David Vacchi, Ph.D.

David Vacchi, Ph.D. is a US Army veteran of 20 years with deployments for Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom in the early 2000s who earned a PhD in Higher Education Administration from UMass-Amherst as a student veteran using the Post 9/11 GI Bill in which his dissertation research focused on explaining student veteran success.  A nationally recognized author and scholar, David is an unapologetic advocate for viewing veterans through strengths perspectives. David critiques research and models that take a negative view of veterans, while leveraging his own scholarly background to demonstrate how veterans succeed despite numerous obstacles to their success.  David has been a faculty member or administrator in higher education since 2005.  David is bringing his expertise to Fortify Curriculum in the development of the Veteran's Bootcamp virtual course and in providing fractional veteran's services for campuses.  He currently serves as an Associate Professor and has an administrative role in the Provost's Office at the Naval War College.

His book, entitled "Straight Talk for Veterans" and an evidence-based handbook intended to help veterans successfully transition to higher education. David earned a master’s degree in Administration from Central Michigan University and a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Purdue University.