Stuart Udell is the new Chief Executive Officer of Penn Foster, Inc. From 2002 - 2007, Stuart served as President of Kaplan K12 Learning Services, a division of Kaplan Inc. and part of The Washington Post Company (WPO). Kaplan K12 was a leading provider of curriculum, technology, and services to many of the nation's largest urban school districts. From 1997-2001, Stuart was President of the School Renaissance Institute, the training, publishing, and research subsidiary of Renaissance Learning (RLRN).

Stuart is currently on the board of directors and is an executive officer of the Software and Information Industry Association, where he also serves on the Education Division board. In addition, he serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network and is on the Board of Directors of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. Stuart has an MBA from Columbia University and a BS from Bucknell University.

Ms. Dempsey joined Penn Foster in 1988. Prior to joining the Company, she was a teacher and served in various positions in education, business, and industry. In 2005, Ms. Dempsey transitioned from Director of Compliance and Academic Affairs to her current position, where she is responsible for academic policies, activities, and strategic direction. Ms. Dempsey received a Bachelor of Science Degree  in Secondary Education from Bloomsburg University and a Master of Science Degree in Correlated Business from the University of Scranton. She is currently serving a second appointed term on the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools and chairs two committees with that Board.

Joseph Piazza, Vice-President Finance: Mr. Piazza joined Penn Foster in 1983 and has held a number of positions including International and Domestic Controller. He assumed the senior finance position in 1999 and was promoted to Vice President in 2005. In this role, he is responsible for financial planning and oversees various operating departments, including all accounting functions. Prior to joining Penn Foster, he was a financial analyst at Prudential Insurance Company. Mr. Piazza received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Scranton and a Master of Business Administration in Business Information Systems from Marywood University.

Sharon Thole, Vice-President Human Resources: Ms. Thole joined Penn Foster in 2004. Prior to joining the Company, she served in Human Resource positions at Fresh America Corp., Heinz Pet Products, the Atlanta Regional Commission, Pathmark Stores, and, most recently, was Director of Human Resources at RCN Corporation. She is currently responsible for both U.S. facilities and provides support to all Canadian operations as well. She oversees all employee and labor relations, administrative functions, coordinates outsourced services and manages recruitment efforts. Ms. Thole received a Bachelor of Arts in English from The Catholic University of America, with a minor in Human Resources Management and a Master of Sciences in Human Resources Administration from the University of Scranton. She is a certified SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) with the Society for Human Resource Management.

Al De Seta is President and Chief Operating Officer of Penn Foster, Inc. Prior to joining Penn Foster, Al was President of ProQuest’s K-12 Market division, where he acquired and grew leading educational technology businesses including SIRS, eLibrary, Reading A-Z and ExploreLearning. Before that, he was Division President at Primedia Inc., a major magazine and information company, and Group President at WRC Media, a leading educational publishing concern.  Al has an MBA from New York University and BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Dr. Ferrin joined Penn Foster in November 2005. Prior to joining the Company, he served in a variety of executive positions at Kansas Wesleyan University, Whitworth College, Maryville College, the Knoxville Museum of Art, The Wakefield Connection, and, most recently, was President of Salem International University. Dr. Ferrin has a Bachelor of Arts from Barrington College, a Master of Education from Rhode Island College, a Doctorate from Stanford University, and participated in a postdoctoral  program at Harvard University.

Tom O’Keefe joined in 2003 to facilitate a realignment of the company with the changing education marketplace. In the latter half of 2005, his responsibilities were extended to overseeing marketing, branding, and student relationship efforts. Prior to joining the company, Tom was president of O’Keefe Media Consulting. Previously, he has served as President of Lighthouse Publishing Services and as a Group Vice President at Cowles Enthusiast Media. Mr. O’Keefe has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from New York University and attended the NYU Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

Robert Bruno, Vice-President Information Technology: Mr. Bruno joined Penn Foster in 1997 as Senior Analyst and Project Leader. Prior to joining the Company, he worked at Dana Perfumes as a Senior Analyst and LAN Administrator. In 2003, he became Director of IT and in 2005 he was promoted to Vice President. His current responsibilities include data warehousing, telephony, PC support, ERP and CRM development, website development and administration. Mr. Bruno received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics from King’s College, Pennsylvania.

Jeffrey Orr, Director of Product Development: Mr. Orr joined Penn Foster in 1994 as a Project Manager in Workforce Development. He subsequently served as Project Manager for Core Products and Lead Project Manager. He was promoted to his current position in 1999 and became responsible for the design, production and maintenance of instruction content. This responsibility includes all intellectual property acquisition and digital asset management for Company-owned content. Prior to joining Penn Foster, Mr. Orr was a Design Engineer and Quality Assurance Manager at High Energy Corporation. He received a Bachelor of Science in Technology Education from Millersville University and a Pennsylvania State Teaching Certificate in Technology Education.