Dr. Dondi Costin

Dr. Costin has a track record in key leadership positions with the U.S. Air Force, having obtained the rank of Major General in his 32 years of commissioned service. He began serving as the third president of Charleston Southern University on July 1, 2018. He most recently served at The Pentagon as Air Force Chief of Chaplains where he was the senior pastor for more than 664,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas, and led 2,000 chaplains and chaplain assistants from the Air Force Chaplain Corps.

A native of Wilmington, N.C., Dr. Costin graduated from The United States Air Force Academy in 1986. A decorated combat veteran, he deployed in support of numerous contingency and humanitarian relief operations across the globe and served as senior chaplain for Air Force operations both in the Pacific and the Middle East. His military decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star Medal.

In addition to a bachelor’s degree in operations research, Dr. Costin holds five master’s degrees, a Doctor of Ministry degree, and a Ph.D.in organizational leadership. In a previous assignment, he taught courses in leadership, management, political science and military history as assistant professor of aerospace studies at Texas Christian University.