West Point Announces New Dean of Academic Board - August 7, 2026

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Brigadier Gen. Nicholas H. Gist has been confirmed as the 16th Dean of the Academic Board at the U.S. Military Academy. He officially assumed the duties of Dean during a ceremony held on Aug. 7.

As Dean, Gist serves as the Academy’s chief academic officer, overseeing West Point’s academic program and faculty while ensuring the continued excellence of its educational mission.

"Serving as Dean is both an honor and a profound responsibility,” Gist said. “The strength of West Point has always been its people, and our faculty prepare future officers for the profession of arms, ready to solve the problems they will face on tomorrow’s battlefields."

Gist holds a Doctor of Philosophy in exercise physiology and a Master of Education in exercise science from the University of Georgia, and a Bachelor of Science in life science from West Point. He is professor, USMA, and has led the Department of Physical Education since 2015, holding the historic title “Master of the Sword,” which dates to 1814. Gist has served on the Academic Board throughout that tenure and chaired the Academy’s Admissions Committee.

Gist teaches and speaks on the science of human performance and the development of the hybrid athlete. His research examines high-intensity interval training and the physical readiness of Soldiers and cadets. Gist has authored more than a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles, and his work has been funded by the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine and has appeared in Sports Medicine, the Journal of Applied Physiology, Military Medicine, and Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. His meta-analysis on the effects of sprint interval training on aerobic capacity, published in Sports Medicine, remains a widely cited reference in the field.

A native of Alpine, California, Gist graduated from West Point in 1994 and was commissioned as an Aviation second lieutenant. He served in aviation leadership assignments at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and with the 2nd Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment in the Republic of Korea, where he commanded the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the Army’s only forward-deployed heavy-lift helicopter battalion. Following Intermediate Level Education at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff

College, Gist returned to Korea as executive officer for the 602nd Aviation Support Battalion and the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

Gist has deployed to combat three times. He served in Iraq as deputy chief of the Stability Support Transition Team during Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. He deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and returned to Afghanistan with the 1st Cavalry Division as director of the Commander’s Action Group. Gist is a Senior Army Aviator and a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal.

Gist is married to the former Dea Marie Newman. They have two children, both West Point graduates: Madeleine, Class of 2021, and Graham, Class of 2024.

About West Point

The U. S. Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, co-educational, federal service academy located 50 miles north of New York City. It was founded in 1802 as America's first college of engineering and continues today as the world’s premier leader-development institution, consistently ranked among top colleges in the country. Its mission is to build, educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets to be commissioned leaders of character committed to the Army Values and ready for a lifetime of service to the Army and Nation. For more information, go to www.westpoint.edu.