Rasmussen College Board of Directors

Chairman, Rasmussen College
Education: Cornell University, BA with Honors; University of Chicago, MA, Ph.D.

Dr. Bienen is the President Emeritus of Northwestern University and the author or editor of 18 books and numerous articles. He was Dean of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor.

Dr. Bienen was awarded an Honorary Degree from Northwestern University. He is a Presidential Councilor at Cornell University — Cornell’s highest honor. He was awarded the Carnegie Leadership Award in Higher Education.

Vice Chairman, Rasmussen College
Education: DePauw University (BA in economics), Harvard University (JD with a focus on corporate law), Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management (MBA with majors in finance and entrepreneurship)

Mr. Locke is currently the Vice Chairman of Rasmussen College. Prior to Rasmussen College, Michael was Senior Vice President of Collegis, Inc., a provider of technology services to colleges and universities. Prior to Collegis, he was Chief Financial Officer of Eduprise, Inc., a pioneer in the e-learning market serving higher education. Mr. Locke currently serves on the Board of Directors of Art Resources in Teaching, the Cancer Research Foundation, the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (formerly CCA), and the McDermond Center Advisory Board of DePauw University.

Director
Education:United States Military Academy at West Point, Harvard Business School

Mr. Bulls is an International Director at Jones Lang LaSalle and Founder and Chairman of the Public Institutions Business Unit which provided integrated real estate services to governments, higher education and nonprofit entities. He is a former assistant professor of finance and management at West Point and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the West Point Association of Graduates. A retired Army Colonel, he is a graduate of the Army’s Airborne and Ranger Schools and serves on several corporate boards including USAA, Exelis and Comfort Systems, USA.

Director
Education: A.B., Denison University; J.D., Duke University

John A. Canning, Jr. is a Co-Founder and Chairman of Madison Dearborn Partners ("MDP"), one of the most experienced and successful private equity investment firms in the United States. Prior to co-founding MDP in 1992, Mr. Canning spent 24 years with First Chicago Corporation, most recently as Executive Vice President of The First National Bank of Chicago and President of First Chicago Venture Capital. He has more than 32 years of experience in private equity investing. Mr. Canning is currently a Vice Chairman and a member of the Board of Trustees of Northwestern University.

Director
Education: B.A., Colby College; MBA, Stanford University

Mr. Cowie is a Managing Director at Frontenac Company, a Chicago based private equity firm. Mr. Cowie invests in business services and technology-enabled solutions. He represents Frontenac on the boards of Diversified Maintenance and Wausau Financial Systems in addition to Rasmussen. He has also led or co-led several other Frontenac investments, including 3E Company, Collegis, Gevity HR, Premier Systems Integrators, Systems Maintenance Services, and US Servis among others. He joined Frontenac in 1988 from Merrill Lynch Capital Markets. Mr. Cowie is a Life Trustee of the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Trustee Emeritus of Colby College.

Director
Education: Syracuse University; Stanford University

Mr. Gagliardi is currently a Managing Partner of NetWolves Corporation. Prior to his appointment to the Rasmussen College Board of Directors, he served as a member of the Business School Advisory Board at Rasmussen College, where he became familiar with the school’s vision to remain a leader in providing higher education. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of TelMar Corporation, a telecom product and technology provider. Mr. Gagliardi’s role as a Managing Partner at Lyme Technology, LLC, combined with preceding leadership positions at Unisys Corporation, Inacom Corporation and NCR Corporation, has lead to years of management and leadership expertise.

Director
Education: B.A., magna cum laude, Harvard College
LL.B., magna cum laude, Harvard University

Stanford J. Goldblatt, Esq. is Of Counsel, Winston & Strawn LLP. Mr. Goldblatt has served as head of its private equity practice. He is a Trustee Emeritus of The University of Chicago, a Trustee of the University of Chicago Medical Center, and Chairman of the Cancer Research Foundation.

Director
Education: University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University

Bernard Goldstein is a founder of Broadview International LLC, an investment bank serving the information technology industry. Mr. Goldstein currently serves as a Trustee for the University of Pennsylvania Library, the Charles Babbage Foundation and is a past director of Apple Computer.

Chairman, Rasmussen, Inc
Education: Northwestern University, B.S. in Business Administration

Mr. King has spent his career building businesses with a focus on the application of technology to education. He has participated in the formation of five companies. One of these companies was an early pioneer in the development of video/computer-based self-instruction and another in the use of the internet to deliver degree-based programs.

For his work in the application of technology to education, Benedictine University awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Benedictine University, the Academy for Urban School Leadership, the African Wildlife Foundation, and Northwestern University Wildcat Athletics Venture Enterprise (NU/WAVE) fund. He is a member of The Commercial Club of Chicago and The Economic Club of Chicago.

Director
Education: Yale University, Colorado College

Dr. Manning is a former Executive Director of the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Dr. Manning has served in higher education for the past 50 years, as both a Professor and University President. He is a former Board member of Robert Morris University and DeVry, Inc. Since 1991, he has been a consultant on higher education and accreditation.

Chief Executive Officer, Rasmussen College
Education: University of Toledo

Thomas Slagle is Chief Executive Officer of Rasmussen College and based out of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Prior to joining Rasmussen College, Mr. Slagle was President and Chief Operating Officer for School Specialty, a leading K-12 supply and supplementary materials provider, where he oversaw more than $1 billion in annual revenue and all operational activities. Before entering the education industry, Mr. Slagle spent 23 years in the healthcare field with Johnson & Johnson, Baxter Healthcare, and Cardinal Health in various leadership positions, with domestic and international scope. Upon leaving Cardinal he was Group President of the $7.5 billion medical segment.

Director
Education: College of the Holy Cross, DePaul University School of Law

John C. Staley is the former Managing Partner of Ernst & Young’s Lake Michigan Area where he was responsible for the audit, tax and consulting practices. Mr. Staley served with Ernst & Young for 36 years spanning offices in New York, Brussels and Chicago. In addition to Rasmussen College, Mr. Staley is currently the Chairman of the Board of Hospira Inc., Director of Mattersight Corp., and a Member the Board of Trustees of DePaul University where he is a past Chairman.

President, Rasmussen College
Education: B.A., Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Board of Directors appointed Ms. Waite the President of Rasmussen College in 1997. Her family has owned Rasmussen College for three generations. Her grandfather purchased the College from Walter Rasmussen in 1945, and her father and uncle acquired the College in 1961. Ms. Waite and her father purchased Aakers College of Grand Forks, North Dakota and subsequently moved the campus to Fargo, North Dakota (now Rasmussen College – Fargo/Moorhead). President Waite has chaired the Minnesota Career College Association and is active in legislative issues affecting higher education in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, North Dakota and Florida. In February of 2007, she was awarded the Upsize Lifeline Award developed for leaders dedicated to helping other leaders by "throwing a lifeline."