The literature on leadership in for-profit higher education institutions (HEIs) is scarce. While there is a handful of books that have been published on for-profit colleges, few studies have been conducted on the leaders of those colleges. The number of for-profit HEIs continues to grow and compete with traditional colleges and universities; many of the for-profit HEIs have now earned regional accreditation. The academic leaders at these institutions exert a tremendous influence over the quality of the education delivered to the growing number of students who are attending for-profit HEIs. Through quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, this mixed-methodology study identified common leadership characteristics of chief academic officers at for-profit HEIs in the United States. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]