Col Matt Horner is the Director, U.S. Air Force Academy Center for Character and Leadership Development (CCLD). He directs the center’s mission to advance the understanding, scholarship, practice, and integration of character and leadership development for 4,000 cadets and permanent party in service to the nation. The Center hosts several large forums per year, including the annual National Character and Leadership Symposium, and conducts leading-edge research, instruction, and assessment to advance understanding of the Profession of Arms into the 21st century.

Prior to this position, Col Horner was the Permanent Professor for Character and Leadership Development in the CCLD. In this role, he represented character and leadership development equities throughout the Academy’s corporate processes, particularly in forums with an academic emphasis on curriculum development, integration, and deconfliction. Furthermore, he advanced internal and external strategic relationships to leverage character and leadership development best practices from other organizations, including other service academies, Department of Defense leadership centers, civilian universities, and other institutions and organizations with expertise in character and leadership development. He also provided oversight of CCLD’s research, scholarship, and institutional assessment endeavors.

In previous roles, Col Horner was the Director of Staff of the Dean of Faculty where he exercised command authority and executive oversight of approximately 750 military and civilian faculty and staff across 20 academic departments and 7 staff agencies, a $16.6 million budget, and facilities totaling two-million square feet to deliver an accredited Bachelor of Science degree and graduate 1,000 Air Force and Space Force officers annually. Col Horner also served as an Assistant Professor of Management, where he instructed cadets in organizational dynamics and leadership.

Col Horner also served as the Department Head of Physical Education, Director of the Air Force Combatives Center of Excellence (AFCCoE), and Director of Staff in the Academy’s Directorate of Athletics. As Department Head, Col Horner was responsible for 97 instructors to deliver the physical mission, including 30 physical education courses, fitness training and testing, and cadet competitive athletic programs. As AFCCoE Director, he was responsible for the execution and management of the Air Force Combatives Program, including instructor certification and curriculum design and assessment for combatives programs implemented Air Force-wide to over 90,000 airmen each year. Col Horner completed multiple contingency deployments, most recently as the Senior Duty Officer of Kuwait’s Air Defense Liaison Team in 2020. In this role, he served as the primary representative for U.S. joint operations in the Kuwait Air Operations Center, liaising with host nation military forces on air and missile defense and theater security cooperation.

Col Horner entered the Air Force in May 2002 upon graduation from the Academy. He completed undergraduate pilot training in January 2004 at Moody Air Force Base and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, and has since achieved aeronautical ratings of aircraft commander and instructor pilot in the C-12F/J and C-17A aircraft. Col Horner served in various squadron, group, and wing positions in the Pacific Air Forces area of responsibility and, prior to being selected for promotion to Colonel, was appointed as an Academy Senior Military Faculty.

Superintendent’s Leader of Character Certificate, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (2024)

Senior Officer Legal Orientation Course, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. (2023)

Squadron Commander Course, Air Force Personnel Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (2023)

Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence (2020)

Air Command & Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence (2016 in-residence doctoral program). 2016 Doctor of Philosophy, Sport Management, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla. (2016)

Master of Business Administration with Honors, American Military University, Charles Town, W. Va. (2010)

Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Moody Air Force Base, Ga. & Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. 2009 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. (2004)

Bachelor of Science, Economics, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (2002)

Director, Center for Character and Leadership Development, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (July 2025 – Present)

Permanent Professor for Character & Leadership Development, CCLD, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (July 2024 – July 2025)

Director of Staff & Assistant Professor of Management, Dean of Faculty, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (August 2023 – July 2024)

Head, Department of Physical Education, & Director, AFCCoE, Directorate of Athletics, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (June 2022 – August 2023)

Senior Military Faculty & Director of Staff, Directorate of Athletics, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (November 2020 – June 2022)

Senior Duty Officer, Air Defense Liaison Team-Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait (September 2019 – November 2020)

Instructor & Deputy Head, Department of Physical Education, Directorate of Athletics, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (June 2016 – September 2019)

Doctoral Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, in-residence at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla. (June 2013 – June 2016)

Instructor & Director, Athletic Programs Division, Department of Physical Education, Directorate of Athletics, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (January 2012 – June 2013)

Director, Commander’s Action Group, 15th Wing, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. (May 2010 – January 2012)

C-17A Pilot & Support Flight Commander, 535th Airlift Squadron, Hickam AFB, Hawaii. (March 2009 – May 2010)

Student, C-17 Aircraft Commander Initial Qualification Course, Altus AFB, Okla. (October 2008 – March 2009)

C-12F/J Instructor Pilot, Chief C-12 Replacement Training Unit, & Executive Officer, 517th Airlift Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. (January 2008 – May 2008, Executive Officer, 386th Expeditionary Operations Group, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait) (January 2004 – October 2008)

Student Pilot Trainee, Moody AFB, Ga. & NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. (September 2002 – January 2004)

Flight Information

Rating: Pilot

Flight hours: 1,341

Aircraft flown: C-12F/J and C-17A

Defense Meritorious Service Medal

Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters

Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster

Joint Service Achievement Medal

Kosovo Campaign Medal

Nuclear Deterrence Operations Medal

Air Force Recruiter Ribbon

Effective Dates of Promotion

Colonel December 1, 2023

Lieutenant Colonel February 1, 2017

Major March 1, 2012

Captain May 29, 2006

First Lieutenant May 29, 2004

Second Lieutenant May 29, 2002

(Current as of July 2025)