Christopher Ice, MD
Christopher P. Ice is the CEO & Founder of Ice Executive Coaching & Consulting based in Winter Park, FL. He has led numerous organizations in the for-profit and non-profit sectors with revenues as high as $100M and assets over $280M. He has owned his own healthcare company and was CEO of Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph and, most recently, the President and CEO of Ave Maria University in Florida. In addition, Chris has consulted with private equity firms across the country with revenues in excess of $20B and now shares his vast experience of successfully helping organizations through Ice Executive Coaching & Consulting. Chris’ multitude of experiences in multiple industries—insurance, higher education, hospice, non-profit, and consultation—have helped him fine-tune a leadership style that gets results, empowers the people, and goes above and beyond the bottom line, bringing record ROI’s to each organization he serves.
While Christopher was serving as the president of Ave Maria University in Florida, he successfully led the University through the global pandemic, even in the midst of his own major personal tragedy with the death of his wife with four children still at home. As president, he and his team established new University fundraising records with a 140% increase over the best year in school history. He also established a new record for enrollment while increasing retention to record highs and reducing the overall tuition discount rate. He received recognition as one of The Naples Top 100 Most Influential Business Leaders in 2021, along with a special commendation from the town of Ave Maria in recognition of outstanding service to the community and the university.
Chris shares his experiences in his newly published book, “Walking the Leadership Tightrope: How to Balance Career and Family through the Chaos of Crisis.” Chris currently serves as a volunteer on multiple boards, including as co-founder of the Franciscan University Business Department Advisory Board, a founding board member of Growth through Grief for Widowers, and the Young Catholic Professionals of Orlando. On a personal note, Chris still holds the NAIA Baseball Career Batting Average record with a .480 career average while in college. He is also the proud father of 7 children and grandfather of 2.