Colonel Joel Houk assumed duties as the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon in June 2023 after serving as the Assistant Chief of Staff G6 for the previous two years.

Colonel Houk served in several command, staff, and joint positions as an enlisted Signalman, Field Artillery officer, and functional area 26B Network Systems Engineer. His career spans over three decades and includes combat and operational deployments in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Odyssey Dawn.

Colonel Houk is a Joint Qualified Officer and holds a master’s degree from Texas A&M University in Management Information Systems and a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University in Management Science and Computer Systems. Other qualifications and certifications include the Joint Enabling Capabilities Planners Course, the Joint and Coalition Warfighting School, the Army Knowledge Management Qualification Course, the Army Cyberspace Operations Planner Course, and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certificate.