Thomas J. Connolly

Dr. Thomas J. Connolly is the Interim Chancellor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. He has a Doctorate in Technical Training and has completed post graduate fellowships with the U.S. Air Force Human Resources Lab and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has an ATP with a Citation Jet type rating, a Flight Instructor rating in single and multi-engine land and sea aircraft, and is an FAA appointed Aviation Safety Counselor.

Dr. Connolly has numerous publications on various aspects of aviation education and has been actively involved as a national leader in the profession for over twenty-five years. He is a past president of the University Aviation Association and the Florida Association of Aerospace Education, Chair of the Council on Aviation Accreditation (CAA) visitation team, elected member of the CAA Board of Trustees, "National Winner" of the FAA Administrator's Championship Award for excellence in aviation education, recipient of the National Aeronautics Association's Brewer trophy, and recipient of the United Airlines/UAA Wheatley Award for outstanding contributions to aviation education.

His flying career began with Naval Flight Training in 1963 and after six years of active duty as a Naval Aviator he transferred to the Naval Air Reserve. His last assignment in the Naval Air Reserve was Commanding Officer of the Naval Air Intelligence Processing Command, and he retired in 1985 at the rank of Commander. He joined the Embry-Riddle faculty in 1973 and has served as Chair of the Flight Training Department from 1979-1984, Chair of the Aeronautical Science Department from 1985-1993, Dean of the School of Aviation, 1993 -1997, and was appointed Interim Chancellor in 1999.