Stephen Fireng | CEO/President

Appointed Chief Executive Officer and President of Embanet ULC in May, 2008, Stephen Fireng brings strong leadership and experience to one of the founding companies in the online education industry. Mr. Fireng is successfully positioning the company as the superior choice for non-profit universities launching and growing 100% online programs. Under his direction, Embanet continues to partner with prestigious universities across North America to develop and expand their online degree programs.

Prior to joining Embanet, Mr. Fireng was the Group President of Career Education Corporation's University and Art & Design Groups, leading all of the online and brick and mortar campuses of the company's American InterContinental University, Colorado Technical University and International Academy of Design and Technology. A pioneer in the postsecondary online learning sector, Mr. Fireng managed a portfolio of almost $1 billion in revenues and led the launches of Career Education's online universities-growing them from 3,000 to 32,000 students in five years. During almost a decade with the company, Mr. Fireng served as the Chancellor of Colorado Technical University Online, and as the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Admissions for American InterContinental University Online and Colorado Technical University Online, overseeing admissions and marketing activities for college campuses worldwide. He is a graduate of Northern Arizona University and is a frequent speaker on postsecondary online education.

Paul Gleason | Sr. Vice President of Educational Operations

As the Senior Vice President of Educational Operations, Paul Gleason leads the Knowledge Partner Development, Client Services, Student Services and Course Development teams at Embanet. As an authority in learning theory, instructional technology, curriculum design, information technology and academic operations, Paul brings both academic and extensive technology development experience to his role serving Embanet's distinguished Knowledge Partner institutions.

Paul has fifteen years of educational leadership experience including serving as the Chief Operating Officer of a university system with more than 17,000 fully online students and six campuses in the United States and the United Kingdom. He received his Masters Degree in Education from Vanderbilt's Peabody College. While pursuing his doctoral studies, Paul served as an instructor with Vanderbilt University's Human and Organizational Development Program teaching organization theory and behavior. He completed his M.A. and B.A at Wheaton College in Illinois.

Patrick Donoghue | Chief Financial Officer

Patrick Donoghue joined Embanet as the Chief Financial Officer in August, 2008. Prior to joining Embanet, he was Vice President and Treasurer at CCC Information Services Inc., a software and services provider to the automotive claims and collision repair industries. Patrick has held various senior finance roles at Anheuser-Busch, Kraft Foods and Mallinckrodt Group, Inc.

Patrick brings to Embanet eighteen years of corporate finance, strategy, planning, investor relations and executive leadership at both public and private companies. He received a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Finance from the University of Illinois and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Shelley Paolini | Vice President of Marketing

Shelley Paolini is the Vice President of Marketing with Embanet ULC. Shelley's expertise is in brand development, CRM, direct marketing, lead generation, analytics and research. She is responsible for ensuring that the marketing team meets and exceeds profitability targets and uses a variety of direct response marketing channels to generate qualified leads for the admissions team, each of which support the conversion process from student enquiry to enrollment.

Shelley has over 20 years of direct marketing experience and over 10 years of online marketing experience. In 2002, she received the silver award for campaign results from the Canadian Marketing Association. Prior to joining Embanet, she was the Sr. Director of Online Marketing & e-Strategy at the Toronto-based online communications agency Ariad Communications where she focused on delivering results for Fortune 500 companies. She previously held progressively more senior roles in both corporate and consumer marketing at American Express, Canada. Shelley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from York University and is a member of the Association of Internet Marketing and Sales.

Richard Kennedy | Vice President of Admissions

Richard Kennedy is the Vice President of Admissions at Embanet. He leads the Admissions Department and is responsible for meeting and exceeding enrollment and start targets. Prior to joining Embanet, Mr. Kennedy was the former Vice President of Admissions where he was responsible for the training, management and productivity of 600 to 1000 admissions personnel who recruited a population of 16,000 students, generating over $350 million in revenue. Richard holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Northern Illinois University.

Amy Peterson | Vice President of Education Services

Amy Peterson is the Vice President of Education Services at Embanet. With over ten years of experience in higher education, she oversees Course Development as well as the Student Support and Program Services departments. Prior to joining Embanet, Amy served in several leadership positions in education technology, online course development and higher education online operations. She has collaborated with a large number of colleges and universities to develop and implement education technology strategies and student retention initiatives for online students. In addition, Amy has co-authored three books about social history and culture. She holds an M.A. from Loyola University and a B.A. from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Nirmeen Hasan | Vice President of Knowledge Partner Development

Nirmeen Hasan joined Embanet's Admissions Department in 2001 and her passion and dedication have facilitated her rise through the ranks over a brief period of time. Nirmeen currently serves as the Vice President of Knowledge Partner Development and is responsible for overseeing Client Services and new program development within Embanet's existing client portfolio.

Nirmeen's comprehensive understanding of Embanet's services has been developed over years of experience with different roles and departments within the organization. Prior to joining Embanet, Nirmeen worked in IBM Qatar's Professional Services department where she gained valuable international experience while coordinating IBM's regional and country-wide training initiatives. With a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science and over 7 years of in-depth experience in the online education industry, Nirmeen strongly believes in the value of online education; she has seen how these opportunities change the lives of working professionals. She is very passionate about working with renowned institutions and creating more opportunities for students globally.