Born and raised in the small farming community of Rossville, Illinois, Dennis W. Cornell Sr. is the Director of Plans and Technology for the Defense Information School, a position he assumed in July 2015. In this capacity, he oversees the technology products and services, as well as the strategic planning functions for the organization. He is also a retired Army First Sergeant.
Mr. Cornell joined the United States Army in 1981 and after a twenty-one-year career, retired at DINFOS. No stranger to the military training environment, Mr. Cornell spent the latter part of his Army career as a small group leader at the Regimental Signal NCO Academy; the Course Chief for the 25B MOS at the Army’s School of Information Technology; and the First Sergeant of E, 447th Company, 15th Signal Brigade, Fort Gordon, GA.
After retirement, Mr. Cornell joined the DINFOS team as an IT contractor. He supported the school as a project manager until he was hired to be the school’s Chief of Plans, then later the Chief of Information Technology, and finally the Director of Plans and Technology. His dedication to the school’s mission and ability to drive technology projects has resulted in several innovative technical transformations over the years that have enhanced the school’s capacity to provide high quality training to DoD students.
Mr. Cornell holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Thomas Edison State University and Masters Degree in Information Technology from Capella University, as well as the Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute.
He is married to Janice Cornell. They have two children, Kathleen and Dennis Jr. Mr. Cornell is also a pretty funky bass player and graduate of the Berklee College of Music’s Professional Bass Certificate Program.