Dr. John R. Watret Reappointed Chancellor of Embry-Riddle Worldwide Campus
Dr. John R. Watret has been named Worldwide Campus chancellor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Watret will replace Dr. Brad Sims who has served as chancellor since January 2015. Sims will assume the vacant chief academic officer position at the Worldwide Campus, where he will provide oversight of expanding academic programs.
With the retirement of President Dr. John P. Johnson, university trustees selected Watret as interim president in June 2015. Among the hallmarks of his interim administration, Watret focused on steering the university into its 90th year and began laying the groundwork for Embry-Riddle’s centennial vision as well as enhancing the university’s communication and transparency.
Prior to being named interim president in 2015, Watret, who joined Embry-Riddle in 1989, was the university’s senior vice president and chief operating officer. Previously, he held the successive titles of professor of mathematics, associate dean of academics and associate chancellor at the Daytona Beach Campus. In 2006, he joined the Worldwide Campus, becoming executive vice president and chief academic officer, and ultimately chancellor.
“It is an honor to continue serving Embry-Riddle and return to leading the Worldwide Campus,” Watret said. “Having reached many significant milestones in the last few years with expanding programs, enrollment and outstanding national rankings, Worldwide is truly on the move. I will act as a catalyst for increased innovation and growth as we continue to accelerate the organization.”
Watret led the reorganization of the former Embry-Riddle Extended Campus to what is now known as Embry-Riddle Worldwide with an emphasis on academics and expanding online course offerings. Watret increased accreditation efforts, enrollment, the quality of faculty and staff and implemented research initiatives. In 2016, the Worldwide Campus was ranked No. 1 in the nation for online bachelor degrees by U.S. News & World Report.
“Continued investment in strategic leadership of our Worldwide Campus is central to the university’s ongoing success,” Holbrook said. “Our global reach is underscored by the increasing quality of online offerings and distributed campus model, which Drs. Watret and Sims expertly understand."
Recognized globally as an education thought leader in the aerospace industry, in 2011 Watret led the establishment of the Embry-Riddle Asia Campus, headquartered in Singapore, and has been instrumental in building university relationships globally throughout Europe, Australia and South America.
He has served on the executive board of the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools, is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, an executive committee member of the Global Aerospace Summit Advisory Board and is a member of the FAA Aviation Aerospace Workforce Committee and the University of Florida Online Advisory Board.
Watret, a licensed private pilot, holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Science in Mathematics, both from Texas A&M University, and a bachelor’s degree with honors from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. He has received numerous recognitions, but considers among the most meaningful the Outstanding Teaching Award and Outstanding Service Award bestowed upon him by the faculty of Embry-Riddle.