More about Rebecca Ehretsman
Dr. Rebecca Ehretsman is the 18th president of Wartburg College. Under her leadership, the college launched the Wartburg Commitment, a three-pronged approach to increasing accessibility in higher education that includes a new competitive sticker price, additional scholarships for high-need students, and funding to offset the cost of experiential learning opportunities.
An active volunteer, President Ehretsman serves on the board of Guatemala Healing Hands Foundation, an organization that sends specialized teams of surgeons, therapists, anesthesiologists, nurses, and volunteers to Guatemala to provide comprehensive training and education to health care providers and students; screen children with traumatic injuries and congenital limb differences; and provide training for and maintain connection with local therapists who provide post-operative care. In April 2024, President Ehretsman embarked on her 20th medical mission.
She also is the chair of the American Rivers Conference Presidents Council and a member of the VGM Group Board of Directors, NCAA DIII Presidents Advisory Group, American Hand Therapy Foundation board, Grow Cedar Valley board, and Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities board.
Recently, President Ehretsman embarked on a partnership with generational experts David and Jonah Stillman to assemble a think of higher education leaders to study the characteristics of Generation Alpha and their parents as a means to inform future planning for residential campus communities within a virtual world.
Prior to her work at Wartburg, President Ehrtsman served as the dean of the School of Health Sciences at Elon University. As the academic and financial leader of the School of Health Sciences, she led efforts to establish the first undergraduate majors within the school and an accelerated pathways program that dovetails undergraduate and graduate curricula; helped execute Elon’s most recent strategic plan and served as co-chair of one of the plan’s working groups; and advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the School of Health Sciences by championing the establishment of committees to engage students, faculty, and staff in monthly educational events, empowering structural change in hiring and admissions processes, and creating opportunities dedicated to advancing health equity.
Earlier in her career, President Ehretsman was the chair and program director for the Department of Occupational Therapy and a professor of occupational therapy at Concordia University Wisconsin from 2013 to 2017 and an associate professor of occupational therapy with tenure at Maryville University from 2002 to 2013.
A hand therapist and international expert in flexor tendon rehabilitation, she is known for her commitment to global health equity, including both sustainable humanitarian work and education of health care providers around the world. In January 2023, she was the recipient of the American Association for Hand Surgery Humanitarian Award, which honors an association member who has made or continues to make special contributions or personal sacrifices for the betterment of humanitarian efforts.
President Ehretsman has offered many lectures, courses and keynote addresses on best practices for this complex diagnosis, simultaneously authoring multiple peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. She also has been honored with both the Nathalie Barr Lectureship Award and the Paul Brand Award for Professional Excellence from the American Society of Hand Therapists.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in movement and sport science from Purdue University, a Master of Science in occupational therapy from Washington University in St. Louis and a Doctor of Philosophy in education from Saint Louis University.
An active volunteer, President Ehretsman serves on the board of Guatemala Healing Hands Foundation, an organization that sends specialized teams of surgeons, therapists, anesthesiologists, nurses, and volunteers to Guatemala to provide comprehensive training and education to health care providers and students; screen children with traumatic injuries and congenital limb differences; and provide training for and maintain connection with local therapists who provide post-operative care. In April 2024, President Ehretsman embarked on her 20th medical mission.
She also is the chair of the American Rivers Conference Presidents Council and a member of the VGM Group Board of Directors, NCAA DIII Presidents Advisory Group, American Hand Therapy Foundation board, Grow Cedar Valley board, and Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities board.
Recently, President Ehretsman embarked on a partnership with generational experts David and Jonah Stillman to assemble a think of higher education leaders to study the characteristics of Generation Alpha and their parents as a means to inform future planning for residential campus communities within a virtual world.
Prior to her work at Wartburg, President Ehrtsman served as the dean of the School of Health Sciences at Elon University. As the academic and financial leader of the School of Health Sciences, she led efforts to establish the first undergraduate majors within the school and an accelerated pathways program that dovetails undergraduate and graduate curricula; helped execute Elon’s most recent strategic plan and served as co-chair of one of the plan’s working groups; and advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the School of Health Sciences by championing the establishment of committees to engage students, faculty, and staff in monthly educational events, empowering structural change in hiring and admissions processes, and creating opportunities dedicated to advancing health equity.
Earlier in her career, President Ehretsman was the chair and program director for the Department of Occupational Therapy and a professor of occupational therapy at Concordia University Wisconsin from 2013 to 2017 and an associate professor of occupational therapy with tenure at Maryville University from 2002 to 2013.
A hand therapist and international expert in flexor tendon rehabilitation, she is known for her commitment to global health equity, including both sustainable humanitarian work and education of health care providers around the world. In January 2023, she was the recipient of the American Association for Hand Surgery Humanitarian Award, which honors an association member who has made or continues to make special contributions or personal sacrifices for the betterment of humanitarian efforts.
President Ehretsman has offered many lectures, courses and keynote addresses on best practices for this complex diagnosis, simultaneously authoring multiple peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. She also has been honored with both the Nathalie Barr Lectureship Award and the Paul Brand Award for Professional Excellence from the American Society of Hand Therapists.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in movement and sport science from Purdue University, a Master of Science in occupational therapy from Washington University in St. Louis and a Doctor of Philosophy in education from Saint Louis University.