Colonel Paul Owen assumed command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, during a formal change of command ceremony on September 14, 2012. Colonel John R. Boulé, who commanded the district since July 2009, relinquished command during the event in the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Colonel Owen graduated in 1990 from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering.