Robert,
I am beyond excited about your quick reply, really, very refreshing!
I did in fact install the JDK via the Ambari server setup, but I also manually copied the JCE files during my own troubleshooting process before posting this to the forums.
BINGO. This was the issue, and once I typed it correctly (DOH!), things went along smoothly.
Thank you so much for your help!
Regards,
Chris