John Woods, Ph.D., is chief academic officer and provost for University of Phoenix, responsible for the University’s academic mission and high-quality, rigorous and career-relevant academic programs. His team defines student learning outcomes that align with employer expectations and with the skills students need to improve their performance in today's competitive economy.

Dr. Woods leads assessment of student learning, instructional innovation, faculty engagement, the student experience, accreditation and institutional reporting. He is the founding director of the University of Phoenix Career Institute®, which annually publishes the Career Optimism Index®, whose insights are featured in numerous publications including Forbes and Inc.

Prior to Phoenix, Dr. Woods served as a dean, an adjunct faculty member at numerous institutions over the last twenty-five year and as chief academic officer for over fifteen years at other institutions, serving working adult learners. He began his career in higher education helping colleges and universities leverage technology for instruction with the Eduprise, Collegis and Deltak family of companies.

Dr. Woods has served as a trustee of the Worthington Educational Foundation, a peer evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission and board member with Kivuto, an educational technology company that simplifies how schools manage and distribute digital student resources. He is also author of a chapter in “Doing More With Less: Making Colleges Work Better.”

Dr. Woods earned a PhD in Higher Education Administration from Bowling Green State University, where the focus of his research was adult learning, training and development, as well as academic honesty policies and procedures. He also has a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University.