President's Core Leadership Team

Rodney Cruise joined Embry-Riddle in March 2013. He provides leadership and direction for Information Technology, Human Resources, Institutional Efficiency, Corporate Relations, News and Media, Campus Safety, Facilities and Capital Planning at the university, supporting more than $800 million in construction projects on all campuses.

In addition to operational responsibilities, Rodney supports the strategic development of Embry-Riddle’s Research Park, working to attract companies — ranging from national and international aviation/aerospace groups, to technology businesses in all stages of development, helping to recruit them to Florida, and in particular, to our immediate community. He leads all government relations initiatives, working closely with state and national leaders in support of Embry-Riddle’s mission to expand research, increase entrepreneurship and create high-paying jobs.

Rodney currently serves as the Vice Chair of Starter Studio and Chair of Daytona State College’s Facilities and Capital Planning Committee. He is a member of the Executive Board of Directors of the Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce as well as the Daytona Beach Rotary Club. Currently, he is also a member of Congressman Michael Waltz’s Transportation Advisory Committee.

Before joining Embry-Riddle, Rodney served as Vice President of Business Development for Sodexo, where he held multiple leadership positions. His tenure at Sodexo included service on national and international teams focused on complex efficiency challenges as well as IT projects. He also acted as the National Chair for the Sodexo Organization of Latinos and supported an array of diversity initiatives.

Previously, he has served multiple years on the Executive Board of Directors of the Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce, where he was appointed to the ISB Coalition. He also served as a member of the Beachside Redevelopment Committee for Volusia County, and as a a former Board Member for Hope Place. In addition, he served on the board of Halifax Habitat for Humanity and with many other local initiatives.

Rodney was recognized in 2011 as Outstanding Adult Volunteer of the Year by the United Way of Volusia and Flagler County. He was presented the Community Legacy Award in 2013 by the Community Foundation of Volusia and Flagler. He was recognized as Board Member of the Year and Volunteer of the Year during his service with Halifax Habitat for Humanity.

Randall B. Howard, Ph.D., is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Dr. Howard joined the University in September 2014 and is responsible for the financial operations of the University including financial management, treasury, financial analysis and reporting, enterprise risk management, and capital planning.

Prior to joining the University, Dr. Howard was the Vice President for Business Affairs and Treasurer at Ball State University. Dr. Howard spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force where he held a variety of positions, including Chief Financial Officer of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Assistant Professor of Finance and Business Administration at the Naval Postgraduate School and Senior Financial Economist for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Cost and Economics.

Dr. Howard holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Georgia, an M.S. in Operations Research from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Birmingham-Southern College. He currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for Daytona State College.

Moeller was appointed as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on April 2, 2018. Prior to that, he served as Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of the University College at the University of Iowa. While at Iowa, Moeller also held the position of Associate Dean for the Undergraduate Program in the Tippie College of Business, and was a professor in the Department of Management and Organizations. Additionally, Moeller served as University Ombudsperson and as Co-Director for the Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center.

Moeller earned his B.B.A., M.A., and J.D. from The University of Iowa. He worked in private law practice and served as System Legal Counsel for the University of Wisconsin System before becoming a faculty member in the Tippie College of Business. Moeller has worked as a labor mediator and arbitrator, serving on several state and national labor arbitration panels. He is a frequent speaker on business ethics, conflict management, and negotiations. Moeller has co-written five books on the topics of business law, conflict management, management, and negotiations.

Dr. Jeremy V. Ernst is Vice President for Research and Doctoral Programs and Professor of Technology at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He has held prior academic and administrative appointments at Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Campus, Virginia Tech and North Carolina State University.

Dr. Ernst has a wealth of expertise in research leadership and administration, where he has supported extensive growth at Embry-Riddle and in his prior university roles. He holds doctoral and Master’s degrees in Technology Education from North Carolina State University in Raleigh as well as a bachelor’s degree in Technology and Human Resource Development from Clemson University. 

He is an accomplished educator and scholar with more than 150 publications and $37 million in total federal, state, and corporate-sponsored research funding involvement. Dr. Ernst’s research focuses on students identified as at-risk for dropout or non-matriculation in STEM majors. His efforts center on providing evidence-based models that promote engagement, development of cognitive competency sets and performance-based application abilities of students at-risk.

Dr. Ernst’s most recent awards have included the Award of Distinction as well as the William E. Dugger Exemplary Collaboration Award from the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (2023); the Paul T. Hiser Exemplary Publication Award from Epsilon Pi Tau: International Honor Society for Professions in Technology (2020); and many others.

Charlie Sevastos joined Embry-Riddle as an Associate General Counsel in 2007 and was appointed General Counsel in 2011, responsible for all legal matters affecting the university.

Prior to Embry-Riddle, Charlie’s legal career started as a trial attorney in both criminal and civil litigation.  He held positions as an Assistant Public Defender and as trial counsel with the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Attorney General’s Office.  Charlie was awarded Board Certification in Criminal Trial Law by The Florida Bar during his time as a litigator.  Board Certification is a level of expertise held by only 7% of Florida lawyers. 

Charlie’s service in the United States Army began with Infantry and Airborne training, then assignment to an Infantry brigade in the Panama Canal Zone.  The brigade performed a variety of missions, including physical security of the Panama Canal, long term field deployments, and training visiting military units in counter-guerrilla operations for the Jungle Operations Training Center at Ft. Sherman, Panama.  From Panama Charlie returned to the U.S. for fifteen months of flight training at Ft. Rucker, Alabama, and graduated as a Warrant Officer with two advanced aircraft qualifications.  Charlie was then assigned to a Combat Aviation Battalion in Germany as a flight officer, and flew the AH-1S Cobra Helicopter during his tour of duty there.

Charlie received his B.A. with honors from Rollins College, and his J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law.  He is admitted to the Bar as an attorney in Florida, Maine, the District of Columbia, and the federal courts of the U.S. Middle District of Florida.  He is also a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil and County Court Mediator, is qualified as a Florida Court-Appointed Arbitrator, and volunteers as a mediator in small claims court in Volusia County.

Dr. Jason Ruckert was named Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in February 2020. He manages enrollment and enrollment-focused marketing across the university. He joined Embry-Riddle in 2005 and previously served as Vice Chancellor and Chief Digital Learning Officer for the university’s Worldwide Campus. He provided mission-critical leadership of overall strategy, development, delivery and quality control of online degree programs and contributed to learning modalities employed by all colleges and campuses.

Dr. Ruckert earned his doctorate in leadership and education from Barry University, with a specialization in higher education administration. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society as well as the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). He chairs the steering committee and is an executive council member of WCET, an organization dedicated to the practice, policy and advocacy of technology-enhanced learning in higher education. Dr. Ruckert is also an advisory board member for the UPCEA National Council for Online Education – Chair of Quality Standards, the USDLA (United States Distance Learning Association) and the Technology Executive Council, CNBC.

Dr. Anette M. Karlsson joined Embry-Riddle as the Chancellor of the Prescott Campus in 2019.

She was previously a professor and dean of Washkewicz College of Engineering at Cleveland State University. She was also formerly chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering.

As a researcher and designer, Dr. Karlsson worked for Saab Missiles and Saab Aerospace. She served as a technical attaché of material science for Sweden’s Embassy in the United States.

Her research interests focus on thermo-mechanical properties of advanced materials, with an emphasis on the durability of materials used in clean energy production. She has published more than 80 peer-reviewed international journal articles and served as primary adviser for more than 15 graduate students.

Dr. Karlsson’s honors and awards include the U.S. Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award and the University of Delaware’s E.A. Trabant Award for Women’s Equity.

She earned her bachelor's and master’s degrees at Linkoping University in Sweden and her Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Rutgers University, in the field of applied mechanics. She conducted postdoctoral research at Princeton University.

Ginger Pinholster joined Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in February 2017. Previously, she had worked from 2000 until 2017 with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), where she served as the long-time Chief Communications Officer and Director of Public Programs. She is an elected Fellow of the AAAS.

Before joining Embry-Riddle, Pinholster also held writing and media relations positions with the Georgia Tech Research Institute, the University of Delaware, and the National Academy of Sciences. Much earlier, she was a newspaper reporter and a freelance journalist. Over the years, she received a silver medal of excellence in research writing from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, and a first place feature-writing award from the Associated Press of Georgia. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers, the Florida Writers Association (FWA), and the AAAS.

Pinholster holds a B.A. in English from Eckerd College and the M.F.A. in Fiction from Queens University of Charlotte. Her debut novel, City in a Forest, received a Gold Royal Palm Literary Award from the FWA in 2020. Her second novel, Snakes of St. Augustine, will be distributed by Regal House Publishing in September 2023. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in the Eckerd Review, Northern Virginia Review, Atticus Review, and elsewhere. She has been a volunteer member of the Volusia-Flagler Turtle Patrol since 2018. She has also enjoyed serving as an adjunct communications instructor at Embry-Riddle, as feasible.