Born and raised in Massachusetts, Hank spent more than ten years in a wide range of environmental law enforcement, supervisory natural resource protection, emergency hazardous waste contingency response and white-collar crime investigation with the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service and the United States Secret Service.

Hank received his:

  • Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a concentration in Natural Resources Law Enforcement
  • a Masters in Criminal Justice Administration from Boston University
  • a Master of Arts in Holistic Counseling and a Master of Arts in Holistic Leadership from Salve Regina University
  • two certificates of advanced graduate study in Holistic Counseling and Holistic Leadership
  • two certificates of advanced graduate study in Counseling
  • a Doctorate in Educational Administration & Leadership from Seton Hall University

He is a graduate of

  • the Assisi Institute’s Two-Year Archetypal Pattern Analyst Program
  • and Air University, Air Command and Staff College

In addition, Dr. Brightman is

  • certified clinical hypnotherapist
  • certified clinical trauma professional
  • and certified personal trainer through the Aerobics & Fitness Association of America

Hank is currently a full professor and Acting Director of the Civilian-Military Humanitarian Response Program within the College of Maritime Operational at the United States Naval War College. He also serves as the distinguished EMC Informationist Chair (an eight-year, endowed appointment). From 2008-2016, he served as an Associate Professor, Professor, and Director of Applied Research & Analysis in the War Gaming Department of this institution.

From 2000-2008, he served as a tenured Associate Professor and Chair of the Criminal Justice Department at Saint Peter’s University, and also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Salve Regina University, Saint Peter’s University, and Utica College, where he teaches a wide range of undergraduate and graduate-level courses in Criminology and research methods.

In his Navy Reserve career, Commander (CDR) Heath “Hank” Brightman serves as Commanding Officer of Navy Reserve, Cryptologic Warfare Group in Massachusetts. A fully qualified Navy Reserve Cryptologic Warfare Officer, CDR Brightman’s most recent active duty mobilization was from March 2018 through February 2019, assigned to the Office of Military Commissions, Military Commissions Defense Organization (Washington DC/Guantanamo Bay, Cuba). In this capacity, he served as the Senior Intelligence Investigator on a 9/11 high-value detainee case team.

For the past seven years, Dr. Brightman has maintained a part-time, private trauma and wellness practice in Newport, Rhode Island, focused on applying a variety of holistic techniques to support client recovery. His primary approach combines Jungian, Gestalt, narrative, and expressive therapies with clinical hypnotherapy, physical fitness, and nutrition.