Gwendolyn Hall Named Executive Vice President and Provost of The American College of Financial Services

As the chief academic officer for the nation’s largest regionally accredited, nonprofit institution dedicated to financial services education, Hall will be responsible for advancing The College’s mission and vision to provide best in class applied financial knowledge and education, and broadening its reputation as the leader in e-learning within the financial and business sectors. 

“Gwen’s long-established career as a leader in higher education, government, and military service makes her the ideal choice to build upon The College’s recent significant growth in faculty thought leadership and investments that have transformed the delivery of our education and support to our students,“ Nichols said. “Her extensive experience with demonstrated success in academic organization and operations, strategic planning, and student success is pivotal in charting the way forward as we approach our centennial.” 

Hall joined The College in March 2020 as Associate Vice Provost and Vice President to establish the first Student Experience Department by reorganizing the admissions and enrollment management function, creating a dedicated team for program advising to support students, adding an academic technology support function for students, and automating many registrar operations. In addition to being responsible for ensuring that students receive a high-quality experience, she has shown College-wide leadership as active member of the President’s Leadership Advisory Council, supporting the development of The College’s strategic planning process, providing guidance on the COVID-19 Task Force, and serving as an advisor to The College’s newest Center of Excellence, the Center for Economic Empowerment and Equality. 

From 2005-2020, Hall held a number of leadership positions with American Public University System (APUS) serving over 80,000 online students, culminating to Senior Vice President and Vice Provost. Previous to that she held many roles of distinction at APUS including Chief of Staff, Office of the President; Associate Provost of Academic Effectiveness and Student Success; Senior Vice President, Academic Operations; Dean, School of Security and Global Studies; and Chair, Department of Homeland Security, and Transportation and Logistics Management. 

“I am honored to be named Provost and given the opportunity to further serve this academic institution with its rich history of advancing the financial services profession for the benefit of society,” said Hall. “I look forward to working closely with our esteemed faculty and talented professional staff to expand the catalogue of exceptional offerings and ensure the programs continue to be relevant for the students and industries we serve, and The College remains at the forefront of online financial education.” 

Hall’s career in government included consulting with the Department of Homeland Security on strategic planning, infrastructure planning, and resiliency planning. She also served as a professional staff member for the House Select Committee on Homeland Security responsible for maintaining the committee portfolio for all homeland defense issues. A retired Air Force Officer, Hall’s last assignment was Chief of the National Security Policy Division, Headquarters Air Force. Before arriving at the Pentagon in 2002, she was deployed as the Director of the Combined Forces Air Component Commander’s Action Group at Prince Sultan’s Air Base, Saudi Arabia. From 1999-2002, she was the Commander and Director of Operations of the Dean of Faculty Squadron at the United States Air Force Academy where she also served on faculty as a Professor of Political Science and President of the Faculty Advisory Group to the Dean of Faculty. 

In addition to her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Hall holds a Master of Public Policy and a PhD in National Security Policy Studies all from the University of Maryland. 

ABOUT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF FINANCIAL SERVICES 

Founded in 1927, The American College of Financial Services is the nation’s largest nonprofit educational institution devoted to financial services professionals. Holding the highest level of academic accreditation, The College has educated over 200,000 professionals across the United States through certificate, designation, and graduate degree programs. Its portfolio of applied knowledge also includes just-in-time learning and consumer financial education programs. The College’s faculty represents some of the foremost thought leaders in the financial services industry. Visit TheAmericanCollege.edu and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Discover all the ways you can expand your opportunities with us.