Faculty Profile
Dr. Christopher Washington serves as the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs for Franklin University, a private, nonprofit institution of higher education enabling the broadest possible community of learners to achieve their goals and enrich the world. Under his leadership, the faculty have continually adapted its curricula offerings and added new programs to meet the needs of current and future students, as well as those of their current and potential employers. Working with his cabinet and colleagues Dr. Washington promotes student success through a variety of instructional approaches, academic resources, and learning support services — all designed around the needs of the busy, working adults.
Dr. Washington began his career at Franklin University in 1999 as a full-time faculty member, rising through the ranks of leadership to serve in roles such as program chair of Franklin’s M.B.A. Program and Dean of the former Ross School of Management and Leadership.
Active in the higher education community, Dr. Washington serves as a Consultant Evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission and on various committees for the Ohio Board of Regents. He was selected as a recipient for Business First’s 40 Under 40, Ohio Magazine’s Outstanding Educator Award and the Robert L. Bailey Outstanding Teaching Award from Franklin University.
Dr. Washington is actively and strategically involved with the international education community. He facilitates relationships with partnering universities in Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Oman, Nepal, Guatemala and El Salvador. He serves on the Board of the International Visitors Council, an organization that works to build partnerships between American citizens and citizens of other countries, promote democratic ideals, encourage economic development and promote cultural understanding through the exchange of knowledge and ideas. He is a member of the European Association of International Educators and the International Assembly of Collegiate Business Educators. He serves on the Research Council of the Poznan School of Banking Research Journal and the journal Studies in Management and Finance.
Actively involved in community service, Dr. Washington presently serves as a Board member of the Central Ohio Workforce Investment Corporation (COWIC), an organization whose mission is to meet the employment needs of business and job seekers to support economic development in Ohio. He has previously served as a Board member of the Godman Guild, past Chair of the Board of the Columbus Urban League and a former Board member of Lifeline of Ohio.
A Chicago native, Dr. Washington holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Science degree from Western Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development from The Ohio State University. He presently serves as a Trustee at First Congregational Church in Columbus, Ohio and is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He and his wife, Shannon, have five children.