P. Barry Butler, Ph.D.

In 2017, P. Barry Butler became the sixth president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s leading institution of higher education focusing on aviation and aerospace. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University offers more than 100 bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Business, Engineering, and Security & Intelligence. Embry-Riddle educates more than 30,000 students annually at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona, through the Worldwide Campus at more than 135 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and through online programs.

Under his leadership, Embry-Riddle has expanded academic, industry and government partnerships to advance the study of aviation and aerospace safety, data analytics, and aviation cybersecurity. These partnerships have strengthened discovery-driven education and led to the creation of two centers of excellence, the Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems and the Boeing Center for Aviation & Aerospace Safety. The university has also significantly expanded its Research Park, an ecosystem of aviation- and space-focused start-ups and leading companies. The latest addition is the Cici and Hyatt Brown Center for Aerospace Technology, which is the new home of a Boeing engineering center of excellence.

As a strong advocate for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, Butler supports a dual-enrollment program with the Gaetz Aerospace Institute. The institute offers university courses to students in more than 200 Florida secondary schools. At the Arizona Campus, the STEM Education Center serves as a hub of enrichment for students, faculty, researchers and the community.

Previously, Butler was Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Iowa. He was responsible for more than 100 academic programs in 11 colleges. For ten years, he served as Dean of the College of Engineering.

Butler is on the board of the Hoover Presidential Foundation and The Wings Club. He is a member of The Civic League of the Halifax Area. He is a private and glider pilot. 

He earned three degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: a bachelor’s in Aeronautical Engineering, a master’s in Astronautical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering

Paige Francis

Paige Francis, Chief Information Officer, is a big-picture, highly strategic, performance-focused executive with over 20 years of innovative, energetic technology leadership across a variety of industries. 

After fifteen years serving higher education across a mélange of institutions - a local community college, a northeast private liberal arts university, a liberal arts university in the Midwest, and an R1 public state institution (Go Hogs!) - Paige achieved her dream role back home in Bentonville, Arkansas. 

Today, Paige is the Chief Information Officer for Art + Wellness Enterprises (AWE). AWE is a shared services organization owned by and serving a bevy of world-changing nonprofits, building the foundations from ground up, on one beautiful campus that continues to wow all who visit.

In addition to building a world-class technology foundation in Northwest Arkansas, Paige is an author for Forbes,  motivational speaker, sought after panelist and nationally recognized leader known for delivering results that consistently exceed expectations.

Paige knows that in a rapidly evolving digital world, leadership is no longer solely defined by technical expertise - it’s shaped by our ability to connect, listen, and lead with intention. As a technology leader, she's learned that innovation thrives not just on bold ideas, but on the humility to admit what we don’t yet know and the empathy to understand what others need to succeed.

Respecting the importance of extending the table, she literally wrote the book on helping non-technical executives better understand technology as a business unit because it (or, rather, I.T.) matters: Demystifying IT: A Pocket Guide for the Non-Technical. Follow on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigefrancis/

By embracing vulnerability as a strength and authenticity as a differentiator, we can lead in ways that are both uniquely our own and deeply supportive of those around us. Together we will reimagine what it means to lead. After all, we are all ever-evolving products of our own environments, experiences, and inner dialogues. Lean into your uniqueness and be your own one-of-a-kind leader that others strive to emulate.