Air Force Academy – Today the Air Force named Lt. Gen. John F. Regni to be superintendent of the Air Force Academy as the prestigious school works to recover from scandals over sexual assaults and religious intolerance.
Regni is commander of the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. He will replace Lt. Gen. John Rosa Jr., who is stepping down to become president of The Citadel, a private military college in Charleston, S.C.
Dozens of female cadets have said they were punished or forced to resign after reporting they were sexually assaulted. The allegations led to a complete change in the school’s command structure that put Rosa in charge.
This week, the Air Force issued new guidelines on religious tolerance after complaints that evangelical Christian staffers and cadets at the academy near Colorado Springs harassed students of other faiths.
Regni is a 1973 graduate of the academy and earned a master’s degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in 1981.
He was named commander of the Air University in July 2004. The university offers degree programs and continuing education for officers, enlisted personnel and civilian personnel.
Previously, he was commander of the 2nd Air Force at Kessler Air Force Base, Miss., and commander of the 8th Combat Support Group in South Korea.
He has held several positions at the Pentagon, including director of military personnel policy, deputy chief of staff for personnel and director of the Air Force Personnel Operations Agency.
Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., a member of the academy’s oversight board, declined to comment on the appointment, saying he was not familiar with Regni.
