Ed Phelps had a successful career as a leader in the management training industry. In 1979 he founded ESI International, which offered highly regarded professional development programs in contracting, project management, business analysis, and strategic execution. Key to the company’s success was a ground-breaking partnership between ESI and The George Washington University’s School of Business and Law School. When he sold ESI in 1997, the company was presenting some 2,500 courses a year for organizations throughout the world, including IBM, Microsoft, AT&T, Honeywell, Citibank, Delta, Boeing, and Shell Oil, and for national and international public-sector organizations.
Mr. Phelps continued as an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor in the education industry for many years. He owned, ran, and sold two other companies that specialized in project management and strategic execution, offering programs in partnership with Stanford University’s School of Engineering, and was director of a company that pioneered discovery learning for business applications.
His career began with the U.S. Department of Defense, where he was responsible for procurement and logistic support for large-scale defense systems. Transitioning to the private sector, he joined Sterling Institute as vice president and co-founded a center that presented executive development seminars.
He earned a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and is a member of the school’s board of advisors. He served on the board of trustees of the university’s Medical Faculty Associates and, with his wife, Linda, on the International Committee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In Palm Beach he and Linda support the United Way, Kravis Center, The Palm Beach Police Foundation, and the Palm Beach Civic Association.