Chancellor Emeritus
Dr. Garnet E. Birch had over forty years’ experience in higher education in multiethnic and multicultural settings. He also had vast experience in both traditional and non-traditional, adult and continuing education. Holding a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Arizona and an MA in Asian Studies and History from the University of Hawaii, Dr. Birch was the former Vice-Chancellor of National University’s Los Angeles campus and Dean of Curriculum and Standards at the San Diego Campus. Following his work with National University, he went on to become the Director of the Los Angeles Center of United States International University. Dr. Birch was the founding Vice-President and third President of Anaheim University before becoming Chancellor.
Chair of the Executive Advisory Board
Dr. Hiroshi Tasaka serves as Chair of the Anaheim University Executive Advisory Board. Hiroshi Tasaka is a Professor Emeritus of Tama University in Tokyo; the President of the Think Tank SophiaBank; a former Special Advisor to the Japanese Prime Minister (2010-2011); a former member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council; and the President of the Club of Budapest Japan. He graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1981 with a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering. In 1987, he worked at the Battelle Memorial Institute and also at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratories in the United States. In 1990, he established The Japan Research Institute. Dr. Tasaka is a philosopher who has put forward a wide range of ideas, theories and philosophies and has written over 90 books. He is now the Master of Tasaka Juku, where 7,000 CEOs and Presidents in Japan are learning and practicing his philosophy. .
Chancellor Emeritus and founding Chair of the Board of Advisors
Dr. Clive L. Grafton brought over 40 years of experience in higher education administration and consulting to Anaheim University. Dr. Grafton began his career with the United States Air Force in 1950 and was an Associate Dean of the School of Education and Chair of the Department of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Southern California (USC) where he also received his Doctorate in Education and Master of Science Degree in Management. In addition to his 23 years at USC, Dr. Grafton was Vice-Provost at Chapman University as well as an advisor to the Organizing Committee of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Dr. Grafton served as Anaheim University’s founding Chancellor, second President, and the Chair of the University’s Board of Advisors.
Founding President
The Founding President of the University, Dr. James H. Lambert, held three earned doctoral degrees in the fields of Education, Science and Asian Studies and dedicated over 30 years of his life to the field of higher education as a university professor and administrator. Dr. Lambert was committed to making innovative, academic programs of the highest quality accessible to students worldwide. He, together with the university's founders, envisioned an institution with students from around the world engaging in live discussions through the latest innovations in technology, whereby they would address many of society's challenges. His commitment to empowering his academic faculty and technology staff to push the boundaries of higher education allowed the university to contribute to the pioneering of online higher education through the offering of online real-time academic degree programs.
President Emeritus
Dr. Hartley's background is a combination of education, private sector work, teaching and consulting. Holding a bachelor's degree, three master's degrees, and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, University of California at Berkeley and University of Wisconsin respectively, Dr. Hartley has had a variety of jobs from administrative manager of the R&D division of a Fortune 500 company to the executive training program of Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan, in addition to owning and operating an art gallery. Dr. Hartley has had an extensive career in higher education, teaching in MBA programs for some two decades before serving as Dean and then moving into senior administrative positions including President of the University.