John Higbee serves as Defense Acquisition University’s director of mission assistance and director of knowledge repository.As director of DAU mission assistance, he leads the establishment and improvement of multiple university-wide processes for mission assistance and also the improvement in communication and coordination between the DAU business units providing mission assistance.
As director of DAU knowledge repository, Higbee is responsible for DAU’s online knowledge assets including the defense acquisition portal and the acquisition community connection.
Prior to his current roles, he was director of the acquisition program management division for the Department of Homeland Security.
Before joining DHS, Higbee served as director of DAU executive programs and dean of Defense Systems Management College.
After his retirement from the U.S. Navy in 2002, he assumed duties as an executive-in-residence and professor of program management at DAU.
A nuclear submariner, Captain Higbee served on seven attack and ballistic missile submarines, culminating in command of USS Von Steuben from 1990 to 1993.
Following his at-sea command, he was assigned to various roles including: as combat system design manager, Virginia-class submarine program; deputy program manager, submarine regional warfare program; program manager, Navy undersea weapons program; acting deputy assistant secretary of the Navy; and as military deputy to the DASN.
Higbee holds a master’s degree in engineering from The Catholic University of America and a bachelor’s degree, majoring in physics, from the U.S. Naval Academy. He is also a graduate of the DAU advanced and executive program management courses, the Cornell University executive development program, and the Federal Executive Institute.
