Colonel D. Leigh Hasson, Ph.D., USAF, is a Department Chair and Assistant Professor at the Dwight D. Eisenhower School, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
She previously served as an Operations Officer on the Joint Staff (J3), an Executive Officer on the Air Staff, and on the staffs of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Joint Forces Command. Colonel Hasson has commanded at the squadron level and completed fellowships on Capitol Hill and at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
An aviator with more than 3,000 flight hours—1,000 in combat—she flew aboard the E-3 AWACS and E-8 Joint STARS during Operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. She holds master’s degrees from the Marine Corps War College and the University of Oklahoma and earned her Ph.D. in International Relations from Salve Regina University.
Colonel Hasson is married to David Poffenbarger and they are blessed with two children, Alexis and Samuel.