Dr. Wallace E. Boston

President and Chief Executive Officer
Member, Board of Trustees
Member, Board of Directors

Dr. Wallace E. Boston was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of American Public University System (APUS) and its parent company, American Public Education, Inc. in July 2004.  He joined APUS as its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2002.

Dr. Boston guided APUS through its successful initial accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association in 2006 and ten-year reaccreditation in 2011.  He initiated the institution’s application to be the first totally distance learning university to participate in the Federal Student Aid program after the repeal of the 50/50 rule in 2006.  In November 2007, Dr. Boston led the parent company of APUS, American Public Education, Inc. (APEI), to an initial public offering on the NASDAQ Exchange.  He led APEI to successful secondary offerings in February and December of 2008.  During his tenure, APUS has grown to nearly 100,000 students majoring in 87 degree programs.  Dr. Boston has authored and co-authored papers on the topic of online post-secondary student retention. 

In addition to his service to the University, Dr. Boston serves as a Board Member of the Education Alliance, a non-profit organization promoting public/private partnerships serving K-12 public schools in West Virginia.  Dr. Boston is a Board Member of Avalere Health LLC and he is also a Board Member of the Gateway New Economy Council.  He is a past Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of McDonogh School, a private K-12 school in Baltimore.  In his career prior to APEI and APUS, Dr. Boston served as either CFO, COO, or CEO of Meridian Healthcare, Manor Healthcare, Neighborcare Pharmacies, and Sun Healthcare Group.

Dr. Boston is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant.  He earned an A.B. degree in History from Duke University, an MBA in Marketing and Accounting from Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business Administration, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.  In 2008, the Board of Trustees of APUS awarded him a Doctorate in Business Administration, honoris causa.