Brigadier Gen. Nicholas H. Gist has been confirmed as the 16th Dean of the Academic Board at the U.S. Military Academy. He officially assumed the duties of Dean during a ceremony held in August.

As dean, Gist serves as the Academy’s chief academic officer, overseeing West Point’s academic program and faculty while ensuring the continued excellence of its educational mission.

“Serving as dean is both an honor and a profound responsibility,” Gist said. “The strength of West Point has always been its people, and our faculty prepare future officers for the profession of arms, ready to solve the problems they will face on tomorrow’s battlefields.”

Gist holds a Doctor of Philosophy in exercise physiology and a Master of Education in exercise science from the University of Georgia, and a Bachelor of Science in life science from West Point. He is professor, USMA, and has led the Department of Physical Education since 2015, holding the historic title “Master of the Sword,” which dates to 1814. Gist has served on the Academic Board throughout that tenure and chaired the Academy’s Admissions Committee.

Gist teaches and speaks on the science of human performance and the development of the hybrid athlete. He has authored more than a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles, and his meta-analysis on the effects of sprint interval training on aerobic capacity, published in Sports Medicine, remains a widely cited reference in the field.

A native of Alpine, California, Gist graduated from West Point in 1994 and was commissioned as an Aviation second lieutenant. He has deployed to combat three times. Gist is married to the former Dea Marie Newman. They have two children, both West Point graduates: Madeleine, Class of 2021, and Graham, Class of 2024.