David R. Hibner serves as the director of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Geospatial Research Laboratory and the director of the U.S. Army Geospatial Center in Alexandria, Virginia. As part of his duties, he also serves as the Geospatial Information Officer of the Army. He is responsible for development and integration of the Army Geospatial Enterprise to enable systems within Programs of Record; lends Geospatial Intelligence expertise to develop and field tools for optimize location data; and provides geospatial products, data, and training for an array of military operations.
Hibner served as the Commander and Military Deputy to the Director of the U.S. Army Geospatial Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers beginning September 2019. He came to the position with experience as Executive Officer to the Deputy Commanding General and was subsequently assigned to the 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) where he was the Battalion S3 and then the Executive Officer. Hibner, while he was a military officer, deployed to Afghanistan and served as Executive Officer to the Commanding General of NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan. After returning from Afghanistan, he was assigned to the Army Staff and served as the Special Assistant for Outreach to the Chief of Staff of the Army.
When Hibner served in the 10th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia as the 10th Engineer Battalion Assistant S3, and D Company Commander, he deployed his Company to Kuwait for Operation Desert Spring in preparation for the invasion of Iraq as part of Task Force 1-64 Armor, 2nd BCT. After his tour in Iraq, he was assigned to Engineer Branch as the Branch Qualified Captains Assignment Officer at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Virginia.
His military awards and decorations include the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the NATO Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Army Superior Unit Citation, the Ranger Tab, the Sapper Tab, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Basic Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, and the coveted Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal. He retired in 2022 as a U.S. Army colonel.
A graduate of the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Scout Platoon Leader Course, and the Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Col. Hibner has accumulated military and civilian education accolades. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Purdue University, a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, a Master of International Business Administration (IMBA) from the University of South Carolina, and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. He was first commissioned at Kemper Military College as a Distinguished Military Graduate and Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve.