President Richard V. Geraci

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Brigadier General Richard V. Geraci, USA (Ret), was named Missouri Military Academy's eleventh president in February 2019.
 
BG Geraci joined MMA as chief academic officer on July 1, 2017. His role was then expanded on March 1, 2018, and his title changed to vice president for academics, operations and planning. Prior to his arrival, he was the president of Leavenworth Regional Catholic School System and principal of Immaculata High School. Geraci started his career in education as the 22nd commandant of cadets and dean of students at New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) after retiring from the U.S. Army as a brigadier general in 2005. He is a 1975 NMMI graduate and received his commission as an Air Defense Artillery 2nd lieutenant through the Institute’s Army Early Commissioning Program.

Geraci has a long history of association with education and youth programs including coaching, Junior Achievement and the Boy Scouts. He gained his first experience in education as a substitute teacher in the El Paso Independent School District, where he taught special education, math, history, physical education and health classes. He honed his teaching and coaching skills as a young captain commanding an Army basic training unit at Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was responsible for transforming recent high school graduates into soldiers. He has served as an executive board member of the Boy Scouts Conquistador Council, on the regional board of Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Southeastern New Mexico and as a curriculum committee member with Leadership New Mexico. He currently serves on the executive committee for the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States (AMCSUS).

Geraci earned a Master of Education from Eastern New Mexico University and is a licensed school building and district administrator. Additionally, he earned a Bachelor of Science in management from Park University, a Master of Arts in management from Webster University, a Master of Science in systems management from the Florida Institute of Technology and a Master of Arts in national security and strategic studies from the U. S. Naval War College. His military education includes the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and U. S. Naval War College. He completed the Senior Executives in National and International Security program at the JFK School of Government and the leadership program at the Graduate School of Education, Principal’s Center, both at Harvard University.  Additionally, he completed the National Security Leaders course at Syracuse University and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) Leadership Academy at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

Geraci’s key military assignments include: Director, National Security Space Architect, Deputy Commanding General for Operations, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command; Chief, Space and Information Operations Element, U. S. Space Command in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom; and Deputy Director for Joint Warfighting Experimentation, U. S. Joint Forces Command. He commanded Army Air Defense units at platoon, battery, battalion and brigade level with more than 10 years of command experience. He served four tours with Air Defense units in Germany during and after the Cold War and deployed three times to southwest Asia in support of Operations Desert Storm, Desert Focus and Desert Falcon.

Geraci has been recognized by his alma mater with his induction into the New Mexico Military Institute’s Hall of Fame. His military awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal (one oak leaf cluster), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (one silver and two oak leaf clusters), the Air Assault Badge and the Air Force Space and Missile Badge.

General Geraci and his wife, Kathy, a lifelong educator, have four children and nine grandchildren.