Roderick French

Roderick French, PhD

Dr. Roderick C. French is a dynamic, disciplined and inspirational leader whose breadth of experience has garnered him the respect of those he leads, serves and educates. His determination to be effective and efficient in his academic and professional life has allowed him to innovate, improve and excel.

Informed by over two decades of experience in the United States Marine Corps (1979-1999), Dr. French acquired insight into the important interplay of psychology, leadership and management. His Marine experiences as well as his desire to learn inspired him to pursue, upon retiring from the Marine Corps, numerous degrees, including a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Campbell University (1998), a Master degree in Management from Webster University (2000), and a Ph.D. in Management from Walden University (2013). His desire for academic excellence and managerial efficiency made him in May, 2001 a logical choice for the Presidential Management Fellow (PMF). During his tenure as a PMF, Dr. French was not only employed in a managerial position with the Navy but also taught Organizational Behavior at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Upon completing his graduate education, Dr. French successfully applied his academic research and leadership abilities in numerous ways. In his current capacity as Director of Total Force Manpower for the Office of Naval Research, he is able to purposefully leverage and manage resources and people to efficiently reach desired objectives. Managing positions, funding and accommodations needs for operations as diverse as those of Naval Research present challenges that require Dr. French to maximize his problem-solving skills, creativity and logistical and tactical skills. His Directorial abilities have made him an indispensable human resource and leader.

In academia, Dr. French’s contributions are equally impressive. He works as an adjunct professor of business management at the University of Virginia,  where he teaches Transformational Leadership and Performance Management. Additionally, he serves as the Committee Chair of Dissertations at Argosy University and as a dissertation coach and mentor. His ability to teach both online and face-to-face graduate programs attests to his ability to adapt to different educational pedagogies and methodologies.

Dr. French’s Ph.D. dissertation “The Effects of Virtual Communities of Practice in Management Consulting Companies” has been viewed by academia and the private sector as particularly insightful and viable. Consequently, he has found a growing demand in the marketplace for his skills as an executive coach who specializes in organizational effectiveness. Demand for his guidance in areas related to engaging and increasing the effectiveness of transgenerational virtual employees has garnered particular favor with twenty-first century businesses.

Dr. French is the author of the book titled: Learning In a Virtual World which  discusses the recent turn of events where online education is concerned has brought about a lot of changes in our society, especially where our education is concerned. It has affected our lives to such an extent that we cannot imagine. People had become used to going to school and their jobs; they now have to sit home and create an environment that is just as productive for them in the long run. The fact of the matter is that to understand this more in-depth, we need to understand its importance, significance, and why it's essential.

Dr. French’s research in business management as well as his optimistic and candid personality has also earned him the respect of many peers. In the past few years, he has participated in professional speaking engagements in numerous states. He has had the honor to speak at the Black Doctoral Network Conference, the Academy of Management and at Averett University as a motivational speaker. Dr. French’s ability to balance optimism with realism has inspired audiences to improve both themselves and their business organizations.    

Dr French is the CEO & President of 365 Elite Leadership Coaching LLC, which focuses on personal coaching, virtual coaching, and business coaching.      

Currently, Dr. French is a member of the Epsilon Sigma Boule, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.  He resides in Dumfries.