Bio
Rick Van Doel brings over 40 years of leadership experience across military, for-profit, and nonprofit sectors. A U.S. Navy veteran, he retired as a Chief Warrant Officer in 1993 before transitioning to a career in business leadership. He dedicated 28 years to Performance Validation, serving as President and leading the company’s transition to a 100% S-Corp ESOP in 2018. Under his leadership, PV strengthened its employee-ownership culture, ensuring long-term stability and success.
Rick holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University, where his research focused on stewardship characteristics in employee-owned firms and their impact on governance and productivity. He was awarded a Louis O. Kelso Fellowship from Rutgers University’s School of Management and Labor Relations and continues to contribute to academic research on employee ownership.
