Chris Pfeifer

About

Operations and program management professional with 15+ years of experience across higher education, engineering, and manufacturing. Experienced in building operational systems, managing project portfolios, leading teams, and improving efficiency through automation and process improvement.

Experience

• Manager of Strategy and Operations
  Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide (ERAU-W)
  Jul 2023 – Present

  Manage strategy and operations for a distributed organization of 75 staff, serving as the operational partner to the dean and associate deans across strategic planning, execution, change management, and continuous improvement. • Supervise and develop a team of technical and non-technical staff, setting performance expectations, providing ongoing coaching, and supporting their professional growth. • Develop and manage the division’s annual project portfolio system in Wrike, including dashboards, reporting cadences, and OKR/KPI alignment across 8 teams, increasing on-time delivery of strategic projects by nearly 40%. • Oversee how new initiatives enter the division’s portfolio, coordinating with unit leaders and senior leadership across three colleges to prioritize work to meet organizational goals, track project health, and maintain team accountability. • Lead organizational change initiatives across multiple units, partnering with leaders to diagnose core issues, design solutions, and manage adoption through structural and operational implementation. • Guide a cross-functional team through an AI and automation initiative integrating ChatGPT bots, Excel macros, and MS Copilot, which has improved staff efficiency by over 20% and strengthened collaboration across student-facing and faculty-facing units. • Direct vendor-facing RFP processes to evaluate and implement third-party software platforms, coordinating stakeholder requirements, vendor assessment, contract review, and implementation planning across multiple engagements.

• Adjunct Professor & Course Designer (SME)
  Liberty University
  Mar 2021 – May 2023

  • Designed and delivered online courses as subject matter expert, managing curriculum development, instructional sequencing, and stakeholder communication within established academic frameworks. • Held this role during full-time graduate study, demonstrating sustained capacity to manage competing priorities.

• Graduate Assistant
  University of Georgia
  Aug 2018 – Jun 2023

  • Teaching assistant and instructor of record across multiple courses; Graduate Assistant for Learning Technologies in the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), supporting faculty development and educational technology integration across a large R1 institution. • Supported CTL programming that helped faculty adopt new tools and practices, including coordination of workshops, documentation of workflows, and one-on-one faculty consultation.

• Mechanical Designer
  Munters (via Aerotek contract)
  Sep 2014 – Oct 2015

  • Designed and coordinated industrial climate control projects with budgets exceeding $200,000, managing schedules, documentation, and vendor coordination across fabrication and assembly environments.

• Project Coordinator & Mechanical Designer
  Hydrasearch / Sotera Defense / Cambridge Architectural
  Aug 2000 – Jan 2011

  • Designed and coordinated projects with budgets exceeding $700,000 across regulated manufacturing, defense, and architectural environments. • Managed project documentation, maintained electronic and physical records, and supported compliance with manufacturing, architectural, and military standards. • Supervised a team of 12 mechanical designers; delivered on-site technical training to multidisciplinary teams emphasizing clear documentation and process adherence. • Conducted regular site visits for requirements gathering, installation oversight, field dimensioning, and project coordination across multiple client environments.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Musicology
  University of Georgia · University of Georgia
  Musicology · 2018 – 2024
• Master of Music (M.M.) in Musicology
  Middle Tennessee State University · Middle Tennessee State University
  Musicology · 2018
• Bachelor of Music (B.M.) in Classical Guitar
  Liberty University · Liberty University
  Classical Guitar · 2014

Skills

• ChatGPT
• Project Management
• Asana
• Change Management
• Claude
• Vendor Management
• Operations Management
• Cross-functional Coordination
• Process Improvement
• Excel
• Stakeholder engagement
• SOP Development
• Staff Supervision
• Executive reporting
• People Leadership
• Microsoft Copilot
• Agile
• Project Portfolio Management
• Wrike
• Canvas
• Rfp
• Okr
• Kpi
• Brightspace

Courses & certifications

• IDEO Design Thinking Certification — Human-Centered Design (From Ideas to Action; Insights for Innovation) · IDEO · 2024
• BOSS (Basics of Supervising Staff) Training Certification · ERAU · 2024

🏆 Achievements & awards

• Academic Innovation Collaborative Mindset Award · 2025