Two years and one month ago, I posted in this blog the announcement of the appointment of Col. Thomas E. Hiebert to the OΔK Society Board of Directors as a member-at-large. Col. Hiebert served ably on our board until he was called to active duty in Pakistan. In recent weeks, he has returned to the U.S. and resumed his duties at United States Military Academy. With an open position on the Society board, the National Nominating Committee reviewed nominations and forwarded Tom’s name for the consideration by the full board at its September meeting.
I’m pleased to announce the re-appointment of Colonel Thomas E. Hiebert to the OΔK Society Board of Directors. He will serve a two-year term until our next convention and elections in 2016.
Tom is the director of strategic plans and policy (G-5) at the United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. He previously served as the director of the Dean’s Staff at West Point, and as the director of management program within the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. He served as the faculty secretary for West Point’s Circle of O∆K from 2009-2012, and he currently serves as the faculty advisor.
Tom has served in a variety of leadership assignments all over the world throughout a 27-year career in the Army, leading soldiers at every level from the platoon through the battalion task force. These assignments include two tours of duty along the Demilitarized Zone in the Republic of Korea; two tours of duty with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.; and a tour of duty with the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force in Vicenza, Italy. While stationed in Italy, Tom participated in two joint task force operational deployments to Rwanda, Uganda, Congo and Gabon. He also served for twelve months as an Army Congressional Fellow in the office of Senator Jack Reed, a West Point graduate and a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
From June 2004 through May 2006, Tom commanded the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Bragg. Shortly after assuming command, he led his 1,000-man airborne infantry battalion task force on a short-notice contingency deployment in support of combat operations in Iraq. While deployed, he managed the employment of the task force in support of the first-ever Iraqi National Parliamentary Elections in January 2005, and the task force ensured a safe voting environment for the residents of one of the most volatile areas of Baghdad. Most recently, Tom returned from a year-long deployment to Islamabad, Pakistan, where he served as the director of operations in the Office of the Defense Representative Pakistan, supporting both the Commander, Central Command, and the Commander, International Security Assistance Force.
In addition to his undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree from West Point, Tom earned his Master of Military Art and Science from the United States Army Command and General Staff College; his Ph.D. in Finance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and his Master of Arts in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College. He currently resides in Chappaqua, N.Y. with his wife, Kate, and sons Michael and Patrick.
Please join me in welcoming Tom back to the board!
