Dr. Gerald Wood, D.Ed.
Our President

Gerald E. Wood, D.Ed., has served since 2002 as the 17th President of Defiance College, a nationally-recognized, independent college of liberal arts located in Defiance, Ohio. With Dr. Wood's leadership, Defiance College is making a name for itself as an institution educating students to become effective leaders within a democratic society. Dr. Wood has become a leading advocate for ensuring this is an integral part of the student learning experience.

During his tenure, Defiance College has been named a Bonner Leader School by the prestigious Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation and has been named as one of 81 colleges and universities around the country to the Colleges With a Conscience national guidebook published by Princeton Review and Campus Compact. Defiance College has also been recognized by U.S. News and World Report: America's Best Colleges as one of the top 25 schools in the nation for service learning programs as well as one of the top tier of comprehensive colleges in the Midwest.

Dr. Wood has taken leadership roles in state, national, and international organizations. In 2006, he attended the Council of Europe Higher Education Forum in Strasbourg, France, which addressed the role of educating students for democratic leadership. Dr. Wood serves on the legislative committee of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and is a member of the International Association of University Presidents. He is a member of the executive committee of Ohio Campus Compact, an organization of Ohio colleges and universities supporting development of campus-wide participation in community service. In addition, he is a member of the board of trustees and marketing committee of Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges. He is also a member of Presidents of the Council of Higher Education of the United Church of Christ and serves on the Council's Executive Board.

Dr. Wood frequently shares the Defiance College story and the importance of civic, cultural and learning engagement in a global community before local, national, and international audiences. Defiance's culture of engagement that takes seriously the development of democratic values, skills and world view has served as a relevant model for other academic leaders.

Dr. Wood has addressed the National Presidents' Conference of Stamats Communications, the Association of American Colleges and Universities Conference on Global Learning, conferences of College Board, Ohio Guidance Counselors, Independent College Advancement Associates, and regional associations of the Ohio Conference of the United Church of Christ. He regularly authors a higher education column for The Crescent-News, an 18,000-circulation daily newspaper in Defiance.

His broad experience in higher education has spanned areas of recruitment, institutional advancement, student life, and teaching. His doctoral dissertation was an historical study of presidential leadership at Berea College with attention to organizational culture and leadership impact. Dr. Wood's scholarly specialty is the life and history of Abraham Lincoln.

Prior to his arrival at Defiance College, Dr. Wood had extensive experience in higher education administration at Davis and Elkins College, Waynesburg College, and West Virginia Wesleyan College. While at Waynesburg, he initiated international recruitment efforts and language programs with Korean universities. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in history from West Virginia Wesleyan College, a master of divinity from Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and a doctor of education from West Virginia University. He did post-doctoral studies at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Wood delivered the keynote address during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration for the State of West Virginia in 2000.

Dr. Wood has two grown children, Shawn and Heather, and two granddaughters, Jamison and Braedyn.