Dr. Michael Hillyard
Dr. Michael Hillyard is President of the University of St. Augustine, a health sciences institution that annually produces the U.S.’s largest and third-largest classes of physical and occupational therapists, respectively, through campus operations in St. Augustine, Boca Raton, and San Diego, as well as distance education and continuing education programs around the world.
Dr. Hillyard previously served as President of Rockwell University, a two-campus and distance education provider of career-oriented information technology degree and certificate programs in the Washington, D.C. area. He was also Provost and Executive Vice President of the American Public University System, where he oversaw academic policy and operations for the American Public University's, American Military University's and American Community College's 15,000 students, 350 faculty members, and 160 degrees and programs.
Dr. Hillyard's professional service has included being a member of the Commonwealth of Virginia's Career College Advisory Board, an institutional representative for higher education regulations with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, and a certified accreditation evaluator, accreditation team chair, and member of the Research and Educational Standards Committee for the Distance Education and Training Council. Dr. Hillyard has served as a board member for American Red Cross's Jefferson and Morgan Counties (West Virginia) Chapter and San Diego, California-based Float, Incorporated — a producer of offshore oil/gas, port, and power plant platform technology.
Dr. Hillyard’s public service included early career responsibilities as a U.S. Marine Corps Officer — service that was hallmarked in duties at the Pentagon as a national security analyst for the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Strategic Initiatives Group, membership on the Marine Corps' first ever Quadrennial Defense Review Task Force, and independent research with the Center for Naval Analysis. His active duty and reserve military experience culminated with the rank of Major.
The author of numerous publications in areas of national security, military affairs, leadership, and education, Dr. Hillyard’s authored works include Homeland Security and the Need for Change: Organizing Principles, Governing Institutions, and American Culture; Public Crisis Management: How and Why Organizations Work Together to Solve Society's Most Threatening Problems; and Cincinnatus and the Citizen Servant Ideal: The Roman Legend's Life, Times, and Legacy.
Dr. Hillyard was educated at Miami University (Ohio), American Military University, and the University of Southern California, where he earned his doctorate in public administration. He has also completed post-doctoral studies with Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.