Colonel John C. Church Jr. – a combat-decorated Marine Corps Reservist, educator, and author – is ready to assume the office of president of the Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne.

After being unanimously approved by the board of trustees in late January, Church’s first day on the job was yesterday.

“Colonel Church possesses a unique combination of military leadership experience and an academic background,” said William R. Floyd Jr., chairman of the board. “His prior experience at Valley Forge, serving as a Professor of Leadership and later as Dean of the College, make him uniquely qualified to lead Valley Forge into the future.”

Church currently serves in the Marine Corps Reserve as an active reservist. Once a month, he travels to Great Lakes, Illinois where he works with Marines and sailors. He previously served in Kosovo and Afghanistan, and twice in Iraq.

“It is a great honor and humbling privilege to be given the opportunity to lead such a storied institution as Valley Forge,” he said. “I am grateful for the appointment.”

Church previously taught at Immaculata, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the U.S. Naval War College, George Mason University, Temple University, Holy Family University, and Rosemont College.

He is currently a doctoral student in Mass Media and Communication at Temple University and has earned an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U. S. Naval War College, an M.A. in Communication Journalism and Public Affairs from American University in Washington, D.C. and a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Naval Academy.

Church’s personal reflections of duty throughout the world have been featured in both the Washington Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer.