Colonel Dennis M. McGowan was commissioned an Engineer Officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School in 1993. His first duty assignment was as a Platoon Leader, 65th Engineer Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. During this assignment, he was granted a voluntary branch transfer to the Infantry. | His subsequent duty assignments include: Platoon Leader, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Washington; Commander, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Assistant S-4/Plans Officer, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia; and Commander, Mercer Recruiting Company, Mercer, Pennsylvania; Contingency Contracting Officer, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York (and Iraq); Contingency Contracting Officer, 617th contingency Contracting Team, Fort Shafter, Hawaii (and Kuwait); Contracting Officer; Team Leader 603rd Senior Contingency Contracting Team, Fort Shafter, Hawaii; Commander, 905th Contingency Contracting Battalion, Fort Bragg, North Carolina (with deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan); and Executive Officer, to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement), Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; Chief of Staff, Mission and Installation Contracting Command, and Brigade Commander, Expeditionary Contracting Command Afghanistan. His final assignment was Commander, 412th Contracting Support Brigade, Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. He retired 1 October 2017. | His military education consists of: Engineer Officer Basic Course, Infantry Maneuver Captain’s Career Course, Recruiting Commander Course, Army Command and General Staff College, and Senior Service College. He earned an MBA from Naval Postgraduate School, a MS in Resourcing National Strategy from National Defense University’s Eisenhower School, and is Defense Acquisition University Level III certified in Contracting. | His military awards include: Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with five oak leaf Clusters, Navy Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf Clusters, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with Arrowhead Device, and the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon. COL McGowan was recognized for Excellence in Contingency Contracting (Brigade Level) in 2015, as the Army Acquisition Director of the Year in 2012, Army Contingency Contracting Officer of the Year for 2006 and the Naval Postgraduate School Army Scholar of the Year in 2004. He is Master Parachutist, Air Assault, and Ranger qualified and has earned the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Army Staff Badge and the Recruiter Badge.