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Leading Stride into the future of learning

Meet Our Leaders
Meet Our Board

Leadership Team

Nate Davis

Executive Chairman

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Nate Davis
Executive Chairman

Nate Davis, Executive Chairman of Stride’s Board of Directors, is a seasoned corporate transformational leader across industries with a record of improving operations, launching innovative new products, and building beneficial relationships with legislative and regulatory authorities.

Mr. Davis joined the Stride Board of Directors in 2009, was named Chairman of the Board in June 2012, and added the role of CEO in February 2018. He retired from his role as Stride’s CEO in January 2021. He originally joined the company from the position of Managing Director of RANND Advisory Group, a consulting group advising venture capital, media, and technology-based firms. He previously served as CEO and President of XM Satellite Radio and was a member of the company's Board of Directors, where he drove growth and innovation as well as improved financial performance and led the company through its merger with Sirius Satellite Radio.

From 2000 to 2003, Mr. Davis was President and COO, and a board member of XO Communications Inc. Mr. Davis has also held senior executive positions at Nextel Communications (EVP, Network and Technical Services), MCI Telecommunications (CFO and various other management positions) and MCI Metro (Founder, President and COO).

Mr. Davis currently serves on the Board of Directors of Unisys Corporation and the Board of Trustees for RLJ Lodging Trust. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Washington Boys and Girls Club and the Progressive Life Center, an agency that places foster children in homes in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. He also served on the Northern Virginia Roundtable and the Northern Virginia Community Foundation.

With a personal passion for serving children and helping them achieve higher levels of success, Mr. Davis founded the JANDT Foundation to aid minority children in attending private and parochial schools in the Washington, D.C. area.

Mr. Davis received an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an MS in engineering computer science at the Moore School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a BS in engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Stevens President’s Leadership Council and a recipient of the 2017 Stevens Honor Award.

He also championed both the ACES program and the newly founded Art Harper Saturday Academy at Stevens to help local high school students pursue college majors and careers in STEM-related fields.

James Rhyu

Chief Executive Officer

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James Rhyu
Chief Executive Officer

James Rhyu, Chief Executive Officer, joined Stride in June 2013 and became CEO in January 2021. He brings 30 years of operational, financial, and public company experience to Stride.

Prior to his CEO role, Mr. Rhyu served as Stride’s President of Corporate Strategy, Marketing, and Technology, Chief Financial Officer, and President of Product and Technology. In these positions, Mr. Rhyu spearheaded development of new products and services and led the development of marketing and messaging to support market expansions as well as executed on merger and acquisition opportunities that support Stride’s growth strategy.

Before his tenure at Stride, Mr. Rhyu served as CFO and Chief Administrative Officer of Match.com, a subsidiary of publicly traded IAC/InterActiveCorp. In those roles, he was responsible for overseeing a broad range of functions, including human resources, legal, information technology and operations, and certain international operations and product development.

Prior to his roles at Match.com, Mr. Rhyu was a SVP of Finance at Dow Jones & Company where he ran the global financial function. Previously, he served for three years as the Corporate Controller of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and its predecessor company, XM Satellite Radio, as well as serving in the same role for Graftech International. Mr. Rhyu also spent six years with Ernst & Young LLP in the United States and South America.

Mr. Rhyu holds a bachelor’s degree from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from London Business School.

Kevin Chavous

President, Academic Policy and External Affairs

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Kevin Chavous
President

Kevin Chavous is a noted education reform leader and innovator with a well-chronicled track record of empowering families with education choice and driving change and opportunity for learners of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances. Mr. Chavous is the President at Stride. In this role, he leads initiatives to expand the company's career learning offerings, and increase the accessibility to the services the company provides across the nation.

Mr. Chavous has worked to advance quality education programs around the nation, most notably as the Education Committee Chair of the Council of the District of Columbia, where he helped to shepherd the charter school movement into the nation’s capital. In addition, he was the founding Board President of Washington Latin Public Charter School, the third performing charter school in Washington, D.C., and in 2016, he was inducted into the District of Columbia Hall of Fame.

Beyond his work in D.C., Mr. Chavous has been instrumental in advancing charter school and education choice programs around the country. He is the founder of Democrats for Education Reform and a founding board member of the American Federation for Children.

A prolific writer and inspirational speaker, Mr. Chavous’ opinion editorials have appeared in many major newspapers, and he has given education reform speeches in nearly every state. Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Purdue University president called Mr. Chavous "the most effective advocate for children in America."

Additionally, as an accomplished author, Mr. Chavous has published six books, including Serving Our Children: Charter Schools and the Reform of American Public Education; Voices of Determination: Children that Defy the Odds; and Building a Learning Culture in America. He is also the author of the Jackson Lowery Trilogy fiction series, which includes three political thrillers: The Plan, The Fund and The Shipment.

Mr. Chavous is also a very successful attorney. For many years he was a senior partner at SNR Denton, LLP, which today is the largest law firm in the world. While at SNR Denton, Mr. Chavous founded and chaired the firm's highly successful diversity initiative and provided advisory counsel to a number of corporate clients. He has been licensed to practice law in four states and has been an adjunct professor at the Washington College of Law at American University.

Mr. Chavous graduated from Wabash College, where he was an NCAA District All-American in basketball. He was inducted into the Wabash Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. In that same year, he received the distinguished Outstanding Alumni Award from his alma mater, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory High School in Indianapolis. Mr. Chavous graduated from the Howard University School of Law, where he was president of his graduating class. Mr. Chavous has three adult sons and lives in Vienna, Virginia with his wife, Amber.

Timothy Medina

Chief Financial Officer

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Timothy Medina
Chief Financial Officer

Timothy Medina, Stride’s CFO, is a proven leader in finance and capital markets with more than three decades of experience. He has an extensive background—both domestically and internationally—in accounting and operations, management and strategy, and a deep knowledge of high-growth technology sector companies. As CFO, Medina informs Stride’s efforts to lead the future of innovation in education—particularly in the career readiness space. 

Prior to his current role at Stride, Medina served as EVP and CFO of TPx Communications, a premier managed services company where he helped drive a six-fold increase in revenues while steering the strategic transition of the company. During his tenure, Medina was integral in 10 merger and acquisition transactions, including the sale of TPx to Siris Capital Group.

Previously, Medina served as CFO of ECI Conference Call Services, an audio and web conferencing services provider. He has also served as CFO, and in senior leadership positions for Independent Wireless One Holdings, Verizon Communications, CTI Holdings, CANTV, and GTE Corporation.

Mr. Medina earned his bachelor’s degree from The George Washington University and a master of science in taxation from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

 

Vincent Mathis

EVP, General Counsel

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Vincent Mathis
EVP, General Counsel

 

Vincent Mathis is Stride's General Counsel and Secretary. Prior to joining Stride, Mr. Mathis served as SVP, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Secretary for the AES Corporation, a Fortune 500 global energy company. In this role, he advanced the AES policy agenda, managed corporate governance, and led a team of attorneys in providing legal counsel to the Board of Directors and cross-functional business areas. During his tenure at AES, Mr. Mathis also successfully negotiated numerous domestic and global agreements related to asset sales, vendor supply, leases, tax incentives, and human resource issues.

 

Before joining AES, Mr. Mathis served as General Counsel and EVP at ContourGlobal LP as well as in legal leadership roles at Shearman & Sterling; the Securities and Exchange Commission; and Venable, Baetjer, Howard & Civiletti.

Mr. Mathis earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond. He is admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia.

 

Valerie Maddy

SVP, Human Resources

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Valerie Maddy
SVP, Human Resources

Valerie Maddy, SVP, Human Resources at Stride, brings more than 20 years of global leadership and innovation in the full range of human resources disciplines. At Stride, Ms. Maddy is leading the development and implementation of new systems, processes, policies, and programs aimed at maximizing every employee's contribution to student academic success. As part of that effort, she is working with business teams to drive alignment, clarity and competitive advantage across the company and to plan, acquire, develop, and retain the talent required to achieve organizational goals.

Prior to joining Stride, Ms. Maddy was VP, Global Human Resources Operations for Ciena Corporation, a global leader in next-generation network infrastructure. While there, she introduced reliable automation to human resources systems, significantly increasing efficiency levels, and led the human resources due diligence efforts and integration activities of eight acquisitions. Before rising to this position, Ms. Maddy served in a number of leadership roles at Ciena in the areas of Global Total Rewards and Global Risk Management.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Maddy held leadership roles in Human Resources and Finance at Crown Vantage, a specialty paper manufacturer and distributor. Prior to that, she served in Human Resources and Auditing roles at SAFECO and American General, both providers of financial and insurance services.

Ms. Maddy is a graduate of Humboldt State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in business administration. She holds a certificate in Global Benefits Management, a designation from Fellow Life Management Institute, and is also a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist and Certified Internal Auditor.

 

Todd Goldthwaite

Managing Director, Portfolio Companies

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Todd Goldthwaite
Managing Director, Portfolio Companies

Todd Goldthwaite, managing director of portfolio companies, has more than 25 years of experience in technological innovation, marketing, operations management, and enterprise sales. At Stride, Mr. Goldthwaite manages a growing number of portfolio companies. He also leads Stride’s enrollment and customer service operations.

Prior to this role, Mr. Goldthwaite served as Stride’s chief marketing officer. He also previously served as senior vice president of school services for Stride's online public schools. In this position, he amplified best practices and drove improvements in academic performance, teacher effectiveness, and student retention.

Before joining Stride, Mr. Goldthwaite managed operations for Blackboard Student Services. He also spent 18 years in the telecommunications field. This includes a position at MCI Communications where he launched operations for the company's emerging telemarketing and customer service business, established call centers across the country, and expanded the company's global sales and service footprint to five international locations.

Paul Rhyu

Chief Marketing Officer

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Paul Rhyu
Chief Marketing Officer

Paul Rhyu, Stride’s chief marketing officer, has decades of executive experience in marketing, sales, and operations at public and private companies. As CMO, he manages a wide range of functions related to Stride’s marketing strategy, brand management, market analytics, and innovation to drive customer acquisition and brand engagement.

Before joining Stride, Mr. Rhyu served as the founder and managing partner of Rooster Media Services, a consultancy that specializes in marketing, customer acquisition, digital media, and product development.

Mr. Rhyu previously served as senior vice president of digital media and marketing operations at the Apollo Education Group. During his tenure, he managed one of the largest digital media budgets in the world and optimized end-to-end metrics across all digital channels to deliver double-digit growth with double-digit savings.

Mr. Rhyu began his career at the strategy consulting firm Monitor Group, now part of Deloitte’s consulting division. During his 12-year tenure, he became a partner and led strategy engagements for global enterprises in the tech, telecommunications, consumer goods, and automotive industries across Western Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a master’s degree from Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Paris, France. Mr. Rhyu is also trilingual in English, French, and Spanish having lived and worked in eight countries across four continents.

Les Ottolenghi

Chief Information and Technology Officer

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Les Ottolenghi
Chief Information and Technology Officer

Les Ottolenghi, CITO, has had a remarkable 30-year career designing and implementing digital service strategies. At Stride, Mr. Ottolenghi is leading the company into a new era of IT solutions. In his role, he is responsible for establishing a best-in-class technology experience for Stride customers. This includes ensuring that applications, platforms, infrastructure, processes, and operations are efficient, reliable, scalable, and secure.

Previously, Mr. Ottolenghi served as CIO and Executive Vice President of Caesars Entertainment where he led the company’s digital business strategy, developed seven cloud transformation platforms including the "zero trust" cybersecurity program, and implemented the first cybersecurity readiness program at Caesars. Prior to that role, he was the Chief Information and Innovation Officer for the Sands Corporation where he improved regulatory compliance on data privacy and gaming, oversaw a global IT staff, and built strategic relationships with tech leaders in Silicon Valley, among many other accomplishments.

Mr. Ottolenghi currently serves as an advisor for the MIT Technology Review Global Panel and the Nevada Governor’s Advisory Board. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Technology Business Management Council where he advises on best practices for enterprise technology leadership. He was recently recognized as an innovator in the Artificial Intelligence and data analytics space by The Economist and Harvard Business Review.

He earned a Master of Business Administration from Emory University and a bachelor’s degree from Duke University.

Dr. Charles "Tony" Bennett

SVP, School Management

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Dr. Charles "Tony" Bennett
Senior Vice President, School Management

 

Dr. Charles "Tony" Bennett, Senior Vice President, School Management, has more than three decades of experience in school management, strategic planning, and operations. As one of the nation's foremost experts in education policy, he manages and implements a diverse portfolio of initiatives and programs that support, measure, track, and ultimately improve student academic achievement and growth across schools powered by Stride K12.

Dr. Bennett began his career as a high school science teacher and rapidly ascended to leadership roles in two of the country's pioneering education reform states: Florida and Indiana. He served as Commissioner of Education in Florida before starting TBX2, Inc./Education Reform Strategies, a consulting company that focuses on supporting education reform across the country.

Prior to TBX2, Inc., Dr. Bennett served as State Superintendent in Indiana. During his tenure, the state saw record high-school graduation rates and participation and success rates in Advanced Placement® courses and exams, student achievement on the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP) assessment rose dramatically, and improvement in the state's National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) results was ranked among the top three in the United States.

Dr. Bennett previously held roles in Indiana as School Corporation Superintendent for Greater Clark County Schools and Assistant Superintendent for Administration and Operations at New Albany Floyd County Schools. He also served on the board of the Council of Chief State School Officers, the governing board of the Partnership for the Assessment for Readiness for College and Career (PARCC), and was a founding member and former chair of Chiefs for Change.

Dr. Bennett holds a doctoral degree in education and a superintendent license from Spalding University. He earned his certification in secondary administration and supervision, a master's degree in secondary education, and a bachelor's degree in secondary education from Indiana University Southeast.

 

Niyoka McCoy

Chief Learning Officer

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Niyoka McCoy
Chief Learning Officer

Niyoka McCoy, Stride’s Chief Learning Officer, has decades of experience building strong academic programs, driving initiatives that promote academic equity, and creating professional development opportunities for teachers and school leaders.

Prior to her current role, she served as Stride’s Chief Academic Officer and Senior Vice President of Academic Services. In these positions, Ms. McCoy—in partnership with the Regional Vice Presidents of Academics—led a suite of programs and initiatives that tracked and supported achievement and growth among students, administrators, and school leaders. Additionally, she managed the Academic Services organization, including the assessment, special programs, accountability, counseling, and talent development teams.

A published author and former teacher, Ms. McCoy earned a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College, a master’s degree in education from Mercer University, and a post-graduate degree in curriculum and instruction from Capella University.

 

Donna Blackman

Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer

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Donna Blackman
Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer

 

Donna Blackman, CAO and Treasurer, brings more than 20years of experience in accounting, finance, and strategic planning. In her role at Stride, she oversees procurement, receivables and cash management, accounts payable, school and corporate accounting, other controller functions, and treasury.

Most recently, Ms. Blackman served as the SVP of Business Operations at BET Networks, where she oversaw finance, strategy, research, live events, security, facilities, and operations. During her tenure at BET, she also held roles as SVP and Head of Finance, SVP, Financial Planning and Analysis, and SVP Finance and Controller.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Blackman worked for Marriott International and KPMG in a variety of leadership roles in accounting and finance.

Ms. Blackman earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, a bachelor’s degree in accounting from North Carolina State University, and is a certified public accountant.

 

Bryan Flood

SVP, Public Affairs

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Bryan Flood
SVP, Public Affairs

Bryan Flood, SVP, Public Affairs, joined Stride in 2002. Mr. Flood previously served as a public affairs strategist, consultant, and spokesman for corporations, interest groups, and senatorial, gubernatorial, and presidential campaigns.

As Vice President at the MPGH Agency, a Virginia-based public affairs consulting firm, he advised clients ranging from high tech start-ups to Fortune 500 firms, including several leading education companies. Mr. Flood helped clients like MCI, The Learning Company, and Achievement Technologies win complex public policy and opinion battles by designing and managing advocacy campaigns at the local, state, and national levels. While serving at MPGH in 1999, Mr. Flood helped direct a sweeping review of the military recruitment process for the United States Department of Defense.

Mr. Flood was chief spokesman for Michigan Governor John Engler's successful reelection campaign in 1994, and was national spokesman for United States Senator Lamar Alexander's presidential campaign in 1995–1996.

Mr. Flood holds a BA in public policy from New College of Florida.

 

Karen Ghidotti

SVP, Customer Experience

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Karen Ghidotti
SVP, Customer Experience

Karen Ghidotti, SVP of Customer Experience, joined Stride in 2002. She leads efforts to drive a positive experience for students and their families — from their first interaction with Stride, through their entire school journey to graduation day. Ms. Ghidotti also spearheads initiatives across teams and departments to design and implement new tools that will help strengthen the customer experience.

In her most recent role as the SVP of the Southern Region, Ms. Ghidotti was instrumental in launching nine schools powered by Stride K12 and an active member of numerous teams that changed state code guidelines across the South to pave the way for Stride's signature, personalized approach to education. Under her leadership, enrollment for the Southern Region grew to more than 30 thousand students. She was also the Operations Manager and then Head of School for Arkansas Virtual Academy.

Throughout her career, Ms. Ghidotti has demonstrated a consistent, passionate devotion to professional development and to strengthening the hiring process. She led the development of the first-ever K12 Heads of School Boot Camp. She also supported the creation and pilot implementation of HireVue as a hiring tool.

Prior to joining Stride, Ms. Ghidotti worked with the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.

 

Peter Stewart

SVP, School Development

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Peter Stewart
SVP, School Development

 

Peter Stewart, SVP of School Development, works with parents, teachers, community groups, school districts, school boards, departments of education, and policy makers across the United States and internationally to start new high-tech schools that use the Stride K12 academic program.

 

In the past seven years, Mr. Stewart has helped develop large-scale, public e-learning programs in 16 states that currently serve more than 100,000 courses annually.

Prior to joining Stride in 2000, Mr. Stewart was a Head of School, a teacher, a school principal, and a curriculum director with 10years of experience working in urban, rural, and international schools.

Mr. Stewart holds a BA in English from Williams College and an MA from Columbia University Teachers College.

 

Board of Directors

Nate Davis

Executive Chairman

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Nate Davis

Nate Davis, Executive Chairman of Stride’s Board of Directors, is a seasoned corporate transformational leader across industries with a record of improving operations, launching innovative new products, and building beneficial relationships with legislative and regulatory authorities.

Mr. Davis joined the Stride Board of Directors in 2009, was named Chairman of the Board in June 2012, and added the role of CEO in February 2018. He retired from his role as Stride’s CEO in January 2021. He originally joined the company from the position of Managing Director of RANND Advisory Group, a consulting group advising venture capital, media, and technology-based firms. He previously served as CEO and President of XM Satellite Radio and was a member of the company's Board of Directors, where he drove growth and innovation as well as improved financial performance and led the company through its merger with Sirius Satellite Radio.

From 2000 to 2003, Mr. Davis was President and COO, and a board member of XO Communications Inc. Mr. Davis has also held senior executive positions at Nextel Communications (EVP, Network and Technical Services), MCI Telecommunications (CFO and various other management positions) and MCI Metro (Founder, President and COO).

Mr. Davis currently serves on the Board of Directors of Unisys Corporation and the Board of Trustees for RLJ Lodging Trust. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Washington Boys and Girls Club and the Progressive Life Center, an agency that places foster children in homes in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. He also served on the Northern Virginia Roundtable and the Northern Virginia Community Foundation.

With a personal passion for serving children and helping them achieve higher levels of success, Mr. Davis founded the JANDT Foundation to aid minority children in attending private and parochial schools in the Washington, D.C. area.

Mr. Davis received an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an MS in engineering computer science at the Moore School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a BS in engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Stevens President’s Leadership Council and a recipient of the 2017 Stevens Honor Award.

He also championed both the ACES program and the newly founded Art Harper Saturday Academy at Stevens to help local high school students pursue college majors and careers in STEM-related fields.

James Rhyu

Chief Executive Officer

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James Rhyu
Chief Executive Officer

James Rhyu, Chief Executive Officer, joined Stride in June 2013 and became CEO in January 2021. He has more than 20 years of financial management experience in various global industries.

Mr. Rhyu works with leaders across the company to expand the market for Stride and reach new students. He also drives product innovation and improvements in the customer experience that are designed to attract more students to the company’s services. Prior to his CEO role, Mr. Rhyu served as Stride’s President of Corporate Strategy, Marketing, and Technology, Chief Financial Officer, and President of Product and Technology. In these positions, Mr. Rhyu led the development of marketing and messaging to support market expansions and executed on merger and acquisition opportunities that support Stride’s growth strategy.

Before his tenure at Stride, Mr. Rhyu served as CFO and Chief Administrative Officer of Match.com, a subsidiary of publicly traded IAC/InterActiveCorp. In those roles, he was responsible for overseeing a broad range of functions, including human resources, legal, information technology and operations, and certain international operations and product development.

Prior to his roles at Match.com, Mr. Rhyu was a SVP of Finance at Dow Jones & Company where he ran the global financial function. Previously, he served for three years as the Corporate Controller of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and its predecessor company, XM Satellite Radio, as well as serving in the same role for Graftech International. Mr. Rhyu also spent six years with Ernst & Young LLP in the United States and South America.

Mr. Rhyu holds a bachelor’s degree from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from London Business School.

Aida Alvarez

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Aida Alvarez

 

The Honorable Aida M. Alvarez joined us in April 2017. Ms. Alvarez is the first Latino woman to hold a United States cabinet-level position, serving as the administrator of the Small Business Administration for President Clinton from 1997 to 2001. Ms. Alvarez was the founding director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, where she was charged with financial oversight of the secondary housing market, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac. She also worked for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, Bear Stearns & Company, Inc., and the First Boston Corporation.

Ms. Alvarez is currently an Independent Director of HP Inc. She has served on the boards of directors of Bill.com since May 2022; Fastly, Inc. since August 2019; HP Inc. since February 2016; and Oportun, Inc. (formerly Progress Financial Corporation) since 2011. From 2006 to June 2016, Ms. Alvarez served on the board of directors of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and from 2004 to 2014, served on the boards of directors of MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation (formerly UnionBanCal Corporation) and MUFG Union Bank N.A. (formerly Union Bank N.A.). From 2014 to 2019, she served on the board of directors of Zoosk, Inc.

Ms. Alvarez holds honorary doctorate degrees from Iona College, Bethany College in Kansas, Mercy College, and the Inter-American University in Puerto Rico. She graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree from Harvard College.

Craig Barrett

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Craig Barrett

Dr. Barrett joined us as a director in September 2010. He served as Chairman and CEO of Intel Corporation, which he joined in 1974, until his retirement in 2009. Prior to Intel Corporation, Dr. Barrett was a member of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering faculty of Stanford University. 

Dr. Barrett currently serves as Co-Chairman of Achieve, Inc., an independent, bipartisan, nonprofit education reform organization; Chairman of Change the Equation, an organization promoting widespread literacy in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); President and Chairman of BASIS Schools, Inc.; Vice Chair of the Science Foundation Arizona; and Co-Chairman of the Business Coalition for Student Achievement. 

Dr. Barrett holds BS, MS and PhD degrees in materials science from Stanford University. Dr. Barrett was selected as a director because of his deep knowledge and experience in information technology innovation, as well as his global, operational, and leadership experience as Chairman and CEO of Intel Corporation. He also brings a unique perspective to the Board of Directors from his tenure as a professor and his volunteer work and support of numerous educational organizations.

 

Robert Cohen

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Robert Cohen

Mr. Cohen joined us as a director in 2019. He is a pioneer in the education industry and has been at the forefront of leveraging technology to reimagine the student learning experience. Cohen was the Founding CFO at 2U Inc., and later served as the COO and President, where he was integral in growing the company from inception to scale. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of SPi Global, and is an executive advisor to fast growing education technology companies like 2U, Trilogy Education Services, and Zybooks. Cohen began his career at The Princeton Review as the founder of the organization's largest franchise network. During his tenure at The Princeton Review, he held a number of executive roles, including EVP and General Manager of the K–12 Division, EVP, Strategy and Business Development, and CFO of the K–12 Test Prep Divisions.

Cohen attended Princeton University and is a former board member for The Princeton Review.

 

Steven Fink

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Steven Fink

 

Mr. Fink joined us as a director in October 2003, currently serves as Chairman of the Audit Committe, and is a member of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Fink is  the Deputy Chairman of Heron International and a Director of the Foundation of the University of California, Los Angeles. 

 

Mr. Fink served as a director of Nobel Learning Communities, Inc., from 2003 to 2011. From 1999 to 2009, Mr. Fink served as a director of Leapfrog, Inc., and its Chairman from 2004 to 2009. From 2000 to 2008, Mr. Fink was the CEO of Lawrence Investments, LLC. Mr. Fink has also previously served as Chairman and CEO of Anthony Manufacturing, Chairman and Managing Director of Knowledge Universe, and Chairman and CEO of Nextera Enterprises. 

Mr. Fink holds a BS in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and a JD and an LLM from New York University. Mr. Fink was selected as a director based on his significant experience in operations and financial oversight gained as serving as director or chairman for various public and private companies in addition to his membership on various company audit committees, which enables him to contribute significantly to the financial oversight, risk oversight, and governance of the Company.

 

Victoria Harker

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Victoria Harker

 

Victoria Harker joined Stride, as Director in April 2020. Ms. Harker has a love for education coupled with more than three decades of experience in finance management, information technology, and operations. She currently serves as EVP and CFO for TEGNA Inc., formerly Gannett Co., Inc. She was named CFO of Gannett in July 2012 and is responsible for TEGNA’s financial functions and operations company-wide. Over the past eight years in that role, she led more than $7 billion in mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, and divestitures.

 

Prior to this role, Ms. Harker served as CFO and President of global business services of the AES Corporation: a $12 billion multinational power company where she successfully led the re-engineering of the company’s capital structure through $3 billion in mergers and acquisitions, $1.8 billion in debt refinancing, and $300 million in share repurchases, allowing the company to initiate its first-ever dividend in 2011. Previously, Ms. Harker worked for MCI Inc., in a variety of executive roles including Acting Corporate CFO and CFO, Mass Market Division.

In 2019, she was also appointed to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia by Governor Ralph Northam, where she is Vice Chair of the Resource Allocation and Assessment Committee as well as a member of the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.

She serves on the public company boards for Xylem and Huntington Ingalls.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration from American University.

 

Robert Knowling Jr.

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Robert Knowling Jr.

 

Mr. Knowling joined us as a director in 2018. He is Chairman of Eagles Landing Partners, which specializes in helping senior management formulate strategy, lead organizational transformations, and re-engineer businesses. He serves on the Board of Directors at Rite Aid. Earlier in his career he served as CEO of the NYC Leadership Academy, an independent nonprofit corporation created by Chancellor Joel I. Klein and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that is chartered with developing the next generation of principals in the New York City public school system.

 

Knowling has also held roles as CEO of Telwares; Chairman and CEO of SimDesk Technologies, Inc.; and Chairman, President and CEO of Covad Communications. He was awarded the Wall Street Project’s Reginald Lewis Trailblazers Award by President Clinton and the Reverend Jesse Jackson in 1999. Knowling serves on the board of directors for Roper Technologies in Sarasota, Florida and Stream Companies in Cincinnati, Ohio.  

Knowling received a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology from Wabash College and a Master of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

 

Liza McFadden

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Liza McFadden

Ms. McFadden joined us as a director in August 2017 and is a member of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. She currently leads LIZA and Partners LLC. Previously, she was President and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, an organization that believes education is a civil right, no matter one’s age. McFadden's experience in education is well rounded: she is a former high school teacher, Florida Department of Education administrator, and served in Governor Jeb Bush's administration where she spearheaded efforts to encourage 200,000 mentors to support public school children.

McFadden was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate to serve on the National Institute for Literacy Board. In her home state of Florida, McFadden has served as volunteer chairman of the innovative Florida Schools of Excellence Board, designed to sponsor and approve charter schools at the state level. She is the inaugural recipient of the Women Who Mean Business Service Award in her hometown of Tallahassee for her work with a wide array of organizations including the Friends of Florida State Parks; the Tallahassee Challenger Center, which promotes science and space; and the John Paul II Catholic High School. McFadden holds a master’s degree from Florida State University and a bachelor's degree from Fitchburg State University.

 

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K12 Inc.’s corporate name change to Stride, Inc., is effective as of December 16, 2020. Stride trades on the NYSE under the symbol LRN.

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