Dr. Bradley Ebersole has served as an executive search and board retreat consultant for ACCT for four years. During that time, he has led approximately 20 board development retreats, all with excellent reviews, and several president searches that have resulted in the successful hire of an individual having the personal characteristics and professional background to match the unique culture of each college.
Dr. Ebersole, a community college graduate himself (1973), has had a 41-year career in community college education that culminated in a six- year tenure as President at Washington State Community College, Ohio. During his career, Dr. Ebersole taught sociology, held positions in workforce development, was part of a team of administrators that started a new community college (Carroll Community College, Md.), and was instrumental in the movement to consolidate three community colleges into a single system at The Community College of Baltimore County. As Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC), he was engaged in leading a mid-sized college of 8,000 students in a time of exponential enrollment growth of 30%. Twice in his career–once as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at BRCC and again as President at Washington State Community College–he was charged with strategically implementing significant improvement of campus climate and organizational culture. Dr. Ebersole is a certified mediator, has provided training in conflict resolution, and has significant expertise and experience in international education. He has lived and taught outside of the US for three years, primarily in Japan and Europe.
While serving as community college president in Ohio, Dr. Ebersole was voted as Chair-Elect of the Ohio Association of Community College’s (OACC) President’s Council, and served on several commissions of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). He was a member of the search committee for the OACC president and was engaged in the establishment of an innovative student success funding formula as directed by the governor of the state of Ohio. Throughout his career, he has assumed a variety of leadership roles.
For an institution involved in an executive search or board development, Dr. Ebersole, as a former community college student and president, brings in-depth understanding regarding the mission and operation of community colleges. As a former president, he guided the institution, following a very difficult time, to a place of stability and well-being through improved communication strategies, initiating a structured and comprehensive planning processes, and implementing a budget management system that was transparent and responsible, yet incented institutional advancement. The Board of Trustees was appropriately involved in this transformation as the institution’s stability and advancement came at their directive. As Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, he was called upon to build a sense of institutional confidence and trust within a faculty body that was unsettled.
Dr. Ebersole thoroughly understands the complexities of president and board communication, the imperative to effectively integrate diverse personalities, and the means to articulate well defined president and board roles. He has consistently demonstrated success at garnering support and confidence of a faculty and community, all while maintaining a focus on the most important goal of student success. His personality as a listener, mediator, and problem solver has proven to serve well in the process of recruiting and finding the right fit in an executive search, as well as for board development training–particularly for mid-sized and smaller colleges as he understands the culture of such institutions.
Dr. Ebersole serves on the board of an HBCU university foundation and is past president of a Rotary club. As a consultant for ACCT, Dr. Ebersole continues to contribute to the development of the community college mission.