New commander set to take over Savannah District, Corps of Engineers

Published June 4, 2018

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Col. Daniel H. Hibner will take command of the Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, from Col. Marvin L. Griffin, in a formal ceremony at 10 a.m., June 8.

 

Brig. Gen. Diana M. Holland, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ South Atlantic Division, will officiate at the formal change-of-command ceremony in the Oglethorpe Auditorium of the International Trade and Convention Center on Hutchinson Island.

 

The Savannah District maintains the deep water harbors in Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia, and it leads the effort to deepen the Savannah harbor. The District manages a multi-million dollar military construction program at 11 Army and Air Force installations in Georgia and North Carolina, and oversees water resources and development activities in Georgia and portions of South Carolina. The District also oversees civil projects including dams and lakes Hartwell, Russell, and Thurmond on the Georgia-South Carolina border; and environmental and regulatory permits for Georgia. The Savannah District supports worldwide missions related to real estate, master planning, and construction of barracks and other facilities to enhance overseas contingency operations. The District traces its heritage in Savannah to 1829.

 

Hibner comes to the Savannah District from U.S. Central Command Headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. There he served as the Levant Branch Chief in the Plans and Policy Directorate working on issues covering portions of Syria and Iraq. Hibner has served multiple deployments to Iraq as a company commander, brigade combat team operations officer and as a battalion commander. He has also served in various assignments at Fort Stewart, Georgia; Fort Carson, Colorado; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He recently attended the Joint Advanced Warfighting School Senior Service College, Norfolk, Virginia. Hibner holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Purdue University, a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, a Master of Military Arts and Science from the School of Advanced Military Studies, a Master of Science in Campaign Planning and Strategy from the National Defense University, and is a Project Management Professional.

 

Griffin took command of the Savannah District in June 2015. Later this summer he will deploy to Afghanistan as the Chief Engineer for Resolute Support operations. During his tenure in command of the Savannah District, he oversaw the deepening of the outer half of the Savannah Harbor and the removal of the Back River tide gate, both part of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. Also during this period the District removed the Civil War ironclad CSS Georgia from the shipping channel. Other aspects of the harbor deepening took significant strides toward completion. His previous assignments include deployments to Operation Enduring Freedom- Afghanistan, Operation Iraqi Freedom and to Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo.

 

 


Contact
Billy Birdwell, Senior Public Affairs Specialist
912-652-5014
912-677-6039 (cell)
Billy.e.Birdwell@usace.army.mil

Release no. 18-024