Dr. Neal Rappaport is the Anders Chair in Defense Economics, United States Air Force Academy, Department of Economics and Geosciences, for academic year 2024-2025. Dr. Rappaport has a BA and MBA from the University of Chicago and a PhD in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served 27 years as an active-duty Air Force officer, retiring in 2011 as a Colonel. Among his military assignments were teaching tours at the Air Force Academy where he twice served as Department Head, multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Air and Defense Attache in Macedonia (now North Macedonia) and Kosovo, the Air Staff and Joint Staff at the Pentagon, and briefly as the Senior Economist for International Trade on the President’s Council of Economic Advisors. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan, the Legion of Merit, the CIA’s National Intelligence Certificate of Distinction, and the Air Force Academy’s award for teaching excellence, the Heiser Award.

PhD, Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1994)

Anders Chair in Economics, Department of Economics and Geosciences, USAFA (present)

Visiting Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts (2021-2024)

Visiting Professor of Economics, Department of Economics and Business, Colorado College, (2017-2020)

Heiser Award, US Air Force Academy (2010)

National Intelligence Certificate of Distinction (1998)

Economic Development in Conflict Areas

Productivity and Technological Change