Ronald Wagner PhD, ATC
Founder & Executive Director
Dr. Ron Wagner was born and raised in the Greater Ville area of St. Louis, MO. He started his collegiate career at Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) as a scholarship track and field athlete and studied athletic training. Ron credits SEMO as the catalyst for all he’s accomplished to date, and for planting the seeds that became his vision for the future of higher education.
He began his professional career as an athletic trainer and professor at Eastern Kentucky University in 1999. After two years of services, he accepted his dream job at the University of Arkansas where he served as the athletic training of the national champion men’s track and field team, taught athletic training, and earned a Ph.D. in Kinesiology. Ron has also served on the faculties of University of Tennessee at Martin, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He is currently a tenured associate professor of exercise science at California University of Pennsylvania (CALU). A stint as interim Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at CALU propelled him into education entrepreneurship.
For twenty years, Ron has focused his life and career on the principles of giving back, through the advancement of higher education and offering students the opportunity to not only pursue a degree, but also to learn to find success with that degree. In 2008, Ron established Relearnit, Inc., a firm which develops and manages online education programs for colleges and universities across the United States. Relearnit is driven by educators and focuses on academic excellence, creating an environment in which it’s not exclusively about enrollment, but rather about supporting the success of students once they complete their coursework. This approach creates a formula for long-term financial sustainability for the schools the firm serves. Ron also serve as CEO of Athleticare Sports Health Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Athleticare is committed to making youth sports safer by providing affordable sports medicine services to underserved secondary schools and your sports organizations. He also serves on two nonprofit Board of Directors: Lift for Life Gym and ACCESS Academies.
Today, Ron gives back to SEMO in a variety of ways as he believes the school provided him with opportunity he may not have been afforded elsewhere. In 2015, he established an endowment fund to give scholarships to students interested in athletic training. He also serves as Chair of the Advisory Board for the College of Health and Human Services, a group of alumni who provide industry perspective on what qualities and experience they’re seeking in the workforce to help better prepare graduates for success. In addition, through his non-profit organization, Athleticare Sports Health Foundation, Inc., he leads high school students interested in athletic training on trips to SEMO, allowing them to experience the athletic training education program and the campus environment.
Ron and his wife, L’Erin, and son Ronald Jr. reside in St. Louis. In his free time, Ron love to barbecue and fish. He is an aspiring pit master and owner of Whooo? Pig Smokin’ BBQ competition barbecue team. When not collecting smokers, Ron collects art related to the Olympic Games, sports, and abstract works. He is an avid fan of the Olympic Games. Ron has also fulfilled a lifelong dream of serving at an Olympics through his participation in the Vancouver Olympic Games.