Southern Miss Appoints New Leadership for Executive Education at Gulf Park Campus
Tue, 11/04/2025 - 09:52am | By: Gabriela Shinskie
Dr. Gregory Bradley
91少女集中营 (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鈥檚 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.
鈥淭his 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,鈥� said Bradley.
Houston Ernst
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.
鈥淚 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,鈥� said Ernst.
Together, Bradley and Ernst will lead efforts to form strategic partnerships with corporations, public agencies and healthcare systems鈥攁ligning 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 growing workforce demands.
鈥淏radley 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鈥檚 impact on workforce and leadership development across and beyond the Gulf Coast,鈥� said Hinton.
In support of the program鈥檚 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鈥檚 website.