Our Leaders

Frank is the Chief Executive Officer of Penn Foster, the leading skills development training, credentials and employment matching enterprise for frontline workers. This for-purpose organization is focused on employment outcomes through ed-tech enabled workforce solutions and today has more than 125,000 active students and 1,000 partners, including employers, youth organizations, government organizations, and academic institutions. He previously served as an Operating Partner at Bain Capital Ventures and CEO of Pri-Med – the largest medical education training company for primary care physicians. He is a recognized education authority, with media and investor community engagement such as Bloomberg TV, C-SPAN/ U.S. Congress, SXSWedu, TEDx, BMO and ASU/GSV investor conference, and was appointment by Governor Corbett of Pennsylvania on the Advisory Committee on Future of Postsecondary Education. Frank earned his B.S. from Syracuse University in marketing and operations.

As Chief Financial Officer, Tom is responsible for financial planning, business analytics, liquidity management, investor relations, pricing strategy, and other strategic initiatives at Penn Foster. Tom brings with him 10 years of progressive financial management experience in a variety of areas including education services, software, and consumer goods industries. Prior to joining Penn Foster, Tom was the Director of Finance for the corporate entity that owned the Penn Foster and The Princeton Review businesses.

Tom received an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

As Chief Operating Officer, Dara and her team are responsible for advocating for the customer and ensuring that Penn Foster education solutions meet the needs of this diverse base of learners. Dara brings with her over 14 years of experience in direct response marketing, brand development, public relations, and integrated communications and business development programs. Prior to joining Penn Foster, Dara was Senior Vice President of Pri-Med, a leading medical education provider focused on bringing tier 1 education solutions to the primary care marketplace.

Dara received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in marketing and communications.

As Chief Marketing Officer, Cindy and her team are responsible for developing strategies, content and programs that bring new learners to Penn Foster’s portfolio of schools and that support the completion of their studies. Prior to joining Penn Foster, Cindy was Senior Vice President of Global Marketing for Vistaprint, where she was responsible for performance across North America, Europe and Australia, managing all customer acquisition and retention activities and overseeing all marketing channels. Before Vistaprint, Cindy was CMO of Smart Destinations, a travel e-commerce company. Cindy previously spent 10 years in key leadership roles for digital agencies working with clients that included Comcast, Liberty Mutual, The Home Depot, HP and The Make-A-Wish Foundation. Cindy received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and her MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

As General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Penn Foster, Heather is responsible for Penn Foster’s legal, compliance and governance matters. She has a strong record in effectively promoting strategic business goals in a variety of sectors, and in working with multidisciplinary teams across business functions. Most recently, Heather served as Vice President, Legal and Compliance of K12 Inc. where she counseled the company on a wide range of legal, compliance and business matters. Prior to K12, Heather served as Counsel for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and has also served as Special Counsel to public companies including Unilever and Hilton Worldwide. Heather earned a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and a MBA from The George Washington University. She also holds a certification from the Harvard University Program on Negotiation and CCEP and CIPP licenses in compliance and privacy, respectively.

Ranjan Bhattacharya is responsible for leading the development and delivery of all customer facing product lines at Penn Foster. Ranjan brings more than 20 years of experience in technical leadership in various Boston based large companies and startups. He has worked in various industries including financial services, mortgage services, and utilities, where he built and led product engineering teams developing SaaS based products. Ranjan has deep technical expertise in areas such as Cloud Computing, Big Data and Machine Learning.

Ranjan holds a BS in Electrical Engineering, and MS in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India.

Pat is Vice President of Admissions, and joined the Penn Foster team in 2012. He brings over 20 years sales management experience to the team, including working as the Senior Director of Sales and Retention in the cable industry at RCN, and as Associate Director of Telesales for Verizon Wireless in the New York Metro area. He has a Bachelor of Science in Public Accounting from Penn State University, and has also spent 6 years in the United States Army Reserve as an infantryman. Pat’s background in sales and customer service brings strong leadership to manage and support a large team of Admissions Specialists, who work towards helping students get started on their path to success.

As Vice President-Controller, James is responsible for all corporate accounting and tax reporting for the Penn Foster companies.

James joined Penn Foster in 2015 and brings over 20 years of accounting and financial experience at the management level in both public accounting and private industry. Before Penn Foster, James worked in logistics, manufacturing, mining and automotive industries in several different states. He is a licensed CPA, holds a CGMA designation and received his B.S. degree from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.

As a seasoned sales and business development executive, Steve Nolan brings to Penn Foster a wealth of experience in the workforce solutions markets as our Vice President of Sales. With a focus on expanding and opening B2B markets by building trust and innovatively illustrating the value of his products, Steve has an established track record in the Fortune 1000, government and non-profit markets. Steve comes to Penn Foster from Study Group where he managed the global sales portfolio for North America. Previously, he worked as Senior Vice President of Sales and Business Development at LearningExpress. Steve earned his BA in Economics from Syracuse University.

As Vice President of Education and Academic Dean, Lisa is responsible for advancing Penn Foster's educational mission by providing strategic academic leadership and leading day-to-day efforts related to successfully implementing all Penn Foster courses. Lisa brings over 15 years of experience in online secondary and higher education programs to the team, as well as a passion for education that aligns with Penn Foster’s mission: to enhance the lives of our students and clients through the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and credentials. Prior to joining Penn Foster, Lisa served as Vice President of Education at Ashworth College and Principal of James Madison High School.

Lisa holds a BS in Psychology and M.Ed. in School Psychology, both from Georgia State University.

Paula is the Vice President of Engineering, overseeing all aspects of application and systems development at Penn Foster. Paula brings 17 years of experience in technical program management, business process improvement, and end-to-end solution management across verticals including Tech, Retail, CPG, Financial Services, Telecom, and Pharma. Prior to joining Penn Foster, Paula was Senior Director of Customer Experience and Product Management at eBay Enterprise Marketing Solutions focused on next generation platform product strategy, planning, and execution.

Paula holds a B.S. in Marketing and Operations Management from Indiana University, Kelley School of Business.

Mark is Vice President of Digital Learning Products at Penn Foster. He previously served as Vice President, Employer Product for MyEdu (acquired by Blackboard), where he spearheaded the launch of a business enabling employers to find and hire college graduates. Prior to joining MyEdu, Mark had 15 years of leadership experience in digital product and content strategy for companies in the e-learning and career management industries, including Monster Worldwide and IBM. Mark also helped to create Edutopia, an online community for educators and policymakers, as director of digital content for The George Lucas Educational Foundation. Mark holds a Masters in Educational Technology from Harvard University and an MBA from Babson College.

As Senior Vice President, Student Success, Mark has over 25 years experience in Direct Response Marketing and Customer Relationship Management. In his prior roles, Mark was responsible for the development and execution of contact management strategies in the U.S. and abroad. He reengineered the Enrollment Management function in the U.S. and at International sites in Scotland and Australia. He also led the development of B2B and B2C special services to third-party clients, including contact management solutions, inbound/outbound telemarketing, and customer care.

In his current role, Mark is responsible for CRM/Contact Center Operations, strategically blending telephonic/web communication channels to positively influence customer behaviors, including enrollment generation, student services, and retention.

Rachel is the Vice President of Product Management and Content at Penn Foster. In this role, she is responsible for the creation and instructional design of the programs, as well as the product strategy that ensures alignment among Penn Foster’s offerings and students’ and employers’ needs. With more than 15 years of experience consulting to and managing educational product teams, Rachel has held leadership roles at Pearson, The Princeton Review, Pri-Med, and a number of education startups.

Rachel is a graduate of Dartmouth College and holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

As Director of National Employer Partnerships, Marie is committed to cultivating and enhancing Penn Foster’s National Employer Network through strategic partnerships utilizing the vast suite of services offered by Penn Foster to our employer partners to impact recruitment, retention, and upskilling results in the workplace. Prior to joining the Penn Foster team, Marie was the Executive Director for the 100K Opportunities Initiative, which is the largest national employer-led coalition driving change and removing barriers in the hiring and advancing of youth nationwide.

Marie earned her B.A. from the University of Rhode Island in Communications and Journalism.

As Senior Vice President of People, Josh leads all Human Resources activities at Penn Foster, including talent acquisition, learning and development, and talent management. He brings over 10 years of experience leading organizations through change and building people capabilities at scale. Josh was previously a VP of People and Culture at Medallia, a leader in customer experience management software, and an Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company.

He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Music from Boston University.

As Vice President, Alex leads Penn Foster’s Client Success team, working closely with our partners developing strategies to retain and upskill employees while maximizing returns on their investment in training. Prior to joining Penn Foster, Alex held various leadership roles in business and education from building a customer success team for an Ed Tech startup, leading student reengagement in NYC, and strengthening university admissions.

Alex holds a BA from Santa Clara University and a Masters of International Affairs with a concentration in Advanced Policy and Economic Analysis from Columbia University.

As Director of the Veterinary Academy, Megan leads the support team to ensure that both operational and project-specific goals are met. Megan has been a credentialed veterinary technician for over 10 years, and has held various positions at Penn Foster, starting as a student advisor then transitioning into an instructor role.

Megan has an AS degree from Johnson College, where she was also the valedictorian of her graduating class. She has a BS degree in Business from Penn State University.

As Director of High School Programs, Megan Bowen develops and leads an integrated academic strategy across all Penn Foster high school programs. Megan brings over 20 years of educational experience to this role, most recently as Principal of James Madison High School. Her focus is on providing varied educational programs and experiences to help each student achieve his/her unique academic goals.

Megan holds a BA in English Literature and BS in Secondary English Education from Miami University (Oxford, OH) as well as an MEd in Leadership in Educational Administration from Capella University.

As Senior Director of Learning Strategy and Operations, Tracey leads the team responsible for academic planning and strategy at Penn Foster. Establishing and driving strategic initiatives, her team supports learner outcomes and innovation throughout all courses Penn Foster has to offer. Tracey has 19 years’ experience in online education with expertise in strategic planning, operations, project management, and product development. Prior to her current role, she held various leadership positions across Penn Foster’s Academic, Product, and Client teams, bringing a comprehensive knowledge of Penn Foster’s various departments to her current role.

Tracey earned her BS in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University. She is currently pursuing an MBA at Marywood University.

Jacob brings 15 years of experience to this role, most recently as the Director of Operations for the New York Institute of Art and Design, New York Institute of Photography, and New York Institute of Career Development. In his current role, Jacob is focused on ensuring students receive top quality and highly relevant education while achieving their desired outcomes.

As Director of Allied Health Programs, Jaime serves as the academic leader responsible for providing operational and strategic vision and growth for all allied health programs. Jaime has more than 15 years of experience in education management, compliance, and healthcare. She has been the director of several allied health care programs. Prior to working in education, Jaime was the Medical Director and Chief Compliance Officer for a biopharmaceutical marketing and research company and a Public Health Analyst in the Division of Medicine and Dentistry/Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She has worked in a family medicine clinic, county health department, and in global health settings. Jaime has an MD from Medical School in International Health and Columbia University, an MPH from the University of Pittsburgh, and an MS in Medicinal Chemistry and a BA in Biology from the University of Toledo.