Riverside Military Academy announces new president

The Board of Trustees for Riverside Military Academy announced Thursday they have selected a new president to lead the institution.
 
Col. William J. Gallagher, US Army (Ret.), will be the ninth president in the academy's 109-year history, according to  board chairman Kenneth McKelvey in a press release issued Wednesday evening.
 
"Col. Gallagher is coming to Riverside with vast experience in education and the military, to include key administrative roles in a secondary and junior college military school," McKelvey said. "We are confident we have identified the right leader to build on the sound foundation Dr. Benson has established in the last seven years."
 
Col. Gallagher will take office June 10 following the semi-retirement of Dr. James H. Benson, Col USMC (Ret.), president since 2009.
 
Gallagher, who has spent time in the military, business and education fields over the course of a 35-year career, was selected after a nationwide search that drew a large number of applicants.
 
“The candidate pool was deep and offered a diversity of experiences that enabled us to select finalists with the types of work and military experience that would be most beneficial to Riverside in the coming years,” said Dr. Dan Kaufman, president of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and a former Riverside trustee. Dr. Kaufman chaired the search committee.
 
Gallagher is currently serving as Dean of the College and Commandant of Cadets at Valley Forge Military Academy and College. An active doctoral candidate with the University of Liverpool, Gallagher is a West Point graduate who also holds a degree from Long Island University.
 
During his time in the military, he commanded platoons, companies, a battalion and a brigade, served as a TAC Officer at West Point and as an Eisenhower Fellow in the Behavioural Sciences & Leadership Department; completed two Pentagon assignments: one on the Joint Staff (J5) (arms control treaty negotiations), and the other as Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Army; was the Chief of Operations for the 1st Cavalry Division and Chief of Operations, Plans, and Training (Division G3) for the 4th Infantry Division; the Chief of Staff for Operations and later the Chief of Strategic Plans for the Iraqi theatre (Multi-National Force Iraq, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM); the Chief of US Army Europe’s Strategic Initiatives Group; the Chief of Staff for V (US) Corps, and the Deputy Chief of Staff for US Army Europe in Heidelberg, Germany. He served three combat tours, and his military awards include three Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and seven Meritorious Service Medals.
 
"I am deeply honored to assume the presidency of Riverside Military Academy, succeeding the esteemed Dr. James H. Benson, Col., USMC (Ret.)," Col. Gallagher said in the release. "I approach with great seriousness and dedication the responsibilities of overseeing the development of the superb young men of Riverside and commit to their parents and guardians a continuation of the traditions of values-centered excellence experienced under the leadership of Colonel Benson and previous presidents."
 
Gallagher will be taking over lead duties at a school that has grown from 293 to 540 cadets during the course of his predecessor's tenure.