? C. Ronald Kimberling

C. Ronald Kimberling has served as president or chancellor of four institutions of higher learning over a career in higher education that spans five decades. His early career included serving as News Director at age 20 of one of the first National Public Radio affiliates in 1971 and appointment by President Reagan as the youngest-ever Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education in 1986. He earned a Ph.D. in English and master’s degrees in English and American Studies from the University of Southern California, and an M.A. in Mass Communication and a B.A. in English (summa cum laude) from California State University, Northridge. Kimberling holds honorary doctorates from five colleges and universities. From 1981-88, he held several senior leadership posts in the U.S. Department of Education. He also served as Executive Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.

He has published and presented extensively on the subject of education, covering subject matter from federal student aid and career learning to school reform and the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Kimberling has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the White House Council on Human Resources, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, National Commission to Assess Veterans Education Programs, National Advisory Commission on Student Financial Assistance, Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Education, and the Illinois Task Force on Higher Education and the Economy. Experience in corporate governance includes service as a Director and Vice Chairman of a publicly traded corporation and several appointments as a corporate officer.

Dr. Kimberling currently serves as a Research Fellow for The Independent Institute. His book, The Talk of Washington: An Uncommon Dictionary of the Language of Government, was published in 2020, and a book he co-edited, Libertarianism: A Political Philosophy for Today and Tomorrow, was published in 2021. His latest book, Memoirs of a Reaganaut: The Inside Story of Ronald Reagan's Department of Education, was published in 2026.