Dr. Cannada is Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of Reformed Theological Seminary—an institution dedicated to the theological education of pastors and leaders for ministry in the church.  RTS began classes in 1966 and is fully accredited nationally by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and regionally by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.  It is also one of the dozen largest seminaries in North America with a current combined enrollment of over 2500 students from over 60 denominations, and a combined faculty of approximately 50 full-time professors with diverse denominational backgrounds and entirely committed to the inerrancy of Scripture and Reformed theology.
As Chancellor & CEO, Dr. Cannada provides leadership to five residential campuses in Jackson, MS; Orlando, FL; Charlotte, NC; Washington, D.C.; and Atlanta, GA; a degree-granting Virtual Campus (distance education) based in Charlotte, NC; and three international Doctor of Ministry degree programs in Korea, Scotland, and Brazil.
Known personally as Ric, Dr. Cannada is a native of Jackson, MS, and a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Vanderbilt University (Phi Beta Kappa) where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy.  He completed his post-graduate studies at RTS receiving the degrees of Master of Divinity in 1973 and Doctor of Ministry in 1995.
Ric’s service to the Lord also includes twenty years of experience as a Presbyterian pastor.  After receiving his Master of Divinity degree, he served at First Presbyterian Church in Clinton, SC, for three years.  In 1976, he moved to Little Rock, AR, to plant and develop Covenant Presbyterian Church where he served for ten years.  Ric was Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Macon, GA, from 1986 to 1993.
In 1993, Dr. Cannada accepted the position of Senior Vice President to provide leadership for the development and establishment of the RTS—Charlotte campus in NC.  He was named Executive Vice President of RTS in 1998 and President of RTS in 2002. He became RTS Chancellor and CEO in 2004 when the seminary restructured to establish presidents on each campus under Ric’s overall leadership.

Ric and his wife Rachel (formerly Rachel Earhart) are proud parents of Mrs. Beau Burrow (Christy) and Mrs. Bryan Rutledge (Ceci).  They are also blessed grandparents of six grandchildren:  Hollis, Courtney and Rebecca Burrow and Maggie and Rachel and Christy Rutledge.