Richard L. Stevens

Colonel Richard (Rick) Stevens, Lincoln High School class of 1978, has completed more than 24 years of commissioned military service since his graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1982. He has held a variety of command and staff positions and currently is commander of the 36th Engineer Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas. One of his early stateside assignments was a five-year tour of duty at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with the 101st Airborne Division and the 326th Engineer Battalion. At Fort Stewart, Georgia, in the mid-1990s Stevens was executive officer for the 11^th Engineer Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, and later the 3rdInfantry Division. He has served two tours at the Pentagon being responsible for three separate assignments, the most recent of which was executive officer for the Program Analysis and Evaluation Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff. He also served his alma mater at West Point as an instructor and assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics. In overseas assignments Stevens was director of Engineering and Housing at Camp Doha, Kuwait. He also was in Kosovo as commander of the 11thEngineer Battalion, 3rdInfantry Division when that unit was transferred from Fort Stewart. His most recent overseas duty, completed earlier this year, was in Iraq as deputy commander of the Gulf Region Division, Army Corps of Engineers. In addition to his engineering degree from West Point, Stevens also earned a Master's degree from Purdue University in Applied Mathematics and a Master's degree from the National War College in National Security Strategy. He also is a graduate of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Services Staff School and the Command and General Staff College.

Stevens' awards include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Ranger Tab, Sapper Tab, Airborne Badge, and Air Assault Badge. He also holds the Army Engineer Association's Bronze de Fleury medal. Stevens is married to the former Terri Steckler, of Vincennes, and they have three children: Matt, Keller, and Aly.