Staff Directory

Col. Matt Horner

Title:
Department Head, Physical Education
Email:
Phone:
719-333-9295

Col Matt Horner is the permanent professor and department head of physical education at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Horner came to the athletic department after serving as the Director and Permanent Professor of the Center for Character and Leadership Development at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA). In this role, Col Horner advanced cadet character and leadership development programming, provided oversight of the Cadet Wing Honor System, and represented those equities for the Commandant of Cadets throughout USAFA’s corporate process. Furthermore, he promoted internal and external strategic relationships to leveraged best practices in character and leadership development, including with other military service academies, Department of Defense leadership centers, civilian universities, and other institutions and organizations with expertise in this area. Finally, Col Horner provided oversight of CCLD’s research, scholarship, and institutional assessment endeavors.

Prior to this position, Col Horner was the Director of Staff of USAFA’s 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.

In previous roles, Col Horner served as the Department Head of Physical Education, Director of the Air Force Combatives Center of Excellence (AFCCoE), and Director of Staff in USAFA’s Directorate of Athletics. As Department Head, Col Horner was responsible for 97 instructors delivering USAFA’s 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 USAFA. He completed undergraduate pilot training in January 2004 at Moody AFB and NAS Corpus Christi, and has since achieved aeronautical ratings of aircraft commander and instructor pilot in the C-17A, C-12F/J, and T-53A 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 a USAFA Senior Military Faculty.