Paul Freedman

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

“I am passionate about expanding access to education, and I believe that technology will improve and personalize the educational experience in ways that will be game changing for everyone involved – learners, educators and employers.”

Paul Freedman, the young entrepreneur who co-founded Altius Education, and previously founded a student recruitment technology company called Academic Engine, has a strong track record of founding, managing and investing in educational businesses.

Paul grew up immersed in the world of higher education with two parents who worked at top academic institutions. As a result, Paul gained a unique perspective on the interworking of traditional universities. It was when he sold Academic Engine to Hobsons Inc. in 2004, and he served as president of its subsidiary focused on online student recruitment technologies, that he noticed a trend. More learners were seeking a two-year program as a pathway to a traditional four-year degree, while traditional four-year institutions were rejecting those learners despite the need to fill space created by students dropping out or transferring. The economy only exacerbated that gap by increasing demand for two-year degrees at a time when community colleges lack capacity to educate those learners due to budget and resource constraints.

Altius Education was formed to identify structural gaps in higher education and help deliver innovative academic programs to fill those gaps. Not surprisingly, Paul was the conceptual creator of Ivy Bridge College, the company’s first joint venture with Tiffin University in 2007. Ivy Bridge offers learners a two-year online program that provides an accredited, affordable and flexible path to admittance into four-year institutions through transfer agreements with more than 50 accredited universities.

With Ivy Bridge and the recently launched Mt. Lyon Institute, which offers bachelors and masters in business administration with a focus in the growing area of elder care, Altius is creating an educational ecosystem serving every learner. And, through the company’s student service support model, Altius is creating a culture of partnership with learners that extends well beyond the classroom.

Paul is a graduate of the University of Chicago with a bachelor of arts in public policy and a concentration in law and economics.

Seyed M. Amiry

President & Campus Executive Officer

Mr. Amiry has held a wide range of senior management positions in the post-secondary education, consumer products, and B2B technology industries. Most recently, Mr. Amiry was the President and CEO of Presidio Graduate School, a leading provider of advanced degrees and executive certificate programs in sustainable management. Under his leadership, Presidio experienced rapid growth and was recognized as a pioneering higher education institution that delivers innovative programs and develops a new breed of business and civic leaders.

Prior to Presidio, Mr. Amiry was Dean of School of Technology at Golden Gate University (GGU), California’s fifth largest private university, President and CEO of Core Microsystems, a Silicon Valley-based computer workstation manufacturer and certified software training provider, and Chief Operating Officer of Heald Colleges, a San Francisco-based private non-profit institution with 13 campuses in three states with annual revenues of $100 million. Mr. Amiry’s successful career in the consumer products industry included senior management positions in finance and operations with companies such as Atari Corporation, California Gold Dairy Products, Specialty Brands, Inc, and Tri-Valley Growers.

Mr. Amiry received his BS in Accounting from West Coast University in Los Angeles. He also attended the MBA program at California State University in Los Angeles and completed the Advanced Management Program at Stanford University.

Marwan Alamat

Vice President of Information Technology

“Technology is an important tool in every industry, but is absolutely essential in moving higher education forward. It provides access for many students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to further their education and create better futures for themselves and their families.”

As Altius’ Vice President of Information Technology, Marwan Alamat brings passion and vast experience utilizing technology in higher education. He will help evolve the technology portfolio of Altius by creating effective and efficient student-centered systems across the organization.

With over 10 years of experience in the industry, Marwan has a breadth of business knowledge as well as a depth of technology expertise, including experience in the management and creation of enterprise systems that obtain, retain and graduate students, with a focus on quality student outcomes.

Prior to joining Altius, Marwan was a Vice President with Career Education Corporation where he held multiple positions, most recently leading the marketing and admissions IT function for all US-based schools. His teams built industry-recognized products, and most notably, helped create the online capabilities responsible for growing the student population from 12 to over 36,000 during his time with the company.

Marwan attended Tennessee Tech University where he earned a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Math, and an MBA, with an emphasis on Management of Information Systems.

Curtis Atkisson

Chief Financial Officer

Curtis brings to Altius a breadth of financial experience from start ups, public companies, investment banking and government.

Curtis was CFO and co-founder of Affinity Labs, which built the world's largest portfolio of online professional communities and vaulted to the top rung of the educational lead generation market. Affinity Labs was funded by Trinity Ventures and Mayfield Fund in November 2006 and in January 2008 was acquired by Monster Worldwide (NYSE:MWW). Previously, Curtis devoted five years to corporate entrepreneurship activities for UAL Corp. where he was VP Finance & Treasurer for Ameniti Travel Clubs and MyPoints.com as well as a Senior Principal for United NewVentures, United Airline’s e-commerce and venture arm. Prior to that Curtis worked for JP Morgan Chase as Vice President Risk Management, Global Markets Officer and Associate Corporate Finance. Curtis began his career as a research assistant for the Federal Reserve Board and as an intern with the SEC.

Curtis has a B.A. in Economics from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Stanford University.

Rani Croager

VP of Corporate Development

Rani is a corporate development specialist with over 10 years of experience advising high-growth companies on financing, growth plans, and mergers and acquisitions. Rani leads the corporate development team at Altius in the areas of corporate strategic planning, financial planning, partnerships and acquisitions.

Prior to joining Altius, Rani spent nine years in investment banking, most recently as Vice President in the Technology Mergers & Acquisitions group at Credit Suisse. Rani led or participated in over 30 announced financing and advisory transactions, representing more than $15 billion in value, for leading technology companies in the consulting services, software, internet and new media and education technology sectors.

Rani went to college at Duke University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Mathematics and Economics.

Vincent Guerrieri

VP of Marketing

“We bring critical marketing expertise and resources, and a deep understanding of the higher education sector, to help our partners stand out in an increasingly competitive online marketplace. We have a record of identifying quality prospects that become quality applicants and eventually quality students. It’s a real value for our partners.”

Vincent Guerrieri, vice president of marketing for Altius Education, is a performance-based marketing and management specialist with impeccable credentials in a sector that is both growing and under greater scrutiny than ever before. Vincent oversees all of the branding, marketing and recruitment efforts for Altius and its university partners. For Altius’s first venture, Ivy Bridge College of Tiffin University, he helped increase enrollment 166 percent over a three month period.

Vincent is currently a member of LeadsCon LeadsCouncil, an organization created to promote best practices, certification, and compliance in the online lead generation and customer acquisition industry.

Prior to Altius, Vincent was the head of digital media and marketing for the lead generation arm of Monster.com where he was responsible for the Monster Communities, Fastweb and Education.org properties. Vincent joined Monster.com through the acquisition of Affinity Labs, where he built the media and analytical teams. He also helped grow several start-ups before Affinity Labs, including the Global Educational Program, which brings Asian students to the U.S.

He is a graduate of the University Claude Bernard in Lyon, France with a degree in computer science and San Jose State University with a bachelor’s degree in international business.

Sasha Peterson

VP of Partnerships

“If our goal is to transform education, we need to find non-traditional avenues to connect with students. Our partnerships group strives to find new and creative ways to meet the needs of both students and traditional higher education institutions in online programs. It’s an exciting challenge to find new ways to provide access to education and truly an exciting time to be with a company like Altius Education.”

Sasha Peterson brings more than 15 years of experience in educational technology to his role as vice president of partnerships at Altius Education, where he works to identify academic and corporate partnership opportunities to help accelerate the growth of the company’s business model and improve the delivery of education to learners all across the country.

Prior to Altius, Sasha served as president of Hobsons EMT, the leader in Enrollment Management Technology (EMT). During his tenure Hobsons EMT became the clear leader in the higher education CRM and application market by focusing on development, service and community. Under his leadership, revenue in his division grew from $17 million to $45 million and clients more than doubled from 607 to 1300.

He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.