Richard Bowman Myers

Richard Bowman "Dick" Myers (born 1 March 1942) is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the 15th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As chairman, Myers was the highest ranking uniformed officer of the United States military forces. He also served as the 14th president of Kansas State University from 2016 to 2022.

Myers became the chairman of the Joint Chiefs on 1 October 2001. In this capacity, he served as the principal military advisor to the president, the secretary of defense, and the National Security Council during the earliest stages of the war on terror, including planning and execution of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. On 30 September 2005, he retired and was succeeded by General Peter Pace. His Air Force career included operational command and leadership positions in a variety of Air Force and Joint assignments.

Myers began serving as the interim president of Kansas State University in late April 2016, and was announced as the permanent president on 15 November 2016. On 24 May 2021, Myers announced that we would be retiring from his duties as President of Kansas State University, and that his last day would be 11 February 2022. He was succeeded by President Richard Linton, the former dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University on 14 February 2022.

Early life General Richard B. Myers during his tenure as Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) with Secretary of the Air Force F. Whitten Peters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, on 12 October 1998 Myers was born in Kansas City, Missouri. His father owned a hardware store and his mother was a homemaker. He graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School in 1960. He graduated from Kansas State University (KSU) with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering in 1965 where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He was commissioned by Detachment 270 of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at KSU. He graduated from Auburn University at Montgomery with a Master of Business Administration in 1977. As vice chairman, Myers served as the chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, vice chairman of the Defense Acquisition Board, and as a member of the National Security Council Deputies Committee and the Nuclear Weapons Council. In addition, he acted for the chairman in all aspects of the Planning, Programming and Budgeting System including participation in the Defense Resources Board.

In August 2001, a year after assuming the role of Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, President George W. Bush appointed Myers to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Myers was the first vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be appointed chairman, since the role was established in 1987 after the enactment of Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986. A few days later, on 7 October 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom was initiated. Myers and General Tommy Franks, the commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), coordinated the early stage of Operation Enduring Freedom. Within three months, several radical terrorist groups had been toppled.

Together with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Myers conducted weekly press briefings at The Pentagon on the war on terror.

Flight information Rating: command pilot Flight hours: more than 4,100 Myers and Donald Rumsfeld during the unveiling ceremony of Myers' portrait at The Pentagon on 24 April 2007.

In 2006, Myers accepted a part-time appointment as a foundation professor of military history at Kansas State University. That same year, he was also elected to the board of directors of Northrop Grumman Corporation, the world's third largest defense contractor. On 13 September 2006, he also joined the board of directors of United Technologies Corporation. He also serves on the boards of Aon Corporation, John Deere, the United Service Organizations and holds the Colin L. Powell Chair for National Security, Leadership, Character and Ethics at the National Defense University. He also has advised the Defense Health Board and served on the Army War College Board of Visitors.

On 26 July 2011, Myers was inducted into the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Distinguished Alumni in a ceremony at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, officiated by Lieutenant General Allen G. Peck, Commander, Air University. On 15 November 2016, the Board of Regents removed his interim title and announced Myers would become the university's 14th president.

Myers currently serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Medisend College of Biomedical Engineering Technology and the General Richard B. Myers Veterans Program. Medisend College of Biomedical Engineering Technology.

On May 24, 2021, Myers announced he would retire from his role as president of Kansas State University as of 11 February 2022. He released the following statement as part of his announced retirement, "Mary Jo and I truly loved our time at K-State and working with students, faculty and staff. Being president of my alma mater was one of the most fulfilling jobs I've ever had. It was an honor to help move K-State forward on many fronts. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with the many talented and dedicated people who comprise the K-State family."

Personal life Myers and his wife, the former Mary Jo Rupp, have three children: two daughters and a son. His son´s name is Richard Bowman Myers.

His publications Myers, Richard B., and Malcolm McConnell. Eyes on the Horizon: Serving on the Front Lines of National Security. New York: Threshold, 2009.

Quotes "We train our people to obey the Geneva Conventions, it's not even a matter of whether it is reciprocated – it's a matter of who we are".

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