W. James Jacob

Dr. W. James Jacob is a Professor of Leadership at Utah Valley University. With a distinguished career in higher education leadership, he has held key positions, including faculty member and Director of the Institute for International Studies in Education at the University of Pittsburgh and Vice President at the Collaborative Brain Trust. He is a results-driven leader with expertise in strategic planning, quality assurance, academic affairs, community engagement, and change management.

Dr. Jacob brings extensive experience in higher education administration, professional development, instructional design, institutional effectiveness, and external research and program funding. He has established global partnerships across major regions, collaborating with universities, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and alumni networks. His work spans a broad spectrum of organizations, including ACT, the Asian Development Bank, the Ayers Foundation, the East-West Center, the European Union, FamilySearch International, Human Dynamics, the Institute of International Education, the Lumina Foundation, the National Rural Education Association, ProLiteracy Worldwide, the South Pacific Forum, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, Union Pacific Railroad, The World Bank, USAID, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of State, and multiple ministries of education and health worldwide.

An accomplished author and editor, Dr. Jacob is the founding editor of Palgrave Macmillan's International and Development Education Book Series. His books include Globalisation, Ideology and Higher Education Reforms (Springer, Forthcoming in 2026), New Directions of STEM Research and Learning in the World Ranking Movement (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018), Trends in Chinese Education (Routledge, 2017), Strategic Transformation of Higher Education (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016), Indigenous Education: Language, Culture, and Identity (Springer, 2015), and Community Engagement in Higher Education: Policy Reforms and Practice (Sense Publishers, 2015).

He is now working on the book Reforming Higher Education from Within: A Practitioner’s Guide (Bloomsbury). His research focuses on higher education leadership, strategic planning, community engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, professional development, Indigenous education, quality assurance, and organizational effectiveness.

Dr. Jacob served as a Fulbright Specialist from 2015–2020, during which he provided expertise in higher education strategic planning, research, and workforce development. He maintains strong academic affiliations, and has served as a visiting professor at Peking University (China), the East-West Center (USA), and National Chung Cheng University (Taiwan).

He holds master’s degrees in Organizational Behavior (Marriott School of Management) and International and Area Studies (Kennedy Center for International Studies) from Brigham Young University, as well as a Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Jacob is married to Natalie, an art educator, and they have three children.