Paul A. Reid
Paul Reid is the Chancellor of the Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades. The Williamson School is America’s only private degree granting occupational education institution that remains free of tuition, room and board fees. Chancellor Reid has been a spokesperson for values-driven occupation for more than a decade, and he has worked with peers and national organizations to raise the credibility of occupational education in America.
Previous to accepting the position as Chancellor of Williamson in July 2009, he was President of Williamson from August of 1996, and beforehand was commander and president of the Community College of the Air Force, America’s largest community college. It graduates over 10,000 students annually and has a full time equivalent enrollment of more than 40,000. This was Colonel Paul Reid’s final assignment as an active duty officer in the United States Air Force, concluding a 27-year career.
While in the Air Force, Dr. Reid was a distinguished graduate from every military training and educational program he attended, including the Army’s senior tactical school, the Command and General Staff College and the prestigious National Defense University in Washington, DC. He earned his Bachelor in Business Administration degree from New Mexico State University and his Masters in Business Administration and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from The Ohio State University.
He is currently the only commissioned officer to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Airmen Memorial Foundation, an organization providing scholarships to the children of Air Force non-commissioned officers. He also serves on the Council of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and is on the Executive Committee of the Philadelphia Flower Show and Chairs Congressman Joe Sestak’s Educational Advisory Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, Board member of The Providence Forum and the National Bible Associations National Bible City program. He has memberships in several other professional and community organizations. He and his wife Cheryl live on the Williamson campus, are members of the Shehawken Methodist Church and enjoy their two grandchildren with visits to their daughter, Christine, and son-in-law, Major Tim Hayes.
Dr. Reid is often called on to speak at events where his passion for education and his belief that teaching values as a part of the educational process give him a unique perspective on the role of higher education, and he now serves at an institution he believes to be a model for all America.
