Col. James Valpiani will take over as the next dean of faculty at the Air Force Academy in late February following staff cuts. 

Valpiani will replace Col. Steven C.M. Hasstedt, the longest serving acting dean in the academy’s history. Hasstedt has been in the position since June. 

Valpiani has flown 100 combat missions in the F-15E, and worked as a test pilot with experience in over 30 aircraft types, according to a news release. He will leave the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, where he is overseeing an aerial combat autonomy research program to work at the academy, it said.

“Leading the faculty at my alma mater is a sacred trust,” Valpiani said in a statement. “Our nation needs officers who are equally adept in the technical disciplines and the liberal arts.

Valpiani graduated from the academy with an undergraduate degree in astronautical engineering in 2004.  He also holds a doctorate in astronautical engineering and a master’s in public administration from Harvard University, among other advanced degrees. 

He is taking over at a time when stress is rising and morale is falling at the academy following cuts to teaching staff and those who support them, according to a climate survey first reported by Gazette news partner KOAA. The number of positions cut over budget concerns has been an ongoing point of contention and it has triggered concerns over the loss of highly qualified staff with doctoral degrees departing. 

The climate survey was completed by about 500 staff members of about 760 eligible staffers. Those positions extend beyond teaching staff to those in supporting roles, such as librarians, research contractors and support staff.  

It found those reporting high morale had fallen from 60% in 2023 to 54% in 2024 to 30% in 2025. A majority, 72%, found the climate within the Dean of Faculty’s department worse than last year. 

Those reporting high stress because they work at the academy also rose from 35% in 2023 to 50% in 2025, the survey found. Main sources of stress included faculty cuts, uncertainty and significant change, the presentation said. It also found staff members are experiencing a chronic work overload among other challenges related to change.  

An academy spokesperson told KOAA the climate survey is “an ongoing effort, and as it remains active and open, any information obtained regarding the ‘results’ has not been validated or analyzed, and we would caution against relying on incomplete or unofficial data.”