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About Us

 

David Finegold

Founder and CEO

Dr. David Finegold is the 19th President of Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA, with 35 years of experience in higher education. He has worked in various types of institutions, including public and private universities, liberal arts colleges, and a mission-driven for-profit startup. His career has focused on education reform, designing high-performance organizations, and conducting comparative research on education and skill-creation systems. Dr. Finegold is known for developing the concepts of the “low-skill equilibrium” and “high-skill ecosystems,” which influenced education policy in the UK, the US, Australia, and Sweden.

Before joining Chatham in 2016, Dr. Finegold was Senior Vice President for Lifelong Learning and Strategic Growth at Rutgers University. He led initiatives that expanded international programs and oversaw 50,000 students in the Division of Continuing Studies. He was a recipient of the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative Award in 2012 for building higher education capacity in India. From 2013-2016, he served as the founding Chief Academic Officer of Quad Learning and American Honors, focusing on improving the quality and affordability of undergraduate education, reducing inequality, promoting student success, and facilitating transfers from community colleges to leading universities.

Gerald Doyle 

Senior Content Advisor

Jerry Doyle's professional experience spans teaching economics and mathematics in Tanzania, working at the University of Brunei, and holding admissions roles at Emerson College, Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, Harvard University, and the University of Chicago. He served as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Enrollment and Financial Aid at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), overseeing admissions and financial aid to support students' goals in STEM and other fields.

Doyle introduced the IIT Exelon Summer Institute and developed the IIT Boeing Scholars Academy, a free STEM initiative for Chicago Public School students. As Vice Provost for Student Access, Success, and Diversity Initiatives, he focused on creating sustainable enrollment pathways through partnerships. In 2012, he launched the IIT Syrian student initiative, enrolling 26 students and establishing the IIE Syrian Higher Education Consortium, which now has forty member institutions.

 

Board Members

John Katzman

Education Entrepreneur, Author and Speaker 

John has founded and run three education companies, each surpassing $100M in revenue. Currently leading Noodle, he enhances access to transformative learning. Additionally, he serves on various boards and has authored five books.

Diamonte Walker

Education Entrepreneur, Author and Speaker 

With over 20 years of experience, she has driven strategic initiatives that raised $25M through rebranding, secured $100M in funding, and increased leadership diversity by 65%. She also expanded minority and women-owned business portfolios by 80%.