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 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 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 Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Nial McLoughlin has direct ownership and responsibility for all technology initiatives across the company, including the replatforming and transformation of all the company's learning platforms. Previously, Nial was the Chief Operating Officer of Ashworth College and President of the New York Institute of Photography and Art and Design. As COO, he led the transformation of Ashworth's technology capabilities, creating an entirely new student support and student facing infrastructure that enabled Ashworth to significantly increase its service levels while scaling the business. He joined Penn Foster’s leadership team after the acquisition of Ashworth in 2019.

McLoughlin has a BS in Finance from the University of Florida and an MS in Computer Science from Georgia State University.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Vice President and Corporate Controller, Tom is responsible for financial reporting, general ledger, tax, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash applications, insurance administration, purchasing and inventory functions at Penn Foster. Tom brings with him over 20 years of progressive financial and accounting management experience in a variety of areas including the automotive, medical device, pharmaceutical, entertainment, and insurance industries. Prior to joining Penn Foster, Tom was Vice President and Controller for Cinram International, Inc. Tom also worked in public accounting with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP in Los Angeles, California. Tom is a Certified Public Accountant and graduated summa cum laude with an MBA from California State University.

As Senior Director of Instructional Design & Content, Michelle leads courseware strategy and development, including curriculum maintenance, instructional design, and learning management system administration. Michelle brings more than 15 years’ experience in instructional design and educational content development, leveraging that experience to create efficient, scalable processes and innovative course design. Prior to joining Penn Foster, Michelle worked for a small educational content provider as a curriculum developer and editor.

Michelle holds a B.A. in English Writing and Literature from Wilkes University and a M.Ed. in Instructional Design at Western Governors University.