Tue,
11/04/2025 – 09:52am | By: Gabriela Shinskie
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) has appointed Dr. Gregory Bradley as executive director and Houston Ernst as associate director of its Executive Education program, marking a significant step
in expanding workforce development and leadership training along the Gulf Coast and
beyond.
Based at the university’s Gulf Park campus in Long Beach, Miss., the newly structured Executive Education at Southern Miss will
offer customized leadership academies, data-driven management programs, and industry-specific
certifications designed to meet the evolving needs of organizations across sectors.
Bradley, an educator and consultant, brings more than three decades of experience
in decision analytics and applied research. He is the founder and president of The
Bradley Research Group, a national consulting firm that has led more than 1,500 public
and private research projects worldwide. In his new role, Bradley will spearhead the
integration of AI-powered learning tools and analytics into executive training, positioning
Southern Miss as both a regional hub and a national thought leader in executive education.
“This role represents the perfect opportunity to combine my proficiencies with my
passion for preparing executives to thrive through inevitable change and disorder,
while advancing the mission, vision and values of Southern Miss. Our focus will be
on delivering customized, pragmatic executive-level training through innovative pedagogical
approaches. Our aim, ultimately, is to be a key contributor in elevating the economic
and educational landscape within our geographic sphere of influence,” said Bradley.
Ernst joins Southern Miss with extensive experience in federal and state government,
as well as leadership roles in international development, global health and higher
education. His background includes serving as a legislative adviser on Capitol Hill
and working in the nonprofit sector on workforce and policy initiatives.
“I look forward to collaborating with university leaders, faculty and staff who are
committed to establishing USM as a leading resource in executive education programming
that can cater to local, regional and national workforce needs,” said Ernst.
Together, Bradley and Ernst will lead efforts to form strategic partnerships with
corporations, public agencies and healthcare systems—aligning talent development with
long-term organizational goals.
Bradley has been part of the Southern Miss faculty for 18 years and currently teaches
analytics-focused management and capstone courses in the College of Business and Economic
Development. Both leaders bring decades of combined experience across industries such
as finance, healthcare, government, hospitality and technology.
These appointments reflect the university’s strategic push to deliver future-ready
education that fuels innovation, strategic execution and economic growth throughout
the region.
Dr. Jeff Hinton, associate provost for Gulf Coast and lifelong learning success, expressed
strong support for expanding Executive Education to meet the region’s growing workforce
demands.
“Bradley and Ernst bring a powerful combination of strategic vision, operational expertise
and real-world experience to Southern Miss Executive Education. Their complementary
skill sets create a dynamic leadership team committed to delivering high-impact, results-driven
executive education programming. Together, they are poised to elevate program quality,
expand stakeholder engagement and strengthen the university’s impact on workforce
and leadership development across and beyond the Gulf Coast,” said Hinton.
In support of the program’s growth, Hardy Hall will undergo significant renovations this fall to house state-of-the-art executive
classrooms and meeting spaces.
For more information on Southern Miss Executive Education and its services, visit
the program’s website.