Paul Elsner received his doctorate from Stanford University and completed his studies at the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University. He is the Senior Editor of a 'Global Survey' of 23 countries titled, Global Development of Community Colleges, Technical Colleges, and Further Education Programs. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Sias International University in Zhengzhou, China, and has spoken and consulted in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Singapore, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, England, South Africa, among other countries. His previous appointments include chairing the ETS Board at Princeton, and the ACT Board at Iowa City. He has also served as President of the Board for the League for Innovation, as well as numerous Washington based educational organizations. Dr. Elsner served as Chancellor of the Maricopa Community Colleges for 23 years (1977 - 1999). He worked on a Water, Global Warming, and Radical Climate and Over- Development Conference held at Sias International University, The People's Republic of China, May, 2013.

Among his numerous achievements, he gave the Third Robert Atwell Distinguished lecture, following the first given by Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations, and the second by Harvard President, Neal Rudenstein.

Dr. Elsner is the Recipient of the BHF Anderson Medal, The Marie Martin Leadership Award, and holds Honorary Degrees from Arizona State University, and the Northern State University, as well as a W.K. Fellowship for Doctoral Studies at Stanford University. Paul Elsner also serves on the New Skills Commission (www.skillscommission.org), a Washington, D.C.-based commission of former congressmen, cabinet members, and academic leaders. The Skills Commission has been facilitated by Marc Tucker, Executive Director of the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE). In motion is a 6-State pilot project which recommends the implementation of the reform strategy issued in the Skills Commission report Tough Choices or Tough Times. Arizona is one of the 6 pilot states.

Dr. Elsner conducts his own business under Paul Elsner Associates and is President and Founder of The Sedona Conversations, and Sedona Edge Forums, which hold conferences on a variety of topics in various countries (www.sedonaconversations.com) and (www.sedona-edge.com).