Noteworthy Alumni in the Field of Human Behavior – Chase Hughes ’99

Named one of America’s top 20 CEOs of 2020, alongside Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, Missouri Military Academy (MMA) alumnus Charles “Chase” Hughes ’99 is a leading military and intelligence behavior expert with 20 years of experience creating the most advanced behavior skills courses and tactics available worldwide.

According to Hughes, his journey to expertise and success began at MMA. As an MMA cadet, Hughes was athletic – participating in football, golf and wrestling – and a devoted MMA Fusileer. It was at MMA, he said, he learned the discipline, introspection and values that proved to be foundational for his success.

“I left MMA with a confidence and humility that continued to grow throughout my military career,” Hughes said. “MMA had the recipe for young boys to build success into their future. MMA cleared the path for me so that success was simply a byproduct of the mentoring and discipline I had been exposed to.”

After graduating from MMA, Hughes served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years under a variety of occupations, most recently as a lead curriculum developer for tactical operations. Hughes received training from the U.S. Naval War College and has studied psychology at Thomas Edison State University and American Military University, as well as behavioral sciences at Hawaii Pacific University.

He also holds multiple certifications, a few of them being… 

• Master Clinical Hypnotherapy from the International Certification Board of Clinical Hypnotherapy (ICBCH)
• Government Leadership from Harvard Business School Executive Education
• Intelligence Information Reporting; Interviews and Interrogations; Antiterrorism;
• Counterterrorism; Chemical, Biological and Radiological Warfare; Correctional Custody Specialist; Operational Security; and more from the United States Department of Defense (DOD)

Read a full list of his degrees and certifications here.

Throughout his military and educational advancement, Hughes became aware of serious issues that plagued current intelligence operations – from interrogation to asset recruiting and more – and believed critical intelligence, opportunities and lives were being lost as a result. Because of this, he spent a decade deciphering the human matrix, developing a map for influence and behavior profiling.

His research would eventually develop into several groundbreaking behavioral tools, such as…

• The world's first behavior profiling tool
• The violence-prediction behavior analysis tool T.F.C.A. cycle
• The world’s first rapid behavior profiling system for intelligence operations (6MX)
• The PEACE 4A Police De-escalation model – a critical, life-saving course used by law enforcement or intelligence operations personnel who depend heavily on serious human behavior skills

Hughes also went on to publish five books about human behavior and profiling. Among those, he was named a #1 bestselling author of two books on tactical behavior skills and a worldwide #1 bestselling author on advanced persuasion, influence and behavior profiling. See his books here.

Today, Hughes teaches elite groups, government agencies and police in behavior science skills including behavior profiling, nonverbal analysis, deception detection, interrogation, and advanced behavioral investigation. He has been named in 2020 top 40-under-40 CEO's in America and top 20 CEOs in America with CEO Weekly, and has been referred to as the world's leading expert by Dr. Phil.

Despite his immense success, Hughes says philanthropy is the most rewarding aspect of his career so far.

“[It is most rewarding to] be able to give back to other veterans through coaching, training and financial support,” Hughes said.

To future MMA cadets, Hughes says he hopes cadets make the most of their experiences at the Academy.

“Get interested in your development both academically and personally. Not only will you enjoy your time [at MMA] more, you'll walk out of MMA with skills far above anyone you know back at home,” Hughes said. “At your age, it's hard to focus on what is undoubtedly an uncertain future. Instead of focusing on your future, focus on future you. I promise you; if you prioritize the needs of your future self ahead of your present self, you'll join the ranks of the hyper-successful much faster than you think. In fact, as a behavioral profiler who's studied this for two decades, this quality of future-self focus is the single factor all of these people have in common. I only wish I could have read these words as I walked the halls of MMA.”