UNF Army ROTC leader promoted to major in campus ceremony

Captain Christopher Ricciardi, commanding officer of the University of North Florida's Army ROTC program, was promoted to the rank of Major in the US Army today. Officiating the promotion ceremony was US Army Colonel Jason Dumser, brigade commander for the US Army Cadet Command's Southeast Region, which is the highest point in the chain of command for UNF's ROTC program.

"It is an honor to come to UNF to recognize Major Ricciardi on his special day," said Dumser. "Promoting into the field grade officer ranks is a tough cut and Chris' selection demonstrates his strong potential to lead soldiers at the next rank."

The UNF Army ROTC is on track to be amongst the top-performing ROTC programs in the nation. The program first opened in the 1980s and was re-established in 2009. Over 160 officers have been commissioned since 2009.

UNF's ROTC program currently has 72 Cadets enrolled from UNF, Jacksonville University and Florida State College at Jacksonville and five full-time military science faculty positions. The program issued over $650,000 in scholarships/stipends to its cadets for the 2024-25 school year. Additionally, 15 cadets are receiving state/federal tuition assistance in conjunction with service in the Florida Army National Guard and Army Reserves. The program will commission 22 officers into active-duty Army, Army National Guard or Army Reserve roles as second lieutenants by May 2025.

"Ricciardi's promotion is not only a significant milestone in his military service, but a testament to the rising status of UNF's ROTC and its important role as the US Army continues to strategically grow its officer training programs," said UNF President Moez Limayem.

Major Ricciardi has led the military science program at UNF since January 2023. Prior to coming to UNF, he was stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, where he served as a company commander and tactical intelligence officer deploying to Europe in support of Operation European Assure, Deter and Reinforce, and to Asia as part of the Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction Task Force and Regionally Aligned Forces mission aimed at deterring North Korean aggression on the Korean Peninsula. He has multiple deployments to the Middle East in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel, Operation Spartan Shield, and Operation Inherent Resolve serving as a targeting officer and intelligence operations officer. Major Ricciardi began his career serving in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command deploying to multiple countries throughout Asia in direct support of counter-terrorism operations serving alongside multi-national forces. He holds numerous awards, decorations and badges including the Korean Service Defense Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Award, Superior Unit Award, Humanitarian Service Award, Expert Soldier Badge, Parachutist Badge, and Norwegian Armed Services Badge. He has a bachelor's degree in education from Florida Atlantic University and a master's in human environmental sciences from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.

Colonel Dumser was most recently assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command where he served as the executive officer to the chief of staff and as the command inspector general. He has deployed in support of 10 operational efforts, three in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and seven in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Dumser's awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Award, Combat Infantryman's Badge, Expert Infantryman's Badge, Ranger Tab, and Master Parachutist Badge.