James Rhyu, Chief Executive Officer, joined Stride in June 2013 and became CEO in January 2021. He brings 30 years of operational, financial, and public company experience to Stride.

Prior to his CEO role, Mr. Rhyu served as Stride’s President of Corporate Strategy, Marketing, and Technology, Chief Financial Officer, and President of Product and Technology. In these positions, Mr. Rhyu spearheaded development of new products and services and led the development of marketing and messaging to support market expansions as well as executed on merger and acquisition opportunities that support Stride’s growth strategy.

Before his tenure at Stride, Mr. Rhyu served as CFO and Chief Administrative Officer of Match.com, a subsidiary of publicly traded IAC/InterActiveCorp. In those roles, he was responsible for overseeing a broad range of functions, including human resources, legal, information technology and operations, and certain international operations and product development.

Prior to his roles at Match.com, Mr. Rhyu was a SVP of Finance at Dow Jones & Company where he ran the global financial function. Previously, he served for three years as the Corporate Controller of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and its predecessor company, XM Satellite Radio, as well as serving in the same role for Graftech International. Mr. Rhyu also spent six years with Ernst & Young LLP in the United States and South America.

Kevin Chavous is a noted education reform leader and innovator with a well-chronicled track record of empowering families with education choice and driving change and opportunity for learners of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances. Mr. Chavous is the President at Stride. In this role, he leads initiatives to expand the company’s career learning offerings, and increase the accessibility to the services the company provides across the nation.

Mr. Chavous has worked to advance quality education programs around the nation, most notably as the Education Committee Chair of the Council of the District of Columbia, where he helped to shepherd the charter school movement into the nation’s capital. In addition, he was the founding Board President of Washington Latin Public Charter School, the third performing charter school in Washington, D.C., and in 2016, he was inducted into the District of Columbia Hall of Fame.

Beyond his work in D.C., Mr. Chavous has been instrumental in advancing charter school and education choice programs around the country. He is the founder of Democrats for Education Reform and a founding board member of the American Federation for Children.

A prolific writer and inspirational speaker, Mr. Chavous’ opinion editorials have appeared in many major newspapers, and he has given education reform speeches in nearly every state. Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Purdue University president called Mr. Chavous “the most effective advocate for children in America.”

Additionally, as an accomplished author, Mr. Chavous has published six books, including Serving Our Children: Charter Schools and the Reform of American Public Education; Voices of Determination: Children that Defy the Odds; and Building a Learning Culture in America. He is also the author of the Jackson Lowery Trilogy fiction series, which includes three political thrillers: The Plan, The Fund and The Shipment.

Mr. Chavous is also a very successful attorney. For many years he was a senior partner at SNR Denton, LLP, which today is the largest law firm in the world. While at SNR Denton, Mr. Chavous founded and chaired the firm’s highly successful diversity initiative and provided advisory counsel to a number of corporate clients. He has been licensed to practice law in four states and has been an adjunct professor at the Washington College of Law at American University.

Mr. Chavous graduated from Wabash College, where he was an NCAA District All-American in basketball. He was inducted into the Wabash Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. In that same year, he received the distinguished Outstanding Alumni Award from his alma mater, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory High School in Indianapolis. Mr. Chavous graduated from the Howard University School of Law, where he was president of his graduating class. Mr. Chavous has three adult sons and lives in Vienna, Virginia with his wife, Amber.

Dr. Charles “Tony” Bennett, President of Schools, has more than three decades of experience in school management, strategic planning, and operations. As one of the nation’s foremost experts in education policy, he manages and implements a diverse portfolio of initiatives and programs that support, measure, track, and ultimately improve student academic achievement and growth across schools powered by Stride K12.

Dr. Bennett began his career as a high school science teacher and rapidly ascended to leadership roles in two of the country’s pioneering education reform states: Florida and Indiana. He served as Commissioner of Education in Florida before starting TBX2, Inc./Education Reform Strategies, a consulting company that focuses on supporting education reform across the country.

Prior to TBX2, Inc., Dr. Bennett served as State Superintendent in Indiana. During his tenure, the state saw record high-school graduation rates and participation and success rates in Advanced Placement® courses and exams, student achievement on the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP) assessment rose dramatically, and improvement in the state’s National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) results was ranked among the top three in the United States.

Dr. Bennett previously held roles in Indiana as School Corporation Superintendent for Greater Clark County Schools and Assistant Superintendent for Administration and Operations at New Albany Floyd County Schools. He also served on the board of the Council of Chief State School Officers, the governing board of the Partnership for the Assessment for Readiness for College and Career (PARCC), and was a founding member and former chair of Chiefs for Change.

Dr. Bennett holds a doctoral degree in education and a superintendent license from Spalding University. He earned his certification in secondary administration and supervision, a master’s degree in secondary education, and a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Indiana University Southeast.

Donna Blackman, Stride’s CFO, brings more than 20 years of experience in accounting, finance, and strategic planning. As CFO, Blackman informs Stride’s efforts to lead innovation in education for learners of all ages.  She had previously served as Stride’s Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer.

Prior to joining Stride in 2020, Ms. Blackman served as the SVP of Business Operations at BET Networks, where she oversaw finance, strategy, research, live events, security, facilities, and operations. During her tenure at BET, she also held roles as SVP and Head of Finance, SVP, Financial Planning and Analysis, and SVP Finance and Controller.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Blackman worked for Marriott International and KPMG in a variety of leadership roles in accounting and finance.

Ms. Blackman earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, a bachelor’s degree in accounting from North Carolina State University, and is a certified public accountant.

Bryan Flood, SVP, Public Affairs, joined Stride in 2002. Mr. Flood previously served as a public affairs strategist, consultant, and spokesman for corporations, interest groups, and senatorial, gubernatorial, and presidential campaigns.

As Vice President at the MPGH Agency, a Virginia-based public affairs consulting firm, he advised clients ranging from high tech start-ups to Fortune 500 firms, including several leading education companies. Mr. Flood helped clients like MCI, The Learning Company, and Achievement Technologies win complex public policy and opinion battles by designing and managing advocacy campaigns at the local, state, and national levels. While serving at MPGH in 1999, Mr. Flood helped direct a sweeping review of the military recruitment process for the United States Department of Defense.

Mr. Flood was chief spokesman for Michigan Governor John Engler’s successful reelection campaign in 1994, and was national spokesman for United States Senator Lamar Alexander’s presidential campaign in 1995–1996.

Mr. Flood holds a BA in public policy from New College of Florida.

Todd Goldthwaite, managing director of portfolio companies, has more than 25 years of experience in technological innovation, marketing, operations management, and enterprise sales. At Stride, Mr. Goldthwaite manages a growing number of portfolio companies. He also leads Stride’s enrollment and customer service operations.

Prior to this role, Mr. Goldthwaite served as Stride’s chief marketing officer. He also previously served as senior vice president of school services for Stride’s online public schools. In this position, he amplified best practices and drove improvements in academic performance, teacher effectiveness, and student retention.

Before joining Stride, Mr. Goldthwaite managed operations for Blackboard Student Services. He also spent 18 years in the telecommunications field. This includes a position at MCI Communications where he launched operations for the company’s emerging telemarketing and customer service business, established call centers across the country, and expanded the company’s global sales and service footprint to five international locations.

Janice Gruneberg, executive vice president of K12 Operations, brings more than 30 years of experience to the Stride management team. Ms. Gruneberg oversees marketing, enrollment, curriculum, enrichment, customer experience and retention activities that represent the full lifecycle of the K-12 private and public-school students that the company supports.

In previous positions at Stride, Ms. Gruneberg led operational and compliance efforts that fostered improved student and school outcomes; supported the launch and rapid growth of several K12-powered schools; and pioneered new positions as the organization grew from a startup to the industry leader it is today. Due in large part to her efforts, Stride’s managed school compliance and operations programs are best in class for risk mitigations, customer service and revenue assurance and improvement.

Prior to joining Stride, Ms. Gruneberg led the development of online course work for adults at MindQ and served as a special education teacher in Virginia’s Fairfax County Public Schools.

Ms. Gruneberg is a graduate of George Mason University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in special education.

Deb Hannah, Stride’s chief marketing officer, brings more than 25 years of experience in marketing, brand development, and digital strategy to the Stride management team.

At Stride, Ms. Hannah leads a variety of product and integrated marketing initiatives, creative strategy, website performance, customer relationship management (CRM), and data analytics.

Prior to joining Stride, Ms. Hannah served as senior vice president of marketing at Shoe Carnival, where she led the company’s broader marketing organization in addition to e-commerce, store design management, and corporate communications. Previously, Ms. Hannah spent more than 20 years in various marketing, merchandising and management roles in the consumer-packaged goods and retail industries for companies such as Kellogg’s, the Starbucks Coffee Company, and the Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

She earned a Master of Business Administration from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University.

Valerie Maddy, SVP, Human Resources at Stride, brings more than 20 years of global leadership and innovation in the full range of human resources disciplines. At Stride, Ms. Maddy is leading the development and implementation of new systems, processes, policies, and programs aimed at maximizing every employee’s contribution to student academic success. As part of that effort, she is working with business teams to drive alignment, clarity and competitive advantage across the company and to plan, acquire, develop, and retain the talent required to achieve organizational goals.

Prior to joining Stride, Ms. Maddy was VP, Global Human Resources Operations for Ciena Corporation, a global leader in next-generation network infrastructure. While there, she introduced reliable automation to human resources systems, significantly increasing efficiency levels, and led the human resources due diligence efforts and integration activities of eight acquisitions. Before rising to this position, Ms. Maddy served in a number of leadership roles at Ciena in the areas of Global Total Rewards and Global Risk Management.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Maddy held leadership roles in Human Resources and Finance at Crown Vantage, a specialty paper manufacturer and distributor. Prior to that, she served in Human Resources and Auditing roles at SAFECO and American General, both providers of financial and insurance services.

Ms. Maddy is a graduate of Humboldt State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in business administration. She holds a certificate in Global Benefits Management, a designation from Fellow Life Management Institute, and is also a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist and Certified Internal Auditor.

Niyoka McCoy, Stride’s Chief Learning Officer, has decades of experience building strong academic programs, driving initiatives that promote academic equity, and creating professional development opportunities for teachers and school leaders.

Prior to her current role, she served as Stride’s Chief Academic Officer and Senior Vice President of Academic Services. In these positions, Ms. McCoy—in partnership with the Regional Vice Presidents of Academics—led a suite of programs and initiatives that tracked and supported achievement and growth among students, administrators, and school leaders. Additionally, she managed the Academic Services organization, including the assessment, special programs, accountability, counseling, and talent development teams.

A published author and former teacher, Ms. McCoy earned a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College, a master’s degree in education from Mercer University, and a post-graduate degree in curriculum and instruction from Capella University.

Peter Stewart, SVP of School Development, works with parents, teachers, community groups, school districts, school boards, departments of education, and policy makers across the United States and internationally to start new high-tech schools that use the Stride K12 academic program.

In the past seven years, Mr. Stewart has helped develop large-scale, public e-learning programs in 16 states that currently serve more than 100,000 courses annually.

Prior to joining Stride in 2000, Mr. Stewart was a Head of School, a teacher, a school principal, and a curriculum director with 10years of experience working in urban, rural, and international schools.

Mr. Stewart holds a BA in English from Williams College and an MA from Columbia University Teachers College.

Vida is a visionary advocate committed to ensuring that innovation serves humanity. With a background in data science, she leverages her expertise to catalyze social and economic progress within communities. Her diverse experiences span across industries, including energy, healthcare, and education, where she has consistently championed transformative change.

Vida served as Chief Digital and Branding Officer at the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority.  Prior to that she assumed the dual roles of Chief Data Officer and Chief Diversity Officer at SingleStone, a testament to her belief that technological advancements must be guided by principles of inclusivity and ethical responsibility.

Recognized as an industry leader, Vida served as the inaugural “Innovator in Residence” at VCU’s da Vinci Center in 2017, further solidifying her reputation as a trailblazer in innovation and education. In 2013, she co-founded Axis Partners, Inc., a social enterprise consulting firm dedicated to empowering mission-driven organizations through data architecture, process engineering, and data sciences.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Vida remains deeply engaged in her community, serving on the boards of esteemed organizations such as the Biotech Authority Board, Code VA, Activation Capital, and Dominion Energy Innovation Center. Through her multifaceted contributions, Vida continues to drive positive change at the intersection of technology, data, and society, leaving an indelible mark on the world around her.

Dr. Barrett joined us as a director in September 2010 and became Chairman in October 2022. He served as Chairman and CEO of Intel Corporation, which he joined in 1974, until his retirement in 2009. Prior to Intel Corporation, Dr. Barrett was a member of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering faculty of Stanford University.

Dr. Barrett currently serves as Co-Chairman of Achieve, Inc., an independent, bipartisan, nonprofit education reform organization; Chairman of Change the Equation, an organization promoting widespread literacy in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); President and Chairman of BASIS Schools, Inc.; Vice Chair of the Science Foundation Arizona; and Co-Chairman of the Business Coalition for Student Achievement.

Dr. Barrett holds BS, MS and PhD degrees in materials science from Stanford University. Dr. Barrett was selected as a Chairman because of his deep knowledge and experience in information technology innovation, as well as his global, operational, and leadership experience at Intel Corporation. He also brings a unique perspective to the Board of Directors from his tenure as a professor and his volunteer work and support of numerous educational organizations.

James Rhyu, Chief Executive Officer, joined Stride in June 2013 and became CEO in January 2021. He brings 30 years of operational, financial, and public company experience to Stride.

Prior to his CEO role, Mr. Rhyu served as Stride’s President of Corporate Strategy, Marketing, and Technology, Chief Financial Officer, and President of Product and Technology. In these positions, Mr. Rhyu spearheaded development of new products and services and led the development of marketing and messaging to support market expansions as well as executed on merger and acquisition opportunities that support Stride’s growth strategy.

Before his tenure at Stride, Mr. Rhyu served as CFO and Chief Administrative Officer of Match.com, a subsidiary of publicly traded IAC/InterActiveCorp. In those roles, he was responsible for overseeing a broad range of functions, including human resources, legal, information technology and operations, and certain international operations and product development.

Prior to his roles at Match.com, Mr. Rhyu was a SVP of Finance at Dow Jones & Company where he ran the global financial function. Previously, he served for three years as the Corporate Controller of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and its predecessor company, XM Satellite Radio, as well as serving in the same role for Graftech International. Mr. Rhyu also spent six years with Ernst & Young LLP in the United States and South America.

The Honorable Aida M. Alvarez joined us in April 2017. Ms. Alvarez is the first Latino woman to hold a United States cabinet-level position, serving as the administrator of the Small Business Administration for President Clinton from 1997 to 2001. Ms. Alvarez was the founding director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, where she was charged with financial oversight of the secondary housing market, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac. She also worked for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, Bear Stearns & Company, Inc., and the First Boston Corporation.

Ms. Alvarez is currently an Independent Director of HP Inc. She has served on the boards of directors of Bill.com since May 2022; Fastly, Inc. since August 2019; HP Inc. since February 2016; and Oportun, Inc. (formerly Progress Financial Corporation) since 2011. From 2006 to June 2016, Ms. Alvarez served on the board of directors of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and from 2004 to 2014, served on the boards of directors of MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation (formerly UnionBanCal Corporation) and MUFG Union Bank N.A. (formerly Union Bank N.A.). From 2014 to 2019, she served on the board of directors of Zoosk, Inc.

Ms. Alvarez holds honorary doctorate degrees from Iona College, Bethany College in Kansas, Mercy College, and the Inter-American University in Puerto Rico. She graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College.

Mr. Fink joined us as a director in October 2003, currently serves as Chairman of the Audit Committe, and is a member of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Fink is  the Deputy Chairman of Heron International and a Director of the Foundation of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Mr. Fink served as a director of Nobel Learning Communities, Inc., from 2003 to 2011. From 1999 to 2009, Mr. Fink served as a director of Leapfrog, Inc., and its Chairman from 2004 to 2009. From 2000 to 2008, Mr. Fink was the CEO of Lawrence Investments, LLC. Mr. Fink has also previously served as Chairman and CEO of Anthony Manufacturing, Chairman and Managing Director of Knowledge Universe, and Chairman and CEO of Nextera Enterprises.

Mr. Fink holds a BS in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and a JD and an LLM from New York University. Mr. Fink was selected as a director based on his significant experience in operations and financial oversight gained as serving as director or chairman for various public and private companies in addition to his membership on various company audit committees, which enables him to contribute significantly to the financial oversight, risk oversight, and governance of the Company.

Mr. Knowling joined us as a director in 2018. He is Chairman of Eagles Landing Partners, which specializes in helping senior management formulate strategy, lead organizational transformations, and re-engineer businesses. He serves on the Board of Directors at Rite Aid. Earlier in his career he served as CEO of the NYC Leadership Academy, an independent nonprofit corporation created by Chancellor Joel I. Klein and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that is chartered with developing the next generation of principals in the New York City public school system.

Knowling has also held roles as CEO of Telwares; Chairman and CEO of SimDesk Technologies, Inc.; and Chairman, President and CEO of Covad Communications. He was awarded the Wall Street Project’s Reginald Lewis Trailblazers Award by President Clinton and the Reverend Jesse Jackson in 1999. Knowling serves on the board of directors for Roper Technologies in Sarasota, Florida and Stream Companies in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Knowling received a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology from Wabash College and a Master of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Ms. Allison Lawrence has worked for Stanley Black & Decker, a worldwide leader in tools and outdoor products, for nearly 20 years. Currently, Ms. Lawrence serves as president of the company’s global eCommerce business leading the strategic expansion of its online sales, direct-to-consumer, digital media, and merchandising initiatives.

Before her current role, Ms. Lawrence held several executive leadership positions at Stanley Black & Decker, including BLACK+DECKER Business President, Vice President, and Chief of Staff to the CEO and various commercialization roles. Among her many accomplishments during her tenure, Ms. Lawrence led efforts that accelerated company-wide programs that optimized return and delivered value for the company while continually placing Stanley Black & Decker’s iconic brands front and center for its dedicated end users and customers.

Ms. Lawrence currently serves as a member of the executive leadership council on the national board for A Better Chance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to substantially increasing the number of well-educated young leaders of color who can assume leadership positions. Ms. Lawrence also serves on the board of Hartford Hospital, one of the largest teaching hospitals in New England.

Ms. Lawrence earned a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Oklahoma State University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She also earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Ms. McFadden joined us as a director in August 2017 and chairs  our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. She founded LIZA and Partners LLC which provides consulting services for nonprofits and foundations. Previously, she served as  President and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, an organization that believes education is a civil right, no matter one’s age. McFadden’s experience in education is well rounded: she is a former high school teacher, Florida Department of Education administrator, and served in Governor Jeb Bush’s administration where she spearheaded efforts to encourage 200,000 mentors to support public school children.

McFadden was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate to serve on the National Institute for Literacy Board. She is the inaugural recipient of the Women Who Mean Business Service Award in her hometown of Tallahassee for her community service and currently serves as a board member for Reading Partners, Florida State Parks Foundation, Suwannee River Area Council Boy Scouts of America and was recently appointed by Governor DeSantis as a member of the Children Services Council of Leon County. McFadden holds a master’s degree from Florida State University and a bachelor’s degree from Fitchburg State University.

Mr. Ralph Smith is the Founding Managing Director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, a collaborative effort supported by foundations, nonprofit partners, business leaders, and individual donors. This organization supports a network of 350+ communities in developing and implementing plans to ensure early schooling for children of economically challenged families.

Before his current position, Mr. Smith served as Executive Vice President of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. He also led the Making Connections initiative, a comprehensive effort to assist local communities committed to improving outcomes for families in disinvested communities. Mr. Smith served on the foundation’s senior leadership team for 22 years.

Additionally, as a member of the law faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Smith taught corporations and securities law and education law and policy for two decades. He also served as Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer for the school district of Philadelphia and as a senior advisor on children and family policy to Philadelphia’s mayor.

Mr. Smith earned a BA from Loyola University of Los Angeles and a law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Joseph A. Verbrugge joined Stride’s Board of Directors in August 2022. Mr. Verbrugge serves as Chief Commercial Officer of Sirius XM Holdings Inc., where he leads all commercial elements, outside of advertising sales, focused on growing subscribers and revenue for the SiriusXM, Pandora, and Stitcher brands.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Verbrugge was a management consultant with The Dealy Strategy Group LLC, advising senior leaders of media, technology, and services companies on strategy, operations, and transactions.

He currently serves on the board of directors for Sirius XM Canada. He is also on the board of advisors for Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.

Verbrugge earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Michigan, a Master of Business Administration from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, and a doctoral degree in management studies from the University of Oxford.