Vice-Chairman

Dennis Spisak
McGraw-Hill Career College Division
McGraw-Hill Higher Education
St. Louis, MO

Dennis graduated from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania and holds a B.S. degree and Master's degree in Business Education. He taught business and office education at the secondary and postsecondary levels in Pennsylvania for ten years before joining the Gregg Division of The McGraw-Hill Companies as a sales representative in 1981. Dennis has presented at numerous state and national association meetings on the subjects of teaching methodology, technology, and areas dealing with improving retention and student self-image. In addition to his position of vice-chairman of the Imagine American Foundation, he is also a member of the research committee. Dennis is currently the Vice-President of Sales and National Sales Manager for the Career College Division of McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Treasurer

Russell “Wicker” Freeman
Coyne American Institute
Chicago, IL

Russell has been actively involved in postsecondary education for 23 years. Prior to joining the Imagine America Foundation (IAF) board, Russell served on the Career College Association (CCA) board of directors from 1995 to 2001 where he served as a member or Chairman of many committees including Litigation, Membership, Awards, Skills 200 (grassroots lobbying efforts). Currently, he still serves on the Awards and Federal Advisory committees.

Russell also is a member of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois’ board of directors. He has served on this board since 2003. He is a second generation owner of Coyne American Institute which his father, John, purchased in 1974.

Former Chairman

Michael Platt
Ad Venture Interactive
Lenexa, KS

Michael Platt is a renowned leader and innovator in the career college sector. For nearly 20 years, Platt provided out-of-the-box marketing and advertising solutions for all types of learning institutions as CEO of PlattForm Advertising. The agency became one of the largest providers of interactive lead generation, advertising and marketing services to career colleges under his leadership. In 2008, Platt assumed the role of CEO for Ad Venture Interactive (AVI). He now oversees and integrates all three of the parent company’s divisions: PlattForm, VentureDirect Worldwide and Beauty Schools Marketing Group.

PlattForm was the first agency to produce all creative in-house, including TV and radio production as well as web design, newspaper ads and inserts. Introducing another significant innovation, Platt developed cost-per-lead advertising, which revolutionized online marketing for the career college sector. PlattForm now earns more than $100 million in annual billings and employs about 200 individuals who service more than 1,400 schools.

Platt's success lies in his vision and forward thinking, as well as his team's ability to see the big picture while executing on a daily basis. He is widely regarded by his colleagues for his creativity. Many of his team's print, Web and video/TV productions have won ADDYs, Tellys, Webbys and a variety of international awards. He has authored numerous articles on effective advertising methods and student recruitment strategies. Platt specializes in empowering and increasing productivity of admissions staff and has over a decade of proven excellence in admissions training, management and consulting.

As a 22-year veteran in the marketing field, he has established a distinguished career as a successful entrepreneur. At 23 years old, Platt became Vice President of Marketing for Stage II Apparel, the world's largest importer of men's activewear. Later, Platt represented numerous professional athletes in the product endorsement arena, hosted a sports talk show, and owned and operated a professional wrestling organization in Charlotte, N.C.

After enjoying much success through early advertising ventures, Platt ultimately discovered his passion in the education industry. After handling a diverse account base, which included the recruitment advertising for Domino's Pizza and consumer advertising for Flight 23 by Jordan (retail outlets owned and operated by the family of Michael Jordan), Platt landed his first career school. Within four months, Platt was handling 13 schools and made the strategic decision to focus exclusively on school recruitment advertising.

In 2004, Platt was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the category of Business Services. He was lauded by the Career College Association with its Irreplaceable and Indispensable award for his service to the organization in 2006. Most recently, Platt was elected Chair of the Imagine America Board of Directors.

Christopher M. Cimino
Nelnet, Inc.
Portland, ME

Chris Cimino has over 18 years of management experience within higher education in the areas of publishing, online learning, technology and educational finance. Currently, Cimino serves as Senior Vice President for Nelnet, Inc. and leads Nelnet Career Education Solutions. In his role, Cimino is responsible for the overall success of brand asset generation and sales across all Nelnet services and products within the career education market. He is responsible for leading Nelnet's short- and long-term planning process, development of national marketing initiatives, and national strategic business development.

He previously served as National Sales Director for Tuition Management Systems, Senior Business Development Director at Pearson Education, Vice President of Sales at Mascot Network and National Sales Director at Forbes Inc.

Cimino received his B.S. in economics from Bentley University, a Master's in Public Administration from Suffolk University Sawyer School of Management and his MBA from Bentley University McCallum Graduate School.

Cimino resides in Portland, Maine, with his wife and two children.

Danny Finuf
Brown Mackie Colleges (EDMC)
Pittsburgh, PA

Danny Finuf serves as President of Brown Mackie Colleges (EDMC) which currently consists of 20 campus locations in 10 states. Prior to his appointment as President of Brown Mackie College, Finuf served as Group Vice President, Regional Vice President and Regional Campus President. Prior to joining Brown Mackie College (EDMC), Finuf served as Vice President of Administrative Services for Spartan College of Aeronautics in Tulsa, OK. Finuf sits on the Management Committee for EDMC, serves as a board of trustee member for the Brown Mackie College Kansas locations and has previously served on the board of trustees for American Education Centers.

Piper Jameson
Lincoln Educational Services
Whitehouse Station, NJ

Piper Jameson serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Lincoln Educational Services with online education and 42 schools nationwide. She has over 16 years’ experience in the Internet lead generation field. Jameson’s responsibilities include strategic branding, Internet marketing, direct-response lead generation and commercial production. Her marketing experience is balanced with a strong financial background, as she previously served in Phoenix, AZ, on the Ritz-Carlton Hotels’ executive team as financial controller and as a financial analyst for American Express early in her career. She has numerous direct-marketing awards, including two Emmys for direct-response commercials. She holds a B.S. in Business Management and a B.S. in Marketing and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Strategic Communications and Leadership from Seton Hall University.

Patricia Kapper
Forefront Education, Inc.
Inverness, IL

Patricia Kapper, Ed.D., grew up in a small town in northwestern Wisconsin and received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She began her teaching career in Kenosha, WI, teaching at the high school and later at the technical college. Over time, she took on various administrative roles in the Wisconsin technical college system, the most recent being that of Dean of Business and Graphic Arts at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

In addition to her bachelor’s degree, Pat also holds a M.S.T. and an Ed.D. in Adult Education. These credentials prepared her for her role as Dean of Academic Affairs at DeVry Institute of Technology in Addison, IL, and for her position of Sr. Vice President of Education at Career Education Corporation, a private for-profit system of 81 career colleges around the world.

Pat has enhanced her professional growth through involvement in various professional and civic organizations. These have included President of the Wisconsin Vocational Association, Vice President of the American Vocational Association, and member of the Kiwanis Club.

Harris N. Miller
Career College Association
Washington, D.C.

Harris N. Miller was named CEO/President of the Career College Association (CCA) in February 2007. For 11 years, Mr. Miller was President of the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), the leading trade association representing the IT industry, as well as President of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), consisting of 67 IT associations from around the globe. As ITAA's President during a dynamic period of change, he regularly appeared on radio/TV and in numerous major and industry publications as a spokesperson on key industry issues such as IT workforce supply/demand, cyber security, government IT procurement, Y2K, and the interwoven global economy. In 2006, Mr. Miller lost narrowly in his race for the U.S. Senate Democratic nomination from Virginia.

He previously served as Legislative Assistant to the Committee on the Judiciary of the U.S. House of Representatives, was Legislative Director for former Senator John Durkin (D-NH), and was Deputy Director of Congressional Relations for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. He was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow and also served as Research Assistant to Lord Roper when he was in the British House of Commons.

Mr. Miller received his B.A., summa cum laude, in Political Science and in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh, which selected him in 2004 as its Legacy Laureate, and his M.Phil. in Political Science from Yale University. He served on the Board of Directors of ITT Educational Services, Inc. for six years and has served on numerous local, state and international non-profit boards.

Keith Zakarin
Duane Morris, LLP
San Diego, CA

Keith is a lawyer and partner at Duane Morris, LLP. He is the Co-Chair of Duane Morris' Education Practice Group. For the last 16 years, Keith's entire practice has been dedicated to the representation of private postsecondary schools and colleges. His representation of our sector coast-to-coast includes every aspect of law that touches our businesses, including student and employee litigation, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory and administrative counseling and litigation, political advocacy, accreditation matters, unfair competition, taxation and corporate law, insurance, employment counseling and risk management. He is also General Counsel of the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools and the American Association of Cosmetology Schools.

Keith's understanding of our sector goes well beyond purely legal concerns. He assists clients in all aspects of school operations, including admissions, accreditation, retention, financial aid and auditing, and accounting matters. A school operator himself, Keith and his wife Jo own a nationally accredited career college in San Diego, California.

Mr. Zakarin is a 1986 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law and a summa cum laude graduate of the University of California at San Diego.