Colonel Paul Owen assumed command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, during a formal change of command ceremony on September 14, 2012.
Colonel John R. Boulé, who commanded the district since July 2009, relinquished command during the event in the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Colonel Owen graduated in 1990 from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering.
Colonel Owen holds a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Missouri University of Science and Technology and a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (Civil) in the state of Missouri. He has also served as an assistant professor of physics at the United States Military Academy. He has served in a variety of operational, command and staff assignments in the United States and overseas. His most recent assignment was serving at the U.S. Army War College as a Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow with duties at Cisco Systems San Jose, California.
Colonel Owen’s military education includes Airborne School, Air Assault School, Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, and U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. His awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Chilean Jump Wings, and the Combat Action Badge. He is married to the former Wendy Parker of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
Colonel Boulé came to New York District in July 2009 after serving as an Assistant Director of Civil Works at Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C. A 1986 graduate of West Point, he also holds four Master’s of Science degrees, two from Stanford University, and a Professional Engineering certification. He taught Hydrology in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at West Point. He will be retiring from active duty following 26 years of military service.
As commander of New York District, Colonel Boulé led a staff of more than 600 military and civilian personnel in executing a complex and diverse program including military construction, civil works projects and international and interagency support. He was responsible for overseeing the district’s ongoing project to deepen the main channels of the Port of New York and New Jersey, a vital economic engine for the region, and robust military construction programs at the U.S. Military Academy, Fort Drum, Watertown, N.Y., Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington, N.J and Fort. Belvoir, Va.
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Press Release, September 16, 2012