Steve Trainor serves as Executive in Residence and Director of Research and Strategic Innovation for the Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics on the Campus of John Brown University. At the Center, Steve has been instrumental in establishing a research program on organizational culture, as well as delivering support to executives and senior leadership teams seeking alignment for high performance.
Steve has over 30 years of Active Duty Navy experience as an operational helicopter pilot, executive human resources manager, and most recently as the U.S. Navy's first Permanent Military Professor of Leadership. As Chair of the Leadership, Ethics and Law Department and Director of Leadership Education and Development at the U.S. Naval Academy, Steve envisioned, designed and led the expansion and transformation of leader development efforts across the institution. A recognized teacher, scholar and researcher in ethics, culture, professional identity development; Steve's work has been featured in The New York Times in Leadership, The San Diego Daily Transcript, and on C-SPAN. Steve serves on the editorial board of The Journal of Character & Leadership Integration at the U.S. Air Force Academy, and he holds masters degrees from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA. Steve received a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Steve and his wife, Robin, have three sons who are serving on Active Duty as U.S. Navy Officers.