Biographical Statement

John B. Noftsinger, Jr., BS, MA, Ed.D.

Dr. John B. Noftsinger, Jr. is the Vice Provost for Research and Public Service at James Madison University. Prior to this position, he served as the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs for Research and Public Service for nine years. In addition to his role as Vice Provost, Dr. Noftsinger serves as Executive Director of the Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance and Professor of Integrated Science and Technology and Education.  In his capacity as Vice Provost and Chief Research Officer, he spearheads the development and implementation of a comprehensive research agenda for the university and building the necessary infrastructure and relationships that will guide JMU to a new level of success and national prominence.  He also works to foster relationships with international, national, and state organizations to increase the connectivity of the university and provide new opportunities for faculty, staff, and students. As Vice Provost, he endeavors to enhance a culture of innovation through the supervision of the Office of Research Development, Office of Sponsored Programs and Office of Technology Transfer. Throughout his career, he has facilitated local and regional economic development activities and oversees the operations of the office of Economic Development and Partnership Programs, Shenandoah Valley Partnership, and the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council. Dr. Noftsinger provides leadership at the university in engaging external constituencies through supervising the activities of the Mine Action Information Center, James Madison Center, International Beliefs and Values Institute, Center for Assessment Studies, and Outreach Programs.

Dr. Noftsinger has primary responsibility at the university for facilitating grant and contract funding, homeland defense and security research, economic development, intellectual property and technology transfer.  He specializes in interdisciplinary program and grant development.  His state-wide leadership was recognized when he was appointed by the Governor of Virginia as Co-Chair of the Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission.  Dr. Noftsinger is also a member of the Critical Infrastructure Roundtable at the National Academy of Sciences.  He recently was selected as a presenter and participant for the Oxford Roundtable at Oxford University in England.  In partnership with creative and dedicated faculty and staff colleagues, sponsored program funding to JMU has increased more than 721%, from $3 million in 1995 to $24.9 million in 2007, under his leadership of the area.

Since beginning employment at JMU in 1989, Dr. Noftsinger has served as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI for more than 15 million dollars in Sponsored Programs.  He has spearheaded the successful development, funding, and implementation of a variety of key programs at JMU including: Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance, Information Analyst degree program, Critical Infrastructure Protection Project, Mine Action Information Center, Shenandoah Valley Technology Council, Virginia's Manufacturing Innovation Center, Shenandoah Valley Partnership, Workforce Information Network (WIN), Civil War Institute, Valley of Virginia Partnership for Education, William R. Nelson Institute for Public Affairs, and the Shenandoah Valley Business Gateway, resulting in millions more in external funding.  He recently spearheaded the university's engagement in a state and local community effort to attract the SRI International to open SRI Shenandoah Valley Center for Advanced Drug Research in Harrisonburg , Virginia.

On the state, regional, and national levels he is co-founder and Vice Chair of the Accelerating Innovation Foundation, a founding member of the Executive Committee of the Virginia Institute for Defense and Homeland Security, Deputy Chairman of the University of Virginia's Critical Incident Analysis Group (CIAG) Steering Committee, Trustee for the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA), and Vice Chair of the SURA Development and Relations Committee.  In these roles, he has been an innovative leader in developing science and technology policy and economic development in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia and Mid-Atlantic region.  He has been named a Senior Fellow of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University.  Dr. Noftsinger was a founder, Board member, and is the former Chair of the Virginia Technology Alliance.  He was a member of the Governor's Council on Technology Services and recently served on the General Assembly's Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS) Advisory Committee on Nanotechnology.  Dr. Noftsinger is the past President of the Board of the National Association for Consortium Leadership.

On the local level, Dr. Noftsinger serves as a board member for the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council, was a founder and served as their first President from 1997-2003, won the 2005 Shentel High Tech Leadership Award, and received the organization's first Distinguished Service Award in 2001.  He also serves as a board member for the Shenandoah Valley Partnership and the Stonewall Jackson Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and is a member of the Virginia Biotechnology Association Research Advisory Committee.  Dr. Noftsinger is past Vice President and Board Member of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce and the former Chairman and an eight-year member of the Board of Directors of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.  He is also a former Board member and President of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Harrisonburg/Rockingham County, where he co-founded their acclaimed school mentorship program.

A native of Roanoke, Virginia, he is a 1985 cum laude graduate of James Madison University with a double major in Political Science and Public Administration and a minor in Business Administration.  As an undergraduate at Madison, he was selected as the first student to serve on the JMU Board of Visitors, as well as Who's Who, Omicron Delta Kappa, Mortar Board, and Kappa Sigma Fraternity.  He received his Master of Arts degree in Higher Education Administration from The Ohio State University in 1987.  In 1997, he received his doctoral degree in the Higher Education Program at the University of Virginia, where he was the 1994 winner of the Annette Gibbs Award for scholarly achievement in the program.  His minor programs of study in the doctoral program at UVA were Research Methodology and Adult Development.

Prior to his tenure at JMU, Dr. Noftsinger held administrative positions at Frostburg State University in Maryland from 1987-89 and at The Ohio State University from 1985-87.  He returned to JMU in 1989 as Director of Continuing Education and External Programs and Administrator of the Valley of Virginia Consortium for Higher Education.  He was appointed by the Governor of Virginia as Deputy Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1993-94 and returned to JMU in 1994 as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs.  He served in that capacity until 1996 when he was selected to serve as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Development and Partnership Programs, a position he held from 1996-1998, when he was promoted to Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs.  Dr. Noftsinger teaches both in the Integrated Science and Technology undergraduate and graduate program and in the graduate education program.

He has presented at numerous local, regional, national and international conferences and has published and consulted in the area of strategic alliances, economic development, homeland security, public policy, higher education, and leadership.  His newest book, Homeland Security: Policy, Perspectives, and Paradoxes, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in May 2007.  He also co-edited a book entitled Leveraging Resources Through Partnerships, published by Jossey-Bass in 2002 and is the author of three Jossey-Bass book chapters and a variety of other publications relating to higher education strategic alliances.

He and his wife live in Harrisonburg and enjoy exploring the Shenandoah Valley with their three children.  Dr. Noftsinger also enjoys coaching youth soccer, mountain biking, skiing, and hiking.  He is a starting center for the JMU Faculty/Staff 2007 Championship Hockey Team.