Dr. Christopher P. Kelley actively fosters collaboration across the DFBL, U.S. Air Force Academy Dean of Faculty departments, all mission elements, and inter-university partnerships to enhance teaching, research, and service in support of the mission to develop leaders of charter and quality and critical thinkers to ensure national security and prepared cadets to lead effectively in future conflict. His work focuses on self-concept\identity, small group process, and organizational dynamics\culture. In addition, he has a strong interest in the sociology of science and technology. Dr. Kelley earned his M.A. (2008) and Ph.D. (2014) in sociology from the University of Iowa, specializing in social psychology, complex organizations, theory development, and research methods. He holds bachelor’s degrees BAs in Political Science (Miami University), Sociology and English (university of Akron).

His contributions have been recognized as multiple awards for excellence in teaching, research, and service, to include the Outstanding Academy Educator Award, the Guerrero Award for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring, and the Lindsay Researcher of the Year Award. His interdisciplinary publications cover topics such as basic influence processes, organizational leadership, leadership and organizational culture, military leadership education, and cybersecurity. His collaborative publications across disciplines include intersections of sociology with industrial organizational psychology leadership, human factors engineering, sports management, and computer science. This collaborative approach includes a broad span of methodologies spanning laboratory experiments, survey research, ethnographic approaches and secondary data analysis. Recent work focuses on building bridges between scientific theory and methodology to pragmatic applications of behavior and social science knowledge.

Dr. Kelley has a diverse leadership background in both the private and public sectors before transitioning to academia. While attending Miami University, he served as an intern for the U.S. House of Representatives and after graduation for a brief time as a congressional staff assistant. He then spent over a decade working in business-to-business marketing, sales, and then product management, where he was responsible for product development, production, distribution, marketing, and sales.

Since joining the Academy, Dr. Kelley has been instrumental in developing leadership courses for over 3,000 cadets and 20 permanent party commanders a year. He serves as the Dean of Faculty lead for the Leadership, Teamwork, and Organizational Management outcomes team, supporting the Academy’s mission across all mission elements to develop leaders of character and quality. Additionally, he is the course director for and teaches sociological theory. This course emphasizes the systemic development of critical thinking skills connecting theory to methods and applying innovative solutions to meet the challenges of the great power competition by developing effective strategies for future warfighters. In additional service he is the Managing Editor of the Journal “Current Research in Social Psychology” and serves as the Chair of the Academy men’s varsity wrestling team Academic Eligibility Committee.

Ph.D. in Sociology, Thesis: The Power of Identity in Important Leadership Decisions, University of Iowa (2014)

M.A. in Sociology, Thesis: Age Status, University of Iowa (2008)

B.A. English & B.A. Sociology, University of Akron (2004)

B.A. Political Science, Miami University-Oxford, Ohio (1995)

Associate Professor, Behavioral Sciences & Leadership, U.S. Air Force Academy (2021–Present)

Assistant Professor, Behavioral Sciences & Leadership, U.S. Air Force Academy (2018–2020)

Instructor, Behavioral Sciences & Leadership, U.S. Air Force Academy (2016–2018)

Assistant Professor of Sociology, Truman State University (2014–2015)

Instructor, Department of Sociology, University of Iowa (2012–2014)

Research & Teaching Assistant, Dept. of Sociology, University of Iowa
Managing Director, Center for the Study of Group Process, University of Iowa (2008–2012)

Nominee for the Falcon Team Award for leading the Behavioral Sciences & Leadership Core Leadership Course Team as Leadership 200 Course Director (2020)

Nominee for the Falcon Team Award for leading the Behavioral Sciences & Leadership Core Leadership Course Team as Capstone Course Director (2019)

Lindsay Researcher of the Year Award, Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership, U.S. Air Force Academy (2018)

Graduate College Summer Dissertation Fellowship, University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts (2013)

Carl J. Couch Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award, Department of Sociology, University of Iowa (2011)

Promoting Achievement and Diversity Award, Gamma Chapter Foundation for the Creation and Development of the Terra Hawk Leadership Group Training Program (2010)

Sandra H. Barkan Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award, $300 from the University of Iowa Graduate College (2007)

David and Rosalie Braverman Scholarship Award, $3000 for Outstanding Academic Scholarship and Contribution to the Community, University of Iowa Office of Student Disability Services (2006)

Dr. Kelley’s research examines leadership’s fundamental social processes, including influence, power, status, and trust. His recent work explores the impact of self-conception on decision making & emotion to predicted information use and avoidance for decision making.