Michael C. Gould


Michael Carl Gould was the 18th Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy. He assumed command on June 9, 2009, and retired from service in July 2013. Prior to assuming the position of superintendent, he was director of operations and plans, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. General Gould is a command pilot with more than 3,000 hours in a variety of aircraft.

Early life and education

Gould is a native of Kent, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State High School in 1971. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School in 1972 and earned his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1976. Gould starred as a defensive back on the Air Force football team.
General Gould has commanded an operations group, an air refueling wing, an air mobility wing and the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center. He has also commanded the 3rd Air Force, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, and the 2nd Air Force, Keesler AFB, Miss. His operational and staff assignments include three tours at Headquarters U.S. Air Force, along with duty as an Air Force aide to the President and military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force. He served as the Director of Mobility Forces for Operation Joint Endeavor and as U.S. European Command's Air Expeditionary Task Force commander for the deployment of African Union troops into the Darfur region of Sudan.

Assignments

In October 2013, three months after retiring from the Air Force, Gould was named to the first-ever College Football Playoff selection committee. His selection to the committee came under some scrutiny as he had been away from the game since the 1970s, when he played and later coached at Air Force.
After his committee appointment, a controversial program came to light in a Colorado Springs Gazette article. To help combat illicit drug use and sexual assaults by Air Force Academy students, the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations created in 2011 a system of student informants to hunt for misconduct among students. According to The New York Times in Academic Year 2014, "after the informant program ended with no further convictions, reports fell by half." The New York Times has cited a letter to Congress from former AFOSI Agent, Staff Sergeant Brandon Enos, who said that Gould had interfered in cases involving football players. In turn Gould said to The New York Times that the suggestion that he had interfered with the investigation "preposterous". Gould said that the allegations would not stop him from serving on the playoff selection committee. A special on ESPN E60 titled "Operation Gridiron" aired in 2014 showed an in-depth look at the scandal at the Air Force Academy regarding drugs and rape which took place under Gould's leadership. It uncovers how Gould not only attempted to cover up the scandal and protect high-profile football players at the Academy, but also set out to punish the students who provided intelligence on the scandal.
In June 2016, a report was released regarding his role in AFOSI investigations from 2011.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reports he also prevented AFOSI from interviewing Air Force Academy football coaches who may have had information on allegations of drug use and sexual assault by players. Gould's two-year appointment to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee concluded following the 2016 Playoff game.
After Operation Grid Iron and the Office of Special Investigations scandal, Lt. Gen. Michael Gould was named in a lawsuit in DeRito VS. United States Air Force Academy/United States of America in 2017. After reporting sexual assault and working as an undercover informant; DeRito was improperly discharged. Following this, his medical records were illegally falsified to delegitimize him. The case is currently in the Federal 10th District Court of appeals and may require Mr. Gould to be recalled to face UCMJ prosecution.
DeRito now gives a lecture once a year at Colorado State University about this case with Dr. Matthew Greife to expose corruption, sexual assault, and racism at the Academy. He is an advocate for change at the USAF Academy to members of congress.