Brigadier General Geoff Van Epps assumed duties as the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Northwestern Division, on July 22, 2021.
As division commander, he is responsible for providing guidance and direction to five operating district commands located in Portland, Oregon; Seattle and Walla Walla, Washington; Kansas City, Missouri; and Omaha, Nebraska, with a combined professional workforce of nearly 5,400. Key missions include managing the nation's water resources infrastructure for economic growth and environmental sustainability, timely response to natural disasters, support to military installations and civilian communities throughout the region and strengthening national security.
Brig. Gen. Van Epps was commissioned in 1995 as an engineer officer from the U.S. Military Academy, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He also holds a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri at Rolla (now the Missouri University of Science and Technology), a master's degree in Economics, Finance and Management from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and a master's degree in International Relations from the lnstitut Barcelona d'Estudis lnternacionals, the latter two degrees earned while studying as an Olmsted Scholar in Barcelona, Spain. He is a registered Professional Engineer in North Carolina.
Prior to his arrival at Northwestern Division, Brig. Gen. Van Epps served as the director of the Office of the Chief of Engineers on the Army Staff. His command assignments include commander, 130th Engineer Brigade, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; commander, 10th Engineer Battalion and 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, both as part of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia; and commander, Company B, 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Brig. Gen. Van Epps' other key assignments include chief engineer for the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan; chief of staff, US Army Engineer School, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Army fellow at the George C. Marshall Center for European Security Studies in Germany; assignment officer at Army Human Resources Command; and battalion executive officer in the 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.