
Dean of the Faculty 2013–2019
B.S., Northwestern University
M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Andy Armacost, the Academy’s 86th Permanent Professor, was born in 1967 in Portland, Maine, the son of a Coast Guardsman. He graduated with Honors as an AFROTC Distinguished Graduate from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, in 1989 with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. That fall he was assigned as a Program Manager in the Integration Test Facility, Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, MA. In 1991 he joined the Electronic Systems Center Commander’s Staff for a year and then became the Center’s Program Manager to develop the Marine Corps Intelligence Center. In 1993 Andy entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, as a student and Draper Fellow. He earned a Master’s degree in Operations Research in 1995. Andy then joined the Department of Management at the Academy as an Instructor. He graduated from Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL, in 1996 as a Distinguished Graduate. In 1997 Andy became a student again at MIT and earned his PhD in Operations Research in 2000. He then returned to the Academy as a professor in the Department of Management. His dissertation was selected for the George B. Dantzig Dissertation Award by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) in 2001. In 2002–2003 he attended the Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL. Also in 2003, INFORMS named him a Franz Edelman Laureate as a member of the United Parcel Service Team recognized for their significant contribution to work selected as representative of the best applications of analytical decision making in the world. From 2007 to 2008, Andy spent a sabbatical year as Chief Analyst and Division Chief, Analysis and Assessments, AF Space Command, Peterson AFB, CO. In 2008 Andy was appointed Permanent Professor and Head of the Department of Management. Among his key accomplishments in that role were revising the department’s core course, growing capstone opportunities for cadets, increasing cross-departmental work on innovative technology, and redesigning the Systems Engineering Program. In 2013 he was the 9th Permanent Professor selected to become the Dean of the Faculty, a position he presently holds. As the Dean, he has led the organization during tumultuous times following congressional budget sequester and significant staffing reductions. At the same time, Andy oversaw efforts to revise the institution’s approach to outcomes assessment, to review and significantly revise the core curriculum, to promote greater opportunities for technology transfer, and to enhance the Academy’s efforts to educate cadets in areas related to air, space, and cyberspace. He led the successful planning and budgeting efforts to secure construction, personnel, and operations funding for Air Force CyberWorx (a new AF public-private design center focused on cyber capability), located at the Academy.
Update (2020): Andy Armacost retired in 2019 and was named President of the University of North Dakota.