Ed Barrows is Professor of the Practice of Leading in the School of Professional Studies at Brown University where he teaches leadership courses in the professional masters programs, instructs short courses and serves as lead faculty for Brown Executive Education programs.  

He has worked with leaders at all levels in the areas of strategy, strategic leadership and leader development for the past 25 years. 

Prior to joining Brown, Ed worked as Managing Director at Duke Corporate Education where he was responsible for designing and delivering programs for a portfolio of FORTUNE 1000 clients. He also held positions earlier in his career at Deloitte, General Electric, PwC and the Palladium Group.

Prior to joining Brown, Ed taught at Harvard University, Boston College and Babson College where he designed and instructed courses ranging from strategy and organizational behavior to influence and power. He is the co-author of two books: Twelve Skills: the guide to becoming a strong leader and accelerating your career (Rethink, 2023) and Managing Performance in Turbulent Times: Insights and Analytics (2012, Wiley).

Prior to starting his private sector career, Ed served as a logistics officer in the Marine Corps. He commanded at the platoon, detachment and company level participating in operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. He retired from the Marine Corps as a Lieutenant Colonel.

He is a graduate of Boston, Georgetown and Cranfield Universities and is an ICF certified executive coach.