Captain Craig Poulin, an Instructor within AFIT's Civil Engineer School, was named Air University's Company Grade Officer of the Year for 2016.

As an Instructor, Capt Poulin directs courses, instructs lessons, and provides consulting on electrical engineering and construction management topics. His areas of expertise include facility electrical systems, electrical distribution, power generation, energy management, and construction safety.

Capt Poulin hit the ground running when he arrived at AFIT in January 2016.  Within his first three months, he led four courses and was subsequently awarded the Company Grade Officer of the Quarter and named the Instructor of the Quarter by his peers.  For the year 2016, Capt Poulin directed eight offerings of four courses, totaling 324 hours of instruction for 580 joint and total force engineers.  He was also named the Civil Engineer School's Instructor of the Year by his peers. 

In addition, Capt Poulin provided consulting support to engineers worldwide.  Notably, he reviewed and improved electrical distribution plans for an on-going bare base contingency beddown.  He identified an undersized power plant, which would be unable to meet the base's electrical demand.  With this information, project managers were able to order additional generators before this deficiency limited operations.

Capt Poulin also uses his expertise to help improve his community.  As part of a " Rebuild Dayton" outreach effort, he managed jobsite safety and repair tasks for 41 volunteers during a housing renovation for a family in need.

"Honestly, being selected as the AU CGO of the Year came as quite a surprise- it certainly wasn't what I set out to accomplish when I arrived at the CE School in January," said Capt Poulin.  " Reflecting on 2016, two things enabled what became a very productive year: sincerely believing in our mission and enjoying coming to work. When a course ends, I know our students are better prepared for their garrison and contingency duties worldwide.  And with a group of brainy and passionate colleagues, I'm learning something new every day.  It's truly a great position to be in, a fact which deserves most of the credit for this recognition."

Capt Poulin commissioned in 2008 as a distinguished graduate of Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 550, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.  He earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2015.

Before coming to AFIT, Capt Poulin served as a Project Programmer and Officer-in-Charge for both the Operations Support and Simplified Acquisition of Base Engineering Requirements (SABER) sections with the 60th Civil Engineer Squadron at Travis AFB and as a Project Engineer and Section Commander at the 819th RED HORSE Squadron at Malmstrom AFB.

In 2010, Capt Poulin deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. While deployed, he managed the theater's largest service contracts section, providing base infrastructure maintenance and support. In 2012, he deployed to Ramstein AB, Germany in support of European Command humanitarian and exercise-related construction efforts. As the deployed Chief of Design, he managed projects throughout the European theater, with a focus in Macedonia, Bulgaria, and the Republic of Georgia. Capt Poulin is an OSHA-Authorized Construction Safety Outreach Trainer, a Certified Energy Manager, and a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio.