Harold W. Gehman, Jr.

Admiral Harold (Hal) Gehman, USN (Ret) was appointed to the Board of Visitors July 1, 2004. He currently serves on the Academic & Research Advancement and Institutional Advancement Committees.

Admiral Gehman completed over 35 years of active duty in the US. Navy on 1 November, 2000. His last assignment was as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic, and as the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Joint Forces Command, one of the United States' five regional joint Combatant Commands.

Admiral Gehman was born in Norfolk, VA on 15 October, 1942 and graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 1965 with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and a commission in the Navy from the NROTC program. A Surface Warfare Officer, he served at all levels of leadership and command primarily in guided missile destroyers and cruisers. During the course of his career he was assigned to an unusual five command-at-sea tours in ranks from Lieutenant to Rear Admiral.

Admiral Gehman served in Vietnam as Officer in Charge of a Swift patrol boat and later in Chu Lai, Vietnam, as Officer in Charge of a detachment of six Swift boats and their crews.

His staff assignments were both afloat on a Battle Group Commanders staff and ashore on a Fleet Commanders staff, a joint Combatant Commanders staff and in Washington, D.C. on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations.

Promoted to four star Admiral in 1996, he became the 29 th Vice Chief of Naval Operations, As VCNO, he was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, oversaw the formulation of the Navy's $70B budget and developed and implemented policies governing the 375,000 people in the Navy.

Assigned in September, 1997 as SACLANT and Commander in Chief, U.S. Joint Forces Command, he became one of NATO's two military commanders and assumed command of all forces of all four Services in the continental United States, was responsible for the provision of ready forces to the other Joint Combatant Commanders overseas and for the development of new joint doctrine, training procedures and joint requirements.

Immediately after retiring in 2000, Gehman was appointed Co-Chairman of the Department of Defense review of the terrorist attack on the USS Cole in Aden Harbor, Yeman. On 1 February, 2003 he was appointed Chairman of the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation Board, which reported its findings to the Nation on 26 August, 2003.

Admiral Gehman and his wife Janet reside in Virginia Beach, Virginia.