Veteran educational leader John Barnes has assumed the role of president and CEO of Arlington-based Ancora Education.
“Ancora offers a broad range of educational opportunities, with flexibility to meet the needs of any learner,” Barnes said in a statement. “From high school to higher education to workforce training that’s upskilling and reskilling those currently employed, we’re preparing future generations of the country’s critical workforce.”
Barnes will oversee all Ancora divisions, including expanding ground campuses, growing online degree offerings, and developing diverse workforce development programs.
For 11 years, Barnes was president and CEO of Dorsey College, a part of the Lindenwood Education System family. Founded in 1934, Dorsey prepares individuals for careers in the nursing, healthcare, emergency medical services, culinary arts, skilled trades, and beauty fields.
Before Dorsey College, he was EVP and general manager for Cengage Learning, overseeing a more-than $100 million portfolio of businesses focused on online education, research, and EdTech. Barnes has previously held senior leadership roles at Thomson Reuters and ProQuest.
Ancora Education was acquired by Lindenwood Education System, the nonprofit parent entity of Lindenwood University and Dorsey College, in April 2025. It continues to operate separately, utilizing its own name, accreditations, and academic programming.
With locations across the U.S., Ancora’s network of schools, workforce training solutions, online courses, and high school completion program offer students and employers a wide range of vocational education programs.
Ancora offers technical education training programs specializing in healthcare, IT, business, and skilled trades through five private, post-secondary brands with 17 campus locations across the nation.
Don’t miss what’s next. Subscribe to Dallas Innovates.
Track Dallas-Fort Worth’s business and innovation landscape with our curated news in your inbox Tuesday-Thursday.
R E A D N E X T
-
UT Dallas researcher Dr. Walter Voit transformed Minecraft’s 170-million-player universe into an advanced virtual training ground—for students and for AI agents tested by DARPA. His team’s Polycraft World uses gameplay to turn classroom theory into real-world expertise, covering topics from synthetic organic chemistry to nuclear plants to semiconductor facilities. Their new startup company, Pedegree Studios, has licensed the core technologies from the university to create a scalable digital pipeline for education and workforce development.
-
Join experts for The Compliance Conundrum, a panel and networking event hosted by UT Dallas’ Cyber Security Research and Education Institute in partnership with Comcast Business, Rapid7, NBC 5, and Telemundo 39. Space is limited, and registration closes Oct. 3.
-
The grant was awarded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and will provide essential skills and improve patient care in and around Tarrant County, especially to those living in underserved areas.
-
The renovations will include converting existing office and classroom spaces into lab areas, a theater expansion, larger kitchen and dining room spaces, a "general refresh and reconfiguration," and more.
-
Four North Texas community colleges and the DFW Hospital Council will use a federal grant to expand training, boost equity, and meet the region’s growing demand for health care workers.
![Erica Kosemund, Chief Brand Officer, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; Gillian Breidenbach, Chief Partnership Officer, North Texas FWC Organizing Committee; Chief Gary Batton, Chief of Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; Monica Paul, Executive Director of Dallas Sports Commission and President of North Texas FWC Organizing Committee; John Hobbs, Senior Executive Officer of Communications, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; and Heidi Grant, Senior Executive Officer of Commerce Administration, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, celebrate Choctaw Casinos & Resorts becoming an Official Dallas World Cup 2026 Host City Supporter. [Photo: North Texas FWC Organizing Committee/Choctaw Casinos & Resorts]](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/FIFA-Choctaw-dec-2025-75x69.jpg)
![Erica Kosemund, Chief Brand Officer, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; Gillian Breidenbach, Chief Partnership Officer, North Texas FWC Organizing Committee; Chief Gary Batton, Chief of Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; Monica Paul, Executive Director of Dallas Sports Commission and President of North Texas FWC Organizing Committee; John Hobbs, Senior Executive Officer of Communications, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; and Heidi Grant, Senior Executive Officer of Commerce Administration, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, celebrate Choctaw Casinos & Resorts becoming an Official Dallas World Cup 2026 Host City Supporter. [Photo: North Texas FWC Organizing Committee/Choctaw Casinos & Resorts]](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/FIFA-Choctaw-dec-2025.jpg)
