Phil McNair, American Public University System
Philip McNair joined American Public University System (APUS) in 2002 after his retirement from the U.S. Army, where he served for more than 26 years.  During his military different assignments in the continental United States. Most notably he activated and commanded the Personnel Services Battalion in the famed 101st Airborne Division, and was the Executive Officer to the Army’s senior personnel officer, the Deputy Chief of Staff, G1. During his retirement at the Pentagon in 2002, (Colonel) McNair was presented the Army’s highest award for military service, the Distinguished Service Medal. His numerous other awards and decorations include the Soldier’s Medal for heroism during the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on 9/11, the Legion of Merit, and the Purple Heart. At APUS Phil is the Vice President for Special Projects in the Office of the Provost, where his latest project was to establish a prior learning assessment (PLA) program.  Previously he served as the Senior Military Program Director, Vice President for Programs and Marketing, Vice President for Student Retention, and Vice President of Academic Services. He has extensive experience in supervisory and managerial positions in a wide variety of organizations, both governmental and private. He holds a Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Louisiana State University. In addition, he has done graduate work at the University of Texas at El Paso and Central Michigan University, and completed the prestigious Management and Leadership in Education program at Harvard University.  Mr. McNair has been certified as an online teacher by the Alfred P. Sloan Distance Learning Consortium, and in 2009 won the Wagner Award for Distance Learning Leadership presented by the Distance Learning Administration, sponsored by the University of West Georgia. He has previously taught leadership, effective listening, military history, and military science at the University of Texas at El Paso. At American Military University Mr. McNair frequently teaches courses as an adjunct faculty member, primarily in the field of leadership and management.career, Mr. McNair served in numerous command and staff positions around the world including Korea and Hawaii.