Michael C. Gould

Lieutenant General Michael C. Gould (born 1953) was the 18th Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy. He assumed command on June 9, 2009 and retired from service in July 2013. Prior to assuming the position of superintendent, he was Director of Operations and Plans, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. General Gould is a command pilot with more than 3,000 hours in a variety of aircraft.

Early life and education
General Gould is a native of Kent, Ohio and graduated from Kent State High School in 1971. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School in 1972 and earned his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1976. Gould starred as a defensive back on the Air Force football team.
 * 1971 Kent State High School
 * 1976 Bachelor of Science degree in behavioral science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
 * 1983 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
 * 1986 Master of Arts degree in human resource development, Webster University
 * 1989 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
 * 1993 National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
 * 1998 Advanced Executive Program, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.
 * 2001 National and International Security Management Course, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

Military career
General Gould has commanded an operations group, an air refueling wing, an air mobility wing and the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center. He has also commanded the 3rd Air Force, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, and the 2nd Air Force, Keesler AFB, Miss. His operational and staff assignments include three tours at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, along with duty as an Air Force aide to the President and military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force. He served as the Director of Mobility Forces for Operation Joint Endeavor and as U.S. European Command's Air Expeditionary Task Force commander for the deployment of African Union troops into the Darfur region of Sudan.

Assignments

 * June 1976 - January 1977, graduate assistant football coach, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
 * January 1977 - December 1977, student, undergraduate pilot training, Vance AFB, Okla.
 * December 1977 - August 1981, T-38 instructor pilot, flight scheduler, safety officer and runway supervisor unit controller, 97th Flying Training Squadron, Williams AFB, Ariz.
 * August 1981 - June 1985, physical education instructor; assistant men's golf coach; head prep-school football coach; and T-41 instructor pilot, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
 * June 1985 - July 1986, T-38 pilot training instructor, flight commander and standardization pilot, 12th Flying Training Wing, Randolph AFB, Texas
 * July 1986 - August 1988, executive officer to the Vice Commander, Air Training Command, and standardization pilot, Headquarters ATC, Randolph AFB, Texas
 * August 1988 - July 1989, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
 * July 1989 - June 1990, Chief, Officer Professional Military Education, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
 * June 1990 - July 1992, Air Force aide to the President, The White House, Washington, D.C.
 * July 1992 - June 1993, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
 * June 1993 - September 1994, KC-10 aircraft commander and assistant operations officer, 6th Air Refueling Squadron, and special assistant to the operations group commander, 722nd Operations Group, March AFB, Calif.
 * September 1994 - February 1995, Deputy Commander, 438th Operations Group, McGuire AFB, N.J.
 * February 1995 - June 1996, Commander, 305th Operations Group, McGuire AFB, N.J.
 * July 1996 - December 1996, Chief, Mobility Forces Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
 * December 1996 - April 1998, military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
 * April 1998 - January 1999, Commander, 22nd Air Refueling Wing, McConnell AFB, Kan.
 * January 1999 - August 2000, Commander, 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus AFB, Okla.
 * September 2000 - May 2002, Commander, Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center, Cheyenne Mountain AFS, Colo.
 * May 2002 - July 2004, Director of Operational Plans and Joint Matters, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
 * July 2004 - November 2005, Deputy Commander, 3rd Air Force, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England
 * November 2005 - May 2008, Commander, 2nd Air Force, Keesler AFB, Miss.
 * June 2008 - May 2009, Director, Operations and Plans, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott AFB, Ill.
 * June 2009 – July 2013, Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Major Awards and Decorations

 * Air Force Distinguished Service ribbon.svg Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
 * US Defense Superior Service Medal ribbon.svg Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
 * Legion of Merit ribbon.svg Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
 * Meritorious Service ribbon.svg Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
 * Air Force Commendation ribbon.svg Air Force Commendation Medal
 * Air Force Achievement ribbon.svg Air Force Achievement Medal
 * Global War on Terrorism Service ribbon.svg Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

Dates of Rank

 * US-OF1B.svg Second Lieutenant, June 2, 1976


 * US-OF1A.svg First Lieutenant, June 2, 1978


 * US-O3 insignia.svg Captain, June 2, 1980


 * US-O4 insignia.svg Major, Aug. 1, 1987


 * US-O5 insignia.svg Lieutenant Colonel, July 1, 1991


 * US-O6 insignia.svg Colonel, Feb. 1, 1995


 * US-O7 insignia.svg Brigadier General, Sept. 1, 2000


 * US-O8 insignia.svg Major General, Sept. 1, 2003


 * US-O9 insignia.svg Lieutenant General, June 9, 2009

Post-military life
In October 2013, 3 months after retiring from the Air Force, Gould was named to the first ever College Football Playoff selection committee. His selection to the committee came under some scrutiny as he had been away from the game since the 70s, when he played and later coached at Air Force.