Bryant & Stratton College Welcomes Three to Board of Directors

BUFFALO, N.Y. (September 19, 2019) – Bryant & Stratton College (B&SC), a distinguished higher education institution serving traditional and non-traditional students across the U.S. for 170 years, is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Marie Cini, Lily Garcia Walton and Bobby Babbrah to its eight-member Board of Directors. The new additions will assist the School in enhancing program models and offerings to suit student needs across its nationally accessible online division and 19 campuses in eight markets.

Dr. Marie Cini, Ph.D., is the Chair of the College’s Education and Quality Committee and has been a strategic senior leader in the higher education sector for more than 25 years, focusing on re-inventing adult student postsecondary education through innovative models. She is nationally known for her visionary work in innovative adult higher education, and is a frequent speaker at professional conferences as well as an author on the topics of adult students in higher education, future trends in higher education, organizational change leadership and utilizing Open Education Recourses to increase learning quality and drive down student costs. She is currently the president of The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, which focuses on employer-education partnerships and helping institutions support adult students.

Ms. Garcia Walton is the Chief Legal Officer of Education First Consulting. Garcia Walton brings more than 20 years of legal and human resources experience to the board, most of which she has spent in the field of higher education and K-12. Garcia Walton previously served five years at Strayer University in Washington, D.C. where she held multiple roles, including Vice President of Human Resources and Sr. Associate General Counsel, Vice president of Academic Operations, and Vice Provost. Garcia Walton has served as a commentator on workplace issues for major media outlets, including The Washington Post, Fox News and National Public Radio. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia and her B.A. in English from Stetson University. She is licensed to practice law in Colorado, the District of Columbia, and Virginia and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources.

Mr. Babbrah, a software and digital media executive, brings his extensive experience driving growth for higher education institutions through innovation in student outcomes to the board. He is currently the managing partner of Flipp.ED Ventures, LLC, where he serves as an advisor and operating executive for private equity firms and their portfolio companies (K-12, Higher Education and Workplace Education) specializing in product-market innovation, digital marketing, M&A, scale-up operations, and ML/AI-led digital transformations. Mr. Babbrah previously served as the Chief Digital Officer for Penn Foster Education, where he led the company’s employer-centric growth strategy and launched a competency-based learning platform that helped improve the progression and engagement outcomes for more than 150,000 adult learners. Prior to that Mr. Babbrah served in several executive leadership roles at companies such as McGraw Hill Education, Pearson Education and Archipelago Learning.

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Dr. Cini, Ms. Garcia Walton and Mr. Babbrah, will help drive the development and success of the College’s cutting-edge blended learning modality, which offers students a mix of online and campus-based curricular experiences to help better meet the demands of their busy schedules. Industry research has found that such programs have the potential to increase student learning outcomes while lowering attrition rates compared to equivalent online-only or campus-only courses. In addition to its blended learning courses, Bryant & Stratton College also offers three other learning options for students: day classes, evening classes and online classes.

“I’m excited to have such strong additions to our Board of Directors,” said Dr. Francis J. Felser, Bryant and Stratton College President and CEO. “This talented group of individuals will work to ensure we remain forward-looking through blended learning and the utilization of emerging electronic and instructional technologies. All of which will enhance and improve teaching and learning to best prepare students for the ever-evolving demands of the workforce.”

For more information about Bryant & Stratton College, visit www.bryantstratton.edu.

ABOUT Bryant & STRATTON COLLEGE: Founded in 1854, Bryant & Stratton College has built its reputation and success on a commitment to excellence and high standards. Bryant & Stratton College is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) www.msche.org. Bryant & Stratton College has campus locations in New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as an Online Education division, and a Continuing Education department. For over 170 years, Bryant & Stratton College has offered students access to career-relevant education leading to bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees and professional certificates in the fields of healthcare, business, criminal justice, design, financial services, hospitality, human resources, paralegal studies and information technology. In addition to access to education, Bryant & Stratton College offers students access to tools to help ensure their greatest chance at success through their Career Life Prep® program. Bryant & Stratton works with students to best map individual career paths – teaching the soft skills employer’s value most, helping establish valuable professional connections and internships and offering career services support even after graduation. Bryant & Stratton College is committed to helping students succeed in their education and beyond.