Patty Aronoff has been involved with administrating and regulating educational institutions for the past 17 years. For most of the last seven years she served as an integral part of the regulation, compliance and customer service protections for the State of Florida's Commission on Independent Education. She now serves as the Assistant Director of Education for Kaplan College in Fort Worth, Texas.
Patty's instructional experience includes conducting HR trainings for Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College. She has also conducted seminar sessions on current regulation issues, changes in law and rule promulgation for COBA, FAPSC and NASASPS. In additional to professional presentations and trainings, Patty also has extensive experience in the classroom, having taught a number of business courses at the collegiate level.
Patty's extensive experiences is backed by a Master of Science in Adult Education and a Master's Certification in Human Resource Development from Florida State University, a Bachelor of Arts in American & Florida Studies from Florida State University and an Associate of Arts from St. Petersburg Junior College.
Chyrl is a founding partner and Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of Global Financial Aid Services, Inc., one of the nation's largest financial aid service providers. She has specialized in the administration of Title IV Programs in the post-secondary education industry for the past 24 years. Chyrl started in the Career College field as Director of Financial Aid for a chain of ten colleges and moved up through the corporation, ultimately serving as Corporate Director of Financial Aid. Prior to Global, Chyrl served as Director of College Operations for the Student Finance Service Center at Philips Colleges, Inc.
Chyrl is a highly respected member of the financial aid community and her approach to the administration of Title IV funds has and always will be to make sure the student comes first. She has served as co-chairman of the Program Committee for the Mississippi Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and has presented topics on Title IV Administration for several State Associations of Private Postsecondary Schools and State Associations of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
Susan serves as President of Integrated Enrollment Solutions and is one of the founding partners. She has held administrative and senior level management roles in higher education for 16 years including positions as Associate Dean for Enrollment, Campus Dean, and Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services at both single location and multi-campus entities. Prior to founding Integrated Enrollment Solutions, Susan oversaw all recruiting, retention and student service functions for a 15,000 student, 30-campus university offering both in-seat and online classes.
Susan has experience with for-profit career schools, private non-profit institutions as well as Masters level universities. Her professional experiences include front-line roles such as high school recruiting, inside admissions, advising, job placement and corporate relations. Susan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Davenport College and a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University.
Dr. Larry Banks is currently the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost for Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. He is also an evaluator for the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), and a McGraw Hill Learning Solutions Advisor. His former positions include Chief Academic Officer for Eagle Gate/Provo College Group, President of Mountain West College, Colorado State Vice President for the University of Phoenix , and the Vice President of National Accounts for the Apollo Group. A passionate career educator, Larry has taught ground, online, and blended classes. He has created and implemented successful training programs for presidents, deans, associate deans, program administrators and instructors with a focus on student outcomes.
Larry earned his Doctorate in Business Administration from Touro University. He holds an MBA in Technology Management, and a BS degree in Business Administration. For his doctoral research, Larry studied and compared the effectiveness of blended courses with traditional classroom and online models. Larry has presented seminars and workshops for the Association of Private Colleges and Universities (APSCU), career college state associations, accrediting agencies and publishers. His research compares the tools of the modern classroom to achieve outstanding student success, and his strategies to improve student retention include non-cognitive factors to predict at risk students.
Cindy Bryant is the Vice President of Compliance at MaxKnowledge where she oversees the development, implementation and facilitation of compliance training courses for private sector colleges and universities. Previously, she served as a Compliance Analyst and Regulatory Affairs Specialist for Concorde Career Colleges. In her position at Concorde, Cindy monitored state legislative and regulatory activities, assisted in the preparation for accrediting visits, conducted internal audits, as well as initiated new policies and procedures. Cindy was instrumental in the restructuring of Concorde's compliance program in accordance with federal guidelines.
Prior to Concorde, Cindy served as a regional Campus President at-large for Anthem Education Group where her responsibilities included the transition and development of new Campus Presidents. Cindy has also worked for Kaplan Higher Education as the Executive Director of the Kaplan College in Dallas. Her former positions in the career college sector include Director of Education and Director of Student Services. Cindy maintains affiliations with licensing and accrediting agencies, as well as numerous educational associations. She has a bachelor's degree in social sciences from Texas A&M University.
Philip has been working in the education field for the past 13 years. He currently holds the position of Director of Education at McCann School of Business & Technology in Pennsylvania. In this position, he works with staff and faculty to provide a meaningful learning experience for the students. One of his joyful responsibilities is to act as a coach for his campus faculty and helping them to develop as teachers and also as mentors to students. Philip works diligently to add effective teaching strategies to each instructor's repertoire.
Prior to McCann, Philip worked at a school for adjudicated youth. He was a supervisor and worked to develop staff and faculty with a goal of modeling behavior for the students so they could transition back to their home communities. Philip has a Bachelor's Degree in Education from Lebanon Valley College, and he is completing his Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education and Student Services from Lewis University. He has been involved in a variety of leadership programs in the community with a focus on providing training opportunities to local businesses.
Dr. Gary Carlson has been the Vice President for Academic Affairs at ITT Educational Services, Inc. since 1997. He has served the career education sector in many capacities including seven years as a College Director. His 39 years of educational experience includes top-level management in Higher Education, Secondary Education, and Special Education for learning disabled, behavior disordered and mentally retarded high school youth. Gary has been a regular speaker for the Career College Association (CCA) Leadership Institute and the CCA annual conventions for the past ten years.
Gary graduated in 1969 with a Bachelors Degree in Secondary Education, 1972 with a Masters Degree in Special Education and 1978 with an Ed.D. in Administration, Curriculum and Instruction. Gary's career has been completely dedicated to service to the academic field as a teacher, coach, counselor, school administrator and executive for career education. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).
Dr. Tena B. Crews is currently a professor of Integrated Information Technology (IIT) at the University of South Carolina (USC). She also serves as the Director of Online Learning for the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management and is the Associate Director of Technology Pedagogy for the Center for Teaching Excellence. Prior to joining the faculty at USC, Tena taught at Ball State University and West Georgia University where she taught in the College of Business and served as the Director of Online Learning.
Tena has taught pure online and blended courses for over 10 years and traditional face-to-face courses for over twenty five years. She has designed and implemented many online courses and an online master's degree. Tena has an Ed.D. in Business Education with a minor in Management Information Systems (MIS) from the University of Georgia. She holds a B.S. in Business Education and M.A. in Secondary Education from Ball State University. Tena's research interests include online learning design, development and assessment.
Shelly is currently an adjunct instructor for Harrison College and ITT Technical Institute. She works with the faculty as well as the students to help them succeed at their online educational experience. Prior to this job she worked as Director of Curriculum Development, Harrison College Online Division. There she created and maintained online classes as well as responded to helpdesk tickets from faculty and students in regards to the online platform. Shelly enforces to the students and faculty that there is no silly question when it comes to technology or online learning.
Shelly has taught online classes for the past eight years. She loves the interaction with the students to help improve the classes that are being offered. In 2009, Shelly presented at the National Course Technology Conference in Las Vegas. Her topic was How To Keep In Touch With Your Students Via Technology. She received her Bachelor degree from Purdue University in Early Education and a Master degree from Indiana University in Adult Education. Shelly holds several certifications from Microsoft and plans on obtaining her PhD in the near future.
Michele Deck, an internationally renowned presenter, author, and educator is the co-founder, President and CEO of G.A.M.E.S., a company that provides training seminars on adult learning and interactive teaching methods. She is also the founder and CEO of Tool Thyme for Trainers, a company that supplies creative presentation tools to educators worldwide. Michele is particularly known for her innovative teaching methods in the field of healthcare education and training, and she is the current President of Lamaze International. Her travels have resulted in thousands of people who gained valuable expertise of adult education and training, from Australia to Scotland, Canada to Taiwan. She is the author of eleven books, including "Instant Teaching Tools For Educators."
Michele has a BSN degree in Nursing and a Master's degree in Adult Education. She has won many professional awards, including "Excellence in Nursing". Michele was selected as a "Great 100 Nurse in Louisiana" and was elected to Sigma Theta Tau National Nursing Honor Society. The National Nursing Staff Development Organization named her the recipient of the prestigious Belinda Puetz award and the National Business Council named her "Business Woman of the Year" in 2003 and 2004. Michele has a passion for healthcare education and has been training educators full-time for the past twenty five years.
Dr. Blake Faulkner currently serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Pinnacle Career Institute System. Dr. Faulkner began his 20 year career in higher education as a faculty member at Peru State College and Cameron University. He then moved into the higher education administrative ranks at Western New Mexico University. In 1994, Dr. Faulkner joined National American University and served as a senior leader in the NAU system for 14 years. During this time he served stints as Vice President of Admissions and Marketing, Vice President of Enrollment Management, Vice President of Administration, President of the University's main residential campus, System Vice President of International Affairs and President of the Online campus.
Dr. Faulkner has conducted research on the management of successful strategic alliances in higher education and has consulted with a number of career colleges and universities in their development of online and blended education offerings. He has established innovative strategic alliances with institutions in the US, Greece, Cyprus, Malaysia, Turkey, India, UAE, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Japan, and Kenya. Through his extensive travels across the globe he has worked with leaders in education, government, and business in developing programs and strategies that help higher education better meet the changing needs of the global workplace. Dr. Faulkner currently serves as a Systems Appraiser for the Higher Learning Commission. He holds a doctorate in business administration and is an avid reader of work related to leadership development, organizational behavior, strategy, process improvement, and the opportunities and challenges of globalization.
Dr. Eric Goodman serves as a consultant for the Performance Edge, a higher education consulting company. His expertise focuses on a variety of areas including accreditation, assessment, curriculum development, faculty development, the student experience and online programs. Eric is also a senior associate consultant for Noel Levitz specializing in retention consulting. His previous administrative positions include: Chief Academic Officer for Alta Colleges/Westwood College, Dean of the Graduate School of Management at Kaplan University and Dean of Management at Colorado Technical University. Eric has taught a variety of business management courses from the associate to the doctoral level over the years.
Dr. Goodman earned his Ph.D. in business administration with an emphasis in organization development from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He also holds a master's and bachelor's degree in business administration with majors in organization management and marketing. Prior to becoming an administrator, Eric was a professor of management at Fort Hays State University. He serves as a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission and served for over a decade on the Executive Committee of the Organization Development and Change Division of the Academy of Management.
Paul is the Vice President of The Source for Training, Inc., an admissions training and consulting firm that works exclusively with private career schools. As a nationally known expert in educational sales, he travels all over the country consulting and training admissions departments. He has over 15 years of experience in the career education industry and has been an accomplished Admissions Representative, Director of Admissions, and School Director.
Paul has been successful in countless admissions departments in many schools in North America and Canada. He has a well-documented track record of proven excellence in furthering the effectiveness of admissions departments. His experience as a former social worker has given him a unique perspective on the importance of education in the lives of all individuals.
Shannon Gormley has worked for nearly 17 years in higher education and possesses a breadth of experience at both not-for-profit and proprietary institutions. She is the Director of Training at Norton|Norris, Inc.in Chicago, IL. Norton|Norris, Inc. is a full-service agency that provides marketing, mystery shopping and training services to schools and colleges nationwide. Shannon has developed and implemented a variety of online training tools for admissions, advising, faculty and financial aid.
Shannon is also a Master EnrollMatch® trainer. EnrollMatch®, the ethical enrollment process, is a comprehensive recruitment/admissions training solution designed to offer prospective students exceptional service while improving organizational effectiveness. Shannon is completing her MA degree in School Counseling at Lewis University and received her BS degree in Community Health Education from the University of Wisconsin.
June Gudeman is the Alumni Coordinator for Pima Medical Institute, where she built a complete alumni program from the ground up. June focuses much of her efforts at PMI on gathering alumni success stories and creatively sharing them with prospective and current students, as well as the PMI staff and community at large. Her recent focus has been building campus teams (representing admissions, career services, administration, and student services) to plan local alumni events to encourage an ongoing relationship with PMI.
June earned a Master's in Education from University of Illinois and a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL. Prior to her work in the career college arena, she taught and coached at the high school level for 10 years.
Mary Lyn is the President and CEO of Champion College Services, Inc., formerly Hands On, Inc. She founded Hands On in 1989 to provide default management services based on essential \"Hands On\" techniques that prevent student loan defaults. Since then numerous career colleges have experienced dramatic results by implementing her innovative default prevention programs. Mary Lyn has conducted training sessions and workshops for state, provincial, regional, national, and private associations in both the U.S. and Canada in a continued effort to share her experiences and knowledge of default prevention techniques and cohort appeal procedures. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Career College Association (CCA) and received CCA\'s National Achievement Award in 2005 for the Allied Member of the Year.
Mary Lyn has actively worked with the U.S. Congress and the Department of Education on every \"Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act\" from 1988 to date. She has helped to write the regulatory criteria for schools\' default prevention programs and her work has been recognized by the Department of Education for its remarkable results. She served as a negotiator in the 1999/2000 Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking sessions as a representative of CCA and its 1200 member schools. Mary Lyn\'s belief that education is the vehicle for making dreams come true has led her in a passionate fight for identifying problems in the higher education industry and finding solutions to insure future participation for all students.
Jay Hollowell is the Vice President of Training & Client Services for MaxKnowledge and has over 30 years of experience in adult education and corporate training. In the career college sector, Jay has worked in numerous faculty, staff and management positions with an emphasis on curriculum design, faculty development, student retention and career services. He has delivered workshops and keynotes for several career education associations and agencies as well as colleges and universities across the country. He has also served as a career education consultant for Harvard Business School Publishing and Houghton Mifflin Publishing, and is a former member of the regional employer advisory committee for the Virginia Employment Commission.
As a certified corporate trainer, Jay has designed and facilitated training programs throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East with emphasis on leadership, core business principles, workforce development, project management and customer service. Jay is also an ongoing facilitator for the National Institute for Leaders, and participates annually as a guest presenter for the Global Village for Future Leaders of Business and Industry at the Iacocca Institute, Lehigh University. Internationally, he has lectured at the University of Greenwich in London and at the International Conference on Creativity and Innovation at the University of Algarve in Portugal. Jay holds a degree in Business Administration from the College of William and Mary and has completed graduate work in management and education.
James is the Senior Associate at JAJ & Associates, and member of the Board of Directors of Dream Catchers Global. James was the Associate Provost of Faculty Development, President of the Online Division at Harrison College and the Director for the Center of Technology Resources for Indiana Business College. Because of his extensive background in technology and his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for assisting aspiring business owners, James has provided his leadership/project management skills in many start-up operations mentoring dozens of young leaders over his 15 year career. Throughout the years, James has provided great growth opportunities for his stakeholders.
James has developed more than 50 courses and dozens of programs in the areas of technology, business, progress management and general education. James has been an instructor for more than 15 years during which time he provided training to over 500 trainers and more than 5000 students. His academic background includes a Masters of Education in Occupational Training and Development and is currently working on his doctoral dissertation in Higher Education Administration emphasis on Strategic Enrollment Management. James enjoys working with students and assisting them through complex concepts which he is able to turn into easy to understand and usable skills.
Jane Jarrow is the Founder and President of Disability Compliance in Career and Online Learning, and of Disability Access Information and Support. Through her two companies, Jane provides technical assistance and professional development activities to various segments of the higher education community surrounding issues of accommodation and support for students with disabilities. A recognized authority in this area for almost 30 years, Jane has made hundreds of presentations on college campuses and for groups such as the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU) and the Sloan Consortium. She has also co-authored an article for the Career Education Review entitled Addressing ADA Issues in Proprietary Institutions.
Jane received her academic training in Speech Pathology at Purdue University (BS, MS) and Wichita State University (Ph.D.), and taught at Ohio State University before beginning her 14-year tenure as the Executive Director of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). In 1996 she became a private consultant, and has been one of the few experts from the disability community to focus on issues of career college education and the inclusion of students with disabilities. The parent of a college-aged student with a significant disability, Jane knows these issues from both personal and professional perspectives.
Dr. Patricia Kapper is the past Sr. Vice President of Academics at Career Education Corporation (CEC), a position she held for ten years. During that time, she established the Faculty Development Network and spearheaded the Educator of the Year event to recognize outstanding faculty. Prior to joining CEC, she was the Dean of Academic Affairs at the Addison campus of DeVry Institute of Technology. In addition to her work in the career college sector, Dr. Kapper has held a variety of management positions in public education, including Dean of Business and Graphic Arts at Milwaukee Area Technical College, where she was selected as the Administrator of the Year.
Dr. Kapper has served on the board of directors of several professional associations, including the Association for Career and Technical Education and the Career College Association. She earned her Ed.D. in Adult Education with an emphasis in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University. Her M.S. and B.A. degrees are in Teaching and Business Education respectively. She began her career as a high school teacher and has a strong passion for educational leadership, faculty development and student retention.
Elizabeth Kemler, a seasoned educator, presenter, and coach, is the founder and President of Best Effect, LLC., a communications and leadership training company. For the past ten years, Elizabeth has worked as the in-house presentation consultant and trainer for Information Builders, Inc. She has also designed and facilitated workshops and training materials for the CONNECT communications program at The Cooper Union School of Engineering. Her passion is the life and career skills program she developed several years ago entitled Think | Build | Live Success, which is currently being used at career colleges, public schools, and non-profit organizations around the country.
A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and a Drisha Fellow, Elizabeth has an extensive background in communications, performance, and activism, founding both theater companies and comedy groups in New York City, producing shows for public radio, and writing for numerous educational and cultural organizations. Amongst the many organizations she has worked with are; Community Access to the Arts, Greenworking, Visions and Dreams, the National People's Campaign, Hawthorne Valley Farm School and The Woodhull Institute. Her professional affiliations include New York Women Social Entrepreneurs, In Good Company, Net Impact, Social Venture Network, Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges (FAPSC) and Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU).
Cheryl Kesson is the current Client Relations Manager for Champion College Services, Inc., a company that specializes in default prevention and education debt recovery for educational institutions. She joined the Champion College Services team in July 2006 and was promoted from auditing to her current position in June 2007. Previously, Cheryl worked as an Account Maintenance Specialist for Southwest Student Services where her primary duties were the approval and processing of forbearance and deferments for the company\'s borrowers. She has also worked in Loan Originations for the Federal Family Education Loan Program.
With over ten years of experience in student financial aid operations and sales, Cheryl\'s current focus is building and maintaining effective business relationships with Champion\'s clients, and marketing the company\'s related products and services to meet the current needs of the educational community. In December 2007, she was awarded the distinction of Manager of the Year.
Tracy is the Chief Marketing Officer at PlattForm Advertising, Inc. In her role at PlattForm, Tracy manages the advertising and marketing programs for proprietary schools in markets of various sizes with a broad range of programs and start goals. Her work includes budget development and planning, reporting, setting goals and accountability measures and creative development. Tracy and her team of 14 Account Executives develop and implement highly successful and cost-effective advertising plans for a client base of over 100 school campus locations across the United States and Canada.
Tracy holds a degree in Communication Studies with an Emphasis in Public Relations from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. She has been a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) since 1998 and currently serves as a board member. Tracy's passion for traveling and her social nature have translated into her work as she focuses much of her time visiting schools to better meet their needs.
Loren is the Co-Founder and President of Corvus, LLC, a company committed to improving student success rates at career colleges. Prior to Corvus, he was the President/CEO of Bradley Academy, a school that he owned and operated for 15 years and successfully sold to Education Management Corporation (Art Institutes). Utilizing his 25 years experience in the proprietary school business, Loren has developed a unique student retention intervention system (GradMax) in collaboration with a team of organizational development experts. The GradMax system continues to help Bradley Academy to achieve 92-95% quarter-to-quarter retention rates.
Loren serves on the Board of Directors of several career colleges and has served on the Small College Advisory Council of the Career College Association. He is frequently invited to speak at proprietary school association meetings and has been active in community work, serving as the Chair of the York County Chamber of Commerce and as a board member for the York County Economic Development Corporation and the York County Alliance for Learning. Loren holds an MBA degree from the University of Chicago and a bachelor's degree in Economics from Bucknell University.
Traci currently serves as the Chief Administrative Officer for University of Advancing Technology. In her present role, she oversees academic operations and the online division of the institution. Traci has 25 years of experience in higher education focused on establishing compliant operations while achieving organizational objectives. Her experience encompasses virtually all aspects of the education business, including admissions, financial aid, academics, career services, and management of multi-campus operations. She has held senior level management positions at Bridgepoint Education, Career Education Corporation, MedVance Institute and University of Phoenix (Apollo Group), as well as providing consulting services to a multitude of colleges and universities during her tenure with Campus Management Corporation.
Traci has been involved in campus start ups, regulatory compliance, process improvement, and operational oversight of multiple campus colleges, including international campuses. She recognizes the challenges of working in a highly regulated environment that has grown more complex as companies have expanded operations, either organically or through acquisition, to include multiple regulatory bodies and governing oversight entities. Traci was approved as an evaluator for the Accrediting Commission of Independent Colleges and Schools. She holds a B.S. degree in Business from Arizona State University and an M.A. degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. Traci held a directorship on the board at University of Advancing Technology prior to accepting her current position. She has completed the Apollo Group's Executive Development Program and the Career College Association's (now APSCU) Leadership Institute. A true believer in the value of education and training, she has teaching experience at Denver Business College, University of Phoenix, and MaxKnowledge, Inc.
Diana Mateer has worked for more than 30 years in higher education, helping students find financing for their educational dreams and assisting institutions with programs and processes to enhance student services. She joined Champion College Services in 2011 as a Compliance Specialist. She has held positions as a financial aid director for a number of private sector schools in Arizona. In addition to the private sector, she gained experience in the student lending sector as a client relations representative for two large FFEL lenders as well as a nationally-based guarantor. Diana has become known in Arizona for her expertise in student loan management and college financial planning.
She has been an active member of the Arizona Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators for 25 years, and has served as Association President as well as several Board of Directors and Committee Chair Positions including Regulatory Affairs Committee Chair. She has received several of the highest awards given by the Arizona Association, including The Robert Thompson Memorial Leadership Award, Member of the Year, and the John Medley Student Advocacy Award. Diana holds a Master's Degree in Legal Studies program at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
David is Executive Director of Operations and Risk Management at Global Financial Aid Services, Inc., a financial aid service provider recognized for its leading position in the development of practices and procedures for the efficient administration of Title IV programs. David has been a part of the postsecondary education industry for over 25 years and previously served as Global's Director of Operations. Prior to joining Global, he served as Operations Manager of the Student Finance Service Center for a large Career College chain.
David has extensive experience in training and evaluation of financial aid administrators, supporting on-site DOE/OIG Program Reviews and yearly SFA Audits, performing Due Diligence Audits, and assisting in the completion of Applications for Approval to Participate in Title IV Programs. He has been a presenter for Title IV workshops for several State Associations of Private Postsecondary Schools and State Associations of Student Financial Aid Administrators. David holds a degree in Business from Western Illinois University.
Mike is the Vice President of Interactive Marketing at PlattForm, a full service enrollment company for the school industry. Mike manages PlattForm's interactive marketing team and supervises their venture to drive leads to career colleges. He specializes in developing marketing plans, implementing creative advertising techniques, and analyzing the results. With proven excellence in marketing campaign development, Mike has supported numerous schools across the country in achieving their goals.
Mike earned his B.S. degree in Business with an emphasis in Marketing from Emporia State University and began his career as a Media Analyst/Buyer. His well-rounded background in the advertising industry and his focus on customer service has allowed him to better serve his clients. Mike is truly passionate about helping schools accomplish their objectives through the application of innovative marketing strategies. He can often be found wearing the apparel of the schools he works with, and he is driven by the success he helps each campus create.
Dr. Ryan Meers is the Vice President of eLearning at MaxKnowledge, providing leadership for the development and delivery of high-quality online courseware and programs. Ryan's background includes both higher education and corporate training. He is a professor of Leadership and Communication at Bob Jones University and has served as a Leadership Development Advisor at State Farm Insurance. Ryan has extensive experience in coaching and assisting leaders in developing skills and abilities to better maximize their influence, developing effective leadership programs, crafting compelling vision statements and increasing overall performance.
Ryan has a particular interest in organizational change and personal transitions. He has been requested by a variety of groups (for-profit, non-profit, educational, religious) to present on numerous topics related to leadership development and effectiveness as well as organizational improvement. Ryan is a certified School Improvement Specialist through the North Central Association and a member of the American Society for Training and Development. He holds a Master's degree in Educational Administration and a PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with an emphasis on Leadership Studies.
Dr. Meers is the Vice President of Education at MaxKnowledge, providing leadership for the development and delivery of our training programs for career college instructors. His extensive background in career education includes research, consulting and training in the areas of instructor performance, curriculum development, classroom management, student motivation, learning and assessment. He has authored over 100 articles and conducted over 500 workshops on instructional improvement and professional development. Dr. Meers earned his Ed.D. from the University of Missouri with an emphasis on Vocational Education, Adult and Higher Education, and Instructional Media.
Dr. Meers started his educational career as a vocational instructor, progressing to become a professor of education and human sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Meers has served as the president of the Association for Career and Technical Education, and as a commissioner of the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology. He has also chaired the Employment Preparation Committee of the President's Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities.
Joe "JP" Mehlmann has over 21 years of management experience in Career Education. He most recently served as Campus President for the Court Reporting Institutes of Dallas and Houston and prior to that at ATI Career Training Centers throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. During the past 15 years, he has also held the positions of Director of Admissions and Regional Director of Admissions. JP has served as an Accreditation Team leader with the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) and currently serves as a Director on the board of Career Colleges and Schools of Texas (CCST).
JP holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Western Illinois University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. He has extensive experience with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) regulations as well as the standards of various accrediting agencies, including Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), and Accrediting Bureau of Heath Education Schools (ABHES).
Judy has been working in the education field since the age of sixteen and is currently teaching Sociology at Le Cordon Bleu College (LCB) of Culinary Arts in Miami, Florida as well as at American Intercontinental University (AIU) in Weston, Florida. She has recently served as the Associate Dean of Academics and Professional Development at LCB and was the Professional Development Coordinator before that. Judy has also served as an Academic Advising Manager at Kaplan University, where she worked for five years. Prior to that, Judy worked with Florida State as a trainer for counselors as well as for foster and adoptive families.
Judy received a Masters of Social Work (M.S.W.) from Florida International University after graduating magna cum laude with her Bachelor degree in Social Work with a minor in Psychology. She is a member of the American Sociological Association and has a passion for education. She has also taught online classes and is a great supporter of the MaxKnowledge courses, having completed most of them. She enjoys getting involved in community events and especially working with young people, helping them to realize their goals. Judy can get lost in books and enjoys movies as well.
Dr. Jamie Morley is currently the Chief Academic Specialist at Education Consulting Solutions. Prior to joining Education Consulting Solutions, she served as the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Carrington College, a subsidiary of DeVry Inc., where she was responsible for curriculum development, academic operations, compliance, and online course implementation. Additionally, Dr. Morley serves as a Commissioner for the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and School (ACICS).
Over the past 18 years, Dr. Morley has taught courses ranging from the certificate level through the Master's degree. Jamie has a Ph.D. in Adult Education as well as a Master's Degree in Organizational Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Her postsecondary school interests include institutional effectiveness, program review, student outcomes, online learning, and assessment.
Sandra Mueller is a Dental Assisting instructor, teaching the subject both in Spanish and English languages. She has over twenty-five years of diverse experience in secondary and postsecondary education as well as in the field of dentistry. Sandra's experience includes developing a Dental Assisting curriculum for The UNAN University (Nicaragua) which was launched in March 2011. Additionally, she has had the opportunity to develop and oversee discipline-specific, continuing education programs for dental assistants.
Sandra understands the challenges of teaching English language learners and has been the recipient of several outstanding teachers' awards. She is an active volunteer member of the Physicians for Peace Organization and travels yearly to Latin America to provide dental care and oral hygiene education to those in need. She also uses her skills to assist the migrant working community on the eastern shore of Virginia. Sandra is passionate about teaching Spanish and working with English language learners at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. She feels blessed with the opportunity to be an educator and be able to play a role in changing people's lives.
Dr. Jean Norris has more than 25 years' experience in the field of higher education, having worked at both traditional and proprietary institutions. Currently, Jean serves as Managing Partner at Norton|Norris, Inc. in Chicago, IL. Norton|Norris, Inc. is a full-service agency that provides marketing, mystery shopping and training services to schools and colleges nationwide. Dr. Norris has served as faculty at Robert Morris University, teaching leadership courses in their MBA program, as well as the University of Phoenix, teaching in their Organizational Leadership program.
Jean is the founder and creator of EnrollMatch®, the ethical enrollment process. EnrollMatch® is a comprehensive recruitment/admissions training solution designed to offer prospective students exceptional service while improving organizational effectiveness. She is also a licensed NLP™ (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Practitioner. Jean received a doctoral degree from the University of Sarasota, a Master's Degree in Communication and Training from Governors State University and a BA degree in Management from National-Louis University. Additionally, Jean is a founding member of the National Forum on Career Success (NFoCuS) and a long-standing member of the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). Jean also serves on the Executive Board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Illinois.
Ron Obstfeld is a Clinical Education and Learning Partner at AstraZeneca. Before AstraZeneca, Ron was the Vice President of Learning and Development for Universal Technical Institute (UTI). Ron has over 40 years of experience in the field of Education. His experience ranges from public education as a teacher and administrator to adult corporate education leader for such organizations as American Express and MBNA America. Ron was awarded the "Manager of the Year" award at American Express. Ron also was recognized at MBNA America with the "Customer Service Award".
Ron has developed a wide range of education experiences including instructional design, performance assessment, computer assisted instruction and e-Learning. In the Career College sector, Ron has developed and delivered a number of education workshops on such topics as individualized instruction, performance assessment in the corporate world and instructor development. Additionally, he has built several start-up corporate training and development organizations. Ron holds a Masters Degree in Education from Stony Brook University and has been an adjunct instructor of the University of Delaware. Ron has served as an officer for both the Mental Health Association and the Delaware Theater Company.
Dr. Pace currently serves as the Managing Partner of the Higher Education Initiative for The Pacific Institute. A psychologist and former college president, Dr. Pace has over 36 years of experience in the career college sector and is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and educator. In his current role, Dr. Pace created a comprehensive enrollment management program for career schools and colleges based on proven performance improvement solutions developed by The Pacific Institute. Dr. Pace's "Success Strategies for Effective Colleges and Schools" has been implemented at over 300 career colleges nationwide. Dr. Pace has also conducted a variety of seminars and workshops throughout the country on such topics as school management, faculty development, student retention, psychology, and motivation.
Dr. Pace was appointed by the Governor of Florida to the Florida State Department of Education's licensing commission for private schools, serving on the commission for ten years. Additionally, he is the former president of the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges. On a national level, Dr. Pace served as Commissioner of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Career College Association. Dr. Pace holds a doctorate in education, a master's degree in psychological counseling, and a bachelor's degree in business administration. He is known for his warmth, enthusiasm, humor, and his "intelligent heart." His audiences enjoy his genuine spirit and heartwarming stories.
Michael is the Owner and CEO of PlattForm, one of the largest full-service enrollment companies in the career education industry. In 1989, he began operating his advertising business from the basement of his home. Since then, the company has grown into a multi-million dollar success servicing nearly 1000 school campus locations with over 200 employees. As an expert in marketing and business operations, he has led his company to provide all aspects of media planning/buying, creative production, and web marketing in-house. Michael also specializes in empowering and increasing productivity of admissions staff. He has over a decade of proven excellence in admissions training, management, and consulting.
Michael's reputation lies in his visual imagination and enticing ability to enrich a sales message. He has authored numerous articles on effective advertising methods and student recruitment strategies. Prior to launching PlattForm, he was ordained as a minister, hosted a sports talk-show, and owned a professional wrestling organization. Michael's diverse background translates into what his business philosophy is today - if you have the courage to take risks, then you have the courage to succeed. Michael strongly believes in doing everything with integrity and personal accountability, and he has a true passion for making a difference in the school industry. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Career College Foundation.
Susan is a Senior Faculty member in the Online Division of Pittsburgh Technical Institute (PTI). She formerly served as Director of the Cranberry campus of Pittsburgh Technical Institute and as the Coordinator of Training and Development, managing continuing education and training programs for over 300 employees, including faculty, staff and administrators. In 2002, she founded a non-profit association that provides training opportunities to the employees of its member organizations in the Pittsburgh area. Her previous experience includes career education positions such as assistant dean for adult and corporate admissions, adult education specialist and academic advisor.
Susan earned her MA degree in Educational Technology Leadership through an online program offered by the George Washington University. She is actively involved with the Center for Teaching and Learning at PTI, where instructors are trained in learning theory, classroom management and the use of educational technology. Susan also currently serves as a member of the Executive Board of the Continuing Education Association of Pennsylvania.
Danny Pumpelly is a Senior Account Executive for PlattForm Advertising, a full-service agency specializing in direct-response advertising within the career school sector. He works with some of PlattForm's largest school groups to provide low cost, high yield campaigns in television, print, and radio. Staying on top of advertising trends in an ever-changing industry keeps Danny motivated to provide the highest levels of service on a daily basis.
After earning a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas, Danny went on to a media-focused career. With over ten years experience in sales and media placement, Danny continues to work in both traditional media and new media. Joining PlattForm in 2005, Danny has worked as a Media Analyst, Media Buyer, Senior Media Buyer, Media Planner, and Media Director. In 2009, he moved to the Client Services team to directly interface with schools and provide solutions for an increasingly challenging sector.
Dr. Read is currently a consultant for Susan F. Schulz & Associates, Inc., a training and consulting company serving career schools worldwide. Formerly, she served as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Armstrong Atlantic State University. Dr. Read's area of specialization is Human Factors Psychology with a focus on workplace issues such as job stress, time management, human-technology interaction, and learning.
Dedicated to teaching, Dr. Read has spent her career studying how students learn and retain course material and how teachers can best serve the needs of their students. She has developed methods to enhance the learning environment and has presented these methods at national conferences such as the Conference on 21st Century Teaching Technologies. Dr. Read holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of South Florida.
Dr. Ruth Reynard is currently the Executive Director of Academic Programs and Faculty for Daymar Colleges Group. Prior to joining Daymar, Ruth worked for Career Education Corporation as the national Dean of Faculty Services. Ruth has extensive experience in training and developing both on-ground and online faculty. Her work has involved designing resource websites and distributing asynchronous and real time online sessions on teaching strategies, curriculum development, and academic affairs management. She has also consulted faculty and educational administrators on technological initiatives; including faculty development online centers of support.
As an experienced instructional designer, trainer, and coaching specialist, Ruth has developed, executed, and overseen broad-based development programs designed to improve faculty effectiveness and stimulate the upward movement of faculty and staff into administrative positions. Ruth holds a Ph.D. from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, where her graduate work focused on instructional design, distance learning, and internet-mediated learning environments. She continues to contribute to the field of instructional design and writes articles that regularly appear in an online newsletter (www.drruthreynard.com).
Dr. Roehrich is currently the System Vice President of the Enhanced Learning Solutions Group at National American University. His previous management positions include: executive vice president of the Colorado School of Professional Psychology, president/chancellor of Colorado Technical University, president/CEO of Concorde Career Colleges, Inc., and vice-president of academic affairs for DeVry, Inc. His contract positions include serving as the director of corporate training for Corinthian Colleges, Inc., and as an adjunct faculty member for the Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado Springs.
Dr. Roehrich earned his Ph.D. in Vocational-Technical Education with an emphasis on Two-Year Institutions and Higher Education Administration from The Ohio State University, Columbus. His M.S. and B.A. degrees are in Industrial Arts and Technology and Industrial Education respectively. He started his educational career as a college instructor and has 28 years of experience in the field. Dr. Roehrich has a strong passion for improving the performance of career school operations through the application of quality assurance and a focus on customer service.
Nancy is the President of The Source for Training, Inc., an admissions training and consulting firm that works exclusively with private career schools. She is a highly acclaimed educational sales trainer and enrollment management consultant. Her career education experience spans over 25 years and includes Admissions Representative, Director of Admissions, School Director, Regional Marketing Specialist, and Vice President of Student Services.
Nancy has presented hundreds of admissions seminars, training thousands of career school professionals. She has won many educational sales contests and awards and her accomplishments have been recognized in Who's Who Worldwide in Business. Her expertise includes the adult market, high school recruiting, foreign student recruitment, contract training, customer service, team building, and sales management.
Patricia is a seasoned, award winning career college instructor. She was named the "Career College Association National Teacher of the Year" in 2001. Patricia has been a career educator for over 18 years. She currently serves as the Academic Coordinator for Brookstone College of Business and continues to be active in the classroom as a Business Instructor. In 2007, Patricia received the Brookstone President's Award. She is known for her strong expertise in effective classroom management, building student-teacher rapport, and student retention.
Patricia has a bachelor's degree in Business Education from North Carolina A&T State University and a master's degree in Business Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is an active member of the North Carolina Business Education Association and the National Business Education Association. Patricia's favorite motto is, "A student doesn't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."
Linda Scharp, Director of Education Innovation, McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions, has worked in educational publishing for 27 years. As co-founder of the Learning Solutions Group at Pearson Education and in her current role, she has contributed to the instructional design and development of over 600 online courses. She has ten years experience collaborating with career college administrators and faculty developing successful online programs, curriculum, and courses. This experience has provided both a "big picture" and "hands-on detail" view of issues and challenges faced at all types of career colleges.
Linda has been both an acquisitions/sponsoring editor and a development editor for the best-selling curriculum and instruction list in education at Merrill/Prentice-Hall. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at Michigan State University and graduate work in instructional design at the Ohio State University. Her passion is learner-centered teaching; she has taught every age group from Head Start through college. Linda served as a curriculum consultant for the teachers and administrators who founded the successful Center for Research and Technology alternative high school in Clovis, California; its mission promotes collaboration with businesses and community agencies to educate students in a cross-curricular, collaborative, project-based environment.
Jeff Schillinger is currently the Associate Provost for Administration and Regulatory Affairs for Harrison College, a chain of privately held career colleges in Indiana that has been serving students for over 100 years. Prior to joining Harrison College, (formerly Indiana Business College), Jeff served as the National Dean at ITT Educational Services. Jeff's primary responsibility during the past several years has been training teachers and administrators to better serve students and improve outcomes. Jeff has also served as a career college faculty member and Director of Education.
Jeff has delivered numerous workshops on retention and teaching at career school association meetings across the United States. He has also facilitated the retention workshops at ACICS Forums and served as a member of the CCA Retention Leadership Forum. Jeff served as a panelist at the November 2010 ASCSU Retention Forum and as the chair of the Retention Committee for the 2011 ACICS Professional Development Conference. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Wayne State University and a Master of Science degree in Education from Indiana University. He has taught sixth grade through college and coached several sports.
Dr. Schulz is the founder and President of Susan F. Schulz & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm serving career schools and colleges worldwide. She also owns Schools for Sale International, Inc., a mergers and acquisitions company working solely in the private career college sector. Dr. Schulz has over 20 years of experience in career education with expertise in licensing, accreditation, staffing, and development of alumni communities.
Dr. Schulz is frequently seen as a presenter at major career college conferences and writes articles for career college publications. She completed her doctoral dissertation on "Program Completion in Proprietary Schools" and earned an Ed.D. degree in Educational Leadership at Florida Atlantic University.
Tremayne has several years of experience in the career college sector serving as a faculty member, faculty coach and program chair. He is currently working for Career Education Corporation (CEC) with the responsibility of managing the Learning Resource Center at the International Academy of Design and Technology (IADT) campus in Chicago. Throughout his tenure in higher education, Tremayne has focused on supporting and mentoring faculty to increase their instructional performance.
Tremayne has used his teaching and coaching experience to assist and advise his peers on classroom management, teaching to different learning styles and diverse student backgrounds, as well as creating effective assessments of student learning. Tremayne has participated in two editorial boards for course textbooks, in the subjects of College Success and Interpersonal Communications. He earned a Master's Degree in Education (Instructional Leadership) and Bachelor of Arts (Communications) from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Robert Starks Jr. is the Vice President of Learning Initiatives for MaxKnowledge, Inc. Robert has seven years’ experience in Higher Education with an emphasis in Career Services, Alumni Relations, and Community Outreach. Robert has led the development of alumni programming in which he was recognized by Career Education Corporation (CEC) with the "Above and Beyond" award for his exceptional alumni programming among the division. As former Director of Career Services for Collins College, Robert's team was recognized with three Best Placement Practice Awards from the Arizona Private School Association (APSA) among its 56+ member schools in the state.
Robert holds a Master of Science in Management, a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, and a minor in Sociology. Robert is an active member of the National Career Development Association (NCDA), the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), and is the Director of Media & Technology and former Membership Chair for the Arizona Career Development Association (ACDA). Additionally, Robert is the founder of Careertipster.com and serves on the Arizona Program Committee of the national non-profit, Boys Hope Girls Hope. Robert has conducted Director-level training for Career Services on the use of social media and has presented at the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU).
Kimberly Stein has been the lead investigator for the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools since January, 2003. During this time, she has conducted hundreds of investigations of complaints against licensed career colleges and schools. In addition to her investigatory duties, she assists with developing policies and regulations setting standards for career colleges in areas such as admissions practices, recruitment and solicitation of students, student enrollment contracts, and tuition and fee refund policies.
Prior to joining the Board of Career Colleges and Schools, Kimberly served as an investigator with the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainer's Board investigating complaints against licensed professionals. Kimberly has also served as an investigator for Children Services, responsible for investigating complaints of abuse and neglect and she is a ten year member of the Ohio Investigators Association. Kimberly received her Bachelor of Science from Bowling Green State University.
Katie Tomlinson is the Associate Director of Media Analytics for PlattForm Advertising, a full-service agency specializing in direct-response advertising within the career education sector. She has been with PlattForm since 2002 and leads the analytics and business intelligence unit of the media department, and oversees the coordination of more than 90 full-service accounts in the United States and Canada. She is responsible for the team's training and development as well as keeping them on the cutting edge of reporting and analysis through the integration of technology and media resources.
Katie holds a degree in Business Administration and Psychology with an Emphasis in Information Systems. Utilizing her experience in programming and her technical communication ability, she helped build PlattForm's proprietary buying and analyzing software in 2005, and currently works closely with the programming team for updates and efficiency initiatives. Katie is passionate about her clients, her team and improving technology to better meet the needs of PlattForm's employees and the industry.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt currently serves as the Director of Education for Online Programs at American Institute College of Health Professions. David's 26 years of service in education includes multiple levels of experience in both private and public educational institutions. His professional positions include Online Campus President for Virginia College, National Dean of ITT's Online Division, Director of Education for Ultimate Medical Academy, President of a two-campus allied health college in Utah, Certified Cisco Academy Instructor, Master Certified Novell Instructor, and K-12 public school science teacher.
David designed, founded and chaired the non-profit National Math Bee (2006-2011), which provided an online learning community for over 15,000 elementary school mathematics students in 37 states across the country. David earned his Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Distance Education from Nova Southeastern University. He was a US Army soldier prior to his education career.
John Ware has served as Executive Director of the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools since 1997 and is responsible for the oversight and regulation of Ohio's 250 career colleges and schools. In addition to the Board's general oversight responsibilities, John is responsible for drafting and implementing Ohio's rules and regulations governing career colleges including academic standards, admissions standards, and regulations for the recruitment and solicitation of students. John is also active on many state and national education organizations and currently serves as Vice President of the National Association of State Administrators and Supervisors of Private Schools (NASASPS).
Prior to joining the Board of Career Colleges and Schools, John served as an Ohio Assistant Attorney General for education, representing numerous state education entities including the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio Department of Education. While serving as an Assistant Attorney General, John was responsible for the implementation and prosecution of administrative enforcement actions against state licensed teachers, private elementary and secondary schools, as well as licensed career colleges. John received his Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University and his Juris Doctorate from The Ohio State University.
Barry is an award winning educator and health practitioner. He has over 30 years of experience in the career college sector while serving as a practicing Respiratory Therapist for over 40 years. Currently, he is the Program Director for Respiratory Care Education at San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia, where he has been instrumental in developing the college's first A.S. degree program as well as the college's first online degree program in Respiratory Therapy. Barry is the author of Positive Perspective, a study skills seminar for at-risk youth offered by the Health and Human Services department of Tulane County. Barry is the recipient of numerous professional and educational awards, including the 2003 Teacher of the Year award of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU).
Barry has earned multiple professional credentials along with specialized teaching credentials including the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST), Community College teaching credential, and Designated Subjects credential in Adult and Vocational Education. He is a licensed trainer for the Coaching for PROformance management training program. Besides associate degrees in Respiratory Therapy and Business Administration, Barry has a B.S. degree in Vocational Education from California State University Consortium, and a M.S. degree in Educational Administration and Leadership from the University of LaVerne.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson is currently the Director of the Center for Instruction, Research, and Technology and an Associate Professor in the Scott College of Business at Indiana State University, Terre Haute. Prior to joining Indiana State University, Kelly served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Kelly has taught face to face, online, and blended courses to a variety of different student types for over 10 years.
Kelly earned her Doctorate in Vocational Education, Business Education, and Information Science from University of Missouri-Columbia. She holds an MSE degree in Business Education and a BS degree in Accounting both from Arkansas State University. Before entering academia Kelly was an accountant for several businesses in Arkansas. Her passion as well as her research area is in effective online teaching that includes online grading and assessment.
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Dave VanWingerden
Regional Director of Education
Universal Technical Institute
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