Dr. Ellwood L. Kemp (1902-1920)
Dr. Ellwood L. Kemp, one of the founders and second principal of East Stroudsburg State Normal School, was a hardworking puritan and an ordained minister. Kemp earned his bachelors degree at Franklin & Marshall and later was awarded an honorary doctoral degree, making him the only ESSN principal to hold such a title. Kemp headed ESSN longer than any other principal until his retirement in 1920.

Frank E. Baker (1920-1923)
Frank E. Baker, East Stroudsburg State Normal School's third principal, established the health and physical education program and started the process to move the school to a collegiate institution during hs brief but productive term. Baker was a dynamic, vigouous, yet democratic figure whose leadership was to have an impact on the institution for decades to come. Baker graduated from Clarion State Normal School at the age of sixteen. Baker traveled to Allegheny College where he received his B.A. followed by his M.A. at Harvard University. His tenure as president, although brief, was important to the expansion of academic fields at ESSN.

Tracy T. Allen (1923-1939)
Tracy T. Allen, East Stroudsburg State Normal School's fourth principal, and first president, was an effective administrator who put newly named East Stroudsburg State Teachers College (ESSTC) in the front rank of the new state teachers colleges both academically and in size. Allen received his B.A. from Allegheny College and his M.A. from Columbia University. Allen was also the first president to earn his doctorate, receiving it from New York University in 1934. Allen is most known for creating and utilizing a strong and competent faculty by hiring individuals with advanced degrees. By the end of his tenure eleven faculty members had doctorates, more than any other state teachers college except for Mansfield.

Joseph F. Noonan (1940-1955)
Joseph F. Noonan, the successor to Tracy T. Allen, was East Stroudsburg State Teachers College second president. Noonan was a strong–willed president that led ESSTC through its most trying era. World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the influx of GI Bill veterans created novel problems of adjustment. The Noonan era was not one of great change but of survival and the pursuit of normality. The times needed toughness and Dr. Noonan was the right man for the job.

LeRoy J. Koehler (1956-1968)
LeRoy J. Koehler is best understood as the product of a small-town Victorian environment. Born in 1896, Koehler briefly left Monroe County's West End to attend Penn State College for his B.A. (1918), and the University of Pennsylvania for his M.A. (1921). He returned to Monroe County in 1922 to teach at East Stroudsburg State Normal School and never left again. Koehler was known as a very loose administator who ended the rigid supervision of faculty members,and supported a strengthening of faculty tenure. Koelher had the misfortune of being president when the college entered its modern era. To the end, Koehler wanted the college to remain small–a school whose president could personally know all the students. The rapid growth of education and further funding by Harrisburg thrust ESSTC into the modern era.

Frank Sills (1968-1971)
Frank Sills, former chairman of the Health and Physical Education Program became the fourth president of East Stroudsburg State College in 1968. Sills attended Penn State University where he earned his B.A. and M.A. in Physical Education. Sills then traveled to the University of Iowa where he earned his Ph.D. The Sills era at ESSC, although brief, was generally constructive, laying the foundation for the next two decades. Although hindered by the sociopolitical themes that defined the era, Sills managed to expand the university and dramatically increase enrollement.

Darrell Homes (1971-1979)
Darrell Homes, known as one of the best administrators in school history became the fifth president at East Stroudsburg State College in 1971. Homes had grandiose plans for ESSC, believing that more was better: more buildings, more students, more programs. Homes was also subject to the sociopolitical themes still lingering from the Vietnam War, but Homes' administration stayed strong by upholding the traditional values of the college. An ongoing fued with the faculty led to Homes' early retirement in 1979, but many remember Homes as a strong and influential leader.

Eric Schaar (interim president 1979-1980)
Eric Schaar, the interim president during the 1979-1980 academic year, was the sixth president at East Stroudsburg State College. Schaar assumed the presidency at ESSC after years of turmoil between the faculty and former president Darrell Homes. His interim presidency, although brief, did have its upside. Schaar's administration was able to create the resort management program (since renamed "Hospitality Management"). To get away from the chaos, Dr. Schaar relaxed by immersing himself with his first love, music. Shaar could be found playing his cello late into the day.

Dennis Bell (1980-1986)
Dennis Bell, a combat veteran of World War II and graduate from Ohio State University became the next permanent president at East Stroudsburg State College. Bell was known for using his social skills to political ends. Bell and his wife, Carnetta, held breakfasts for local politicians and clergymen, for faculty, and for administrators. One of Bell's greatest accomplishments was obtaining full accredidation for the nursing program, and overseeing the transformation of East Stroudsburg State College into East Stroudsburg University.

James E. Gilbert (1987-1996)
James E. Gilbert, a Connecticut native, majored in psychology at the University of New Mexico, then pursued his doctoral degree at American University where he graduated in 1969. Gilbert was an active promoter of diversity at East Stroudsburg, appointing many women to administrative positions. Gilbert's administration is best known for enhancing the academic program, supporting scholarly activity, improving community relations, addressing the needs of the physical plant, implementing external support programs, and establishing the first Parents' Association.