Dr. Ron Lewis brings nearly two decades of leadership in higher education, nonprofit development, and organizational consulting to his role as Dean of the School of Business and Human Services. His career began in community and youth-serving work with the Southeast/Huntington YMCA and the American Cancer Society before he turned his focus to student success in higher education, directing a federally funded TRIO Student Support Services program that helped first-generation and low-income students persist to graduation. He went on to serve as Assistant Professor and Program Chair of Marketing and Sport Management at the University of Saint Francis, where he built the Sport Management program into the second-largest in the School of Business through experiential, client-based learning and strong community partnerships, and in 2017 he founded EDR Consulting, delivering leadership, resilience, and organizational culture training to colleges, nonprofits, government agencies, and corporate clients across the country in more than 700 keynote and professional development engagements nationally. His ties to Manchester University predate his appointment; he has served as a keynote speaker at Manchester’s Student Leadership Conference and led a multi-year leadership development program for the football team, and he joined Manchester University as Dean of the School of Business and Human Services in 2026, where he continues to champion mission-centered, applied learning that prepares students for meaningful professional and civic life.

Education:

• Ph.D., Global Leadership (concentration in Higher Education), Indiana Tech
• MBA, Marketing, University of Saint Francis
• M.S., Sports Management, Barry University
• B.A., Broadcast Communication, Barry University
• A.A., General Studies, Meramec Community College

Certifications:

• Conflict Dynamics Profile (CDP) Certification, Eckerd College Leadership Development
  Institute
• Entrepreneurial Mindset Profile (EMP) Certification, Eckerd College Leadership Development
  Institute