Leadership is calling. Those who answer, aspire to lead through deep-rooted convictions to service and the common good. Guided by our core Franciscan values of collegiality, contemplation, humility, peacemaking, and service, Alvernia University cultivates ethical leaders with moral courage to do well and do good.


Alvernia offers world-class leadership and ethics programs enhanced by community engagement and service opportunities.  It’s a combination that deepens the theoretical knowledge imparted in the classroom through practical real-world applications – all while making an immediate impact on the community. Our approach to leadership is multi-disciplinary. Our programs focus on more than just basic skill-building.  We take a broader view that teaches students to understand and value context, constraints, and relationships in the world around us.

Alvernia's 2022 commencement.
Ph.D. in Leadership
Contribute to the knowledge of leadership and function as an agent of change.
Philadelphia Student
Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership
Learn to make tough decisions in an uncertain world.
Male graduate student at laptop
Graduate Certificate in Leadership
Start your journey with advanced certificate in leadership.
Honors Students in front of Francis Hall
Opportunities for Leadership
Gain real-world leadership experience while pursuing your undergraduate degree.

Graduate Placements

Alvernia's Leadership Department develops high performers who are prepared to make a positive difference. Our interns and graduates are in high demand and are making an impact nationally.

Academic Appointments
  • Associate Dean
  • Assistant professors
  • Graduate Program Director
  • Associate Professors
  • Associate Provost
  • Undergraduate Program director
  • Assistant Director of Global Education
  • Director of Medical Ethics
Organizational Appointments
  • Chief Executive Officer and President of Health New England insurance company,
  • ARC/STSA (Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting) Board of Directors
  • Pennsylvania Association of Surgical Technologists Treasurer.
  • Executive Director at Buxmont Academy
  • Board President of the Foundation for Pottstown Education
  • Appointment by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney in July 2017 as the first Executive Director of the newly created Office of Violence Prevention, which is responsible for assessing and coordinating the $60 million dollars invested in anti-violence programs across departments
  • Director of Advancement at Stewardship: A Mission of Faith
  • Highlight: Rev. Dennis L. Blackwell (earned Ph.D. at Alvernia): Judicial Council Member (the ‘supreme court’) for the United Methodist Church. The United Methodist Church connects more than 12 million members on four continents and engages in ministry all around the world.
MAOL Graduate Placement
  • Safe Berks
  • FirstEnergy
  • City of Reading
  • Tower Health
  • Penske
  • Impact Services
  • ADP
  • Bristol Myers Squibb
  • Recovery Centers of America
  • Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health Intellectual Disability Services
  • Albright College
  • FirstEnergy
  • Landis Homes
  • YMCA of Greater Brandywine
  • PerkinElmer Inc.
  • Owen J. Roberts School District
  • Tait (Head of People, North America)
  • Ecore
  • Fujirebio Diagnostics
  • ACR Machine (president)
  • AmeriGas
  • United Way of Berks County
  • Travelers