John Ebersole

In his more than 40 years experience, John F. Ebersole has held senior management positions in higher education, business and the military. Before joining Excelsior College in 2006, he served as the associate provost and dean, Extended Education, at Boston University. He also served as associate provost and professor of Management at Colorado State University; assistant dean of the University Extension and director of Strategic Initiatives at the University of California, Berkeley; and dean and associate professor of the School of Management at John F. Kennedy University. Dr. Ebersole is a retired Coast Guard commander who held three commands including a patrol boat in Vietnam during his time on active duty.

He holds graduate degrees in both policy and business administration from John F. Kennedy University and is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval War College. During the fall of 2005, he held the Sandler Fellowship in Education at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. In 2007, he completed an EdS degree from The George Washington University and earned a doctorate in law and policy from Northeastern University in 2011.

Dr. Ebersole has been named chair of the American Council of Education Commission on Lifelong Learning. Additionally, he serves on the board of directors of the New York Council of Independent Colleges and Universities; is an active member of the Presidents' Forum; and is a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee on Workforce Development. He has previously served as president of the University Professional and Continuing Education Association and has been both a member of the Substantive Change Committee and a visitation team chair for the Middle State Commission on Higher Education.

Awards he has received include the Secretary of the Army's Public Service Medal in recognition of Excelsior's initiatives to serve the educational needs of the American soldier; the Capital District of New York's Leadership Council on Inclusion Award for efforts to increase institutional diversity; and he has been named one of "America's Top 20 most influential people in online education" by University Rankings.