Dr. Tom Sawner is the CEO of Educational Options, Inc. (EdOptions), an accredited, Web-based provider of high school and adult education curriculum and the parent company of Blue Ridge International Academy, one of the nation’s first accredited online schools approved to grant full diplomas. Through its range of quality educational products, EdOptions meets the needs of students and teachers across the nation and around the world with unparalleled customer service and innovative approaches to the toughest learning challenges. In 2006, EdOptions was selected by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as the national “Small Business of the Year.”

Dr. Sawner is also the founder of River Oak Associates, which provides organizational improvement, leadership development, and executive coaching, focusing on the link between an organization’s culture and its performance. A frequent keynote speaker, his past engagements include the Young President’s Organization, National Institutes of Health, Federal Training Officers Council, Alaska Railroad, and Northrop Grumman. He has also spoken at national conferences, such as the Federal Quality Symposium, the National Organizational Excellence Conference, the National Dropout Prevention Conference, the National Character and Leadership Symposium, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Summit.

In 2003, Dr. Sawner and his wife, the Honorable Bettina S. Callaway, established a not-for-profit foundation, the Educational Opportunity and Research Foundation. In three years, the foundation has provided more than $394,000 in matching scholarships, training, and support services to urban schools.

Prior to retirement from the Air Force, Dr. Sawner was Director of the Air National Guard Center for Excellence. There, he built the business practice for a full range of consultant services for the Air National Guard, including leadership development, executive coaching, quality improvement, and performance planning. In 1995, under his guidance, the Air National Guard Quality Center was selected for the “21st Century Organizational Excellence Award,” the first public sector organization to receive this honor.

Dr. Sawner has over 20 years of operational experience as an Air Force fighter pilot and Air Staff Officer. In 1986, he was awarded the Anthony C. Shine Award as the Most Outstanding Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He brings this same determination and focus to EdOptions and River Oak Associates.

An Air Force Academy graduate with double majors in economics and management, Dr. Sawner holds a Master of Aeronautical Science and a Master of Business Administration. He received his Doctorate from the George Washington University Executive Leadership Program in Human Resource Development.