Capella Education Co.

J. Kevin Gilligan joined our company on March 2, 2009 to serve as our Chief Executive Officer. He was previously the Chief Executive Officer of United Subcontractors, Inc., a nationwide construction services company, from 2004 until February 2009. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Gilligan served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Automation and Control Solutions Group of Honeywell International, a diversified technology and manufacturing company. From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Gilligan served as President of the Home and Building Control Division of Honeywell International. He also served as president of the Solutions and Services Division of Honeywell International from 1997 to 1999 and as Vice President and General Manager of the North American Region of the Home and Building Control Division from 1994 to 1997. Mr. Gilligan is a member of the board of directors for Graco Inc., a publicly held manufacturer and supplier of fluid handling equipment, and until February 2009 was a member of the board and the lead independent director for ADC, Inc., a publicly held global supplier of network infrastructure. Mr. Gilligan earned a B.A. from Boston College.

Kevin Gilligan joined Capella Education Company as CEO in 2009, when he also was appointed to the company's board of directors. His previous experience includes more than 20 years of executive experience in service industries. From 2004 to 2009, he was president and CEO of United Subcontractors, Inc. (USI), a national construction services firm based in Edina, Minnesota. Previously he was president and CEO of Honeywell International's second largest business, Automation and Control Systems, where he oversaw 43,000 employees and revenues of $7.5 billion. He joined Honeywell in 1977, and held a variety of executive positions with national and international responsibilities. Gilligan is a graduate of Boston College, with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Political Science. He sits on the board of directors of Graco, and is a former lead director on the board of directors of ADC.

Michael J. Offerman was appointed vice chairman, external university initiatives, in 2007 after serving as president of Capella University and senior vice president of Capella Education Company from 2001 2007. He has an extensive background in adult and distance learning and is a frequent speaker at national conferences on these topics. He also is a member of the Presidents' Forum, a consortium of regionally accredited, adult-serving higher education institutions, and led the working group that developed the Forum's groundbreaking Transparency By Design initiative. Prior to joining Capella, Offerman held continuing education leadership positions at the University of Arizona and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He was also dean of the Division of Continuing Education at the University of Wisconsin-Extension and founding executive director of the University of Wisconsin Learning Innovations Center. Offerman received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Iowa, a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Doctor of Education in Educational Policy Studies at Northern Illinois University. He has served on a number of national boards including the American Council on Education, the University Continuing Education Association, and the National Technology Advisory Board.

Stephen Shank founded Capella Education Company, the parent company of Capella University, in 1991, and served as CEO of the company until his 2009 retirement. He remains the chairman of Capella Education Company, a position he has held since the company went public in 2006, and the chancellor of Capella University, a position he has held since 2001. He is also a voting director on Capella University's board of directors, having previously served as an emeritus director from 2003 to 2006, and as a voting director from 1993 to 2003. Prior to founding Capella, Shank served for 12 years as chairman and chief executive officer of Tonka Corporation. During this time, The Wall Street Transcript twice recognized Shank as the industry's most outstanding chief executive officer. Shank began his career as an attorney with the Minneapolis law firm of Dorsey & Whitney. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa, a Master of Arts from The Fletcher School, a joint program of Tufts and Harvard universities, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Scott M. Henkel joined Capella Education Company in 2004 and has served as chief information officer since that time. In 2007, he also assumed the role of senior vice president, operations. From 1994 to 2003, Henkel was chief information officer and vice president of software engineering at Datacard Group in Minneapolis. Henkel earned a Bachelor of Arts from Metropolitan State University and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the College of St. Thomas (now the University of St. Thomas), both located in St. Paul, Minn.

Heidi K. Thom has been serving as Senior Vice President of Marketing of our company since July 2004. From 2003 to July 2004, Ms. Thom served as our Vice President of Marketing. From 2000 to 2003, Ms. Thom served as Vice President of Business Development and Marketing Services at Land O’Lakes Inc., a national food and agricultural cooperative. From 1998 to 2000, Ms. Thom served as Category Vice President of Frozen Foods at The Pillsbury Company, a food manufacturing company. Ms. Thom earned a B.S. from Moorhead State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

Kyle Carpenter joined Capella Education Company in 2009 as senior vice president of strategy and business development. Carpenter brings more than 30 years of business strategy and development experience to his new role. He most recently served as president and CEO of Boxcar Holdings LLC, a private equity firm with holdings in the entertainment, real estate, and printing industries. Previously, Carpenter served as president & CEO of Electrosonic Group, an international business providing comprehensive digital media solutions and services; and held numerous vice president roles at Honeywell, an international business leader in diversified technology and manufacturing. Carpenter earned his bachelor's degree from Duke University, and also has completed management programs at Harvard University and Aspen Institute. He serves on the board of directors of the Harlem Globetrotters, Twin Cities Public Television, and CompView Systems, where he currently serves as executive chairman.

Watson brings 23 years of experience in marketing, brand and product development, and general management to this position. Most recently, he served as the Vice President of Consumer Strategy and Insight at the Select Comfort Corporation. Prior to that, Watson was an independent consultant. He has also been the chief marketing and strategy officer for Simondelivers.com, and President and COO of Recovery Engineering, the makers of the PUR water filter. Watson also has significant executive marketing and general management experience with Pillsbury and Kraft. Watson holds a bachelor of arts in French at Northwestern University, and an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Sally B. Chial was appointed vice president, human resources of Capella Education Company in 2007. Prior to joining Capella, she was a member of the senior leadership teams for organizational effectiveness and human resources at Cargill from 2004 to 2007 and served as one of the company's lead human resource managers from 2001 to 2004. Her more than 25 years of leadership experience also includes senior human resources and administrative management positions with BRW Inc., the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the City of Roseville, and Washington County. Chial earned a Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis on human resources and finance from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minn., and a Master of Arts in public administration, with an emphasis on human resources and organizational development, from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn.

Elizabeth A. Nordin joined our company in 2004 and has been serving as Vice President of Operations of our company since then. From 2001 to 2004, Ms. Nordin served as Senior Vice President of Information Technology at Pearson, plc, a media company, Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Pearson Education, a business unit within Pearson, plc, and Vice President and Chief Information Officer at NCS Pearson, Inc., a subsidiary of Pearson Education. Prior to that, Ms. Nordin worked for 15 years in various senior information technology positions at Liberty Enterprises, a check printing and services company, and Honeywell, a manufacturing and service organization. Ms. Nordin earned a B.A. from Augsburg College.

Elizabeth M. Rausch joined our company in 1999 and has been serving as our Vice President, Human Resources since then. From 1985 to 1999, Ms. Rausch served as Director and Manager of Human Resources at Marigold Foods, Inc., a regional food and dairy processing organization. Ms. Rausch earned a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and a M.S. degree from Mankato State University.

Gregory W. Thom joined Capella Education Company in 2003 and has been serving as vice president, general counsel of the company, and secretary of the company's board of directors since that time. From 2002 to 2003, he served as vice president, global sales and distribution, at Datacard Group, and from 2000 to 2002, as vice president, government solutions, with the same company. He was Datacard Group’s vice president, general counsel, and secretary from 1994 to 2000. From 1991 to 1994, Thom was an attorney with Dorsey & Whitney LLP, a Minneapolis-based law firm. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Bethel College (now Bethel University), a Master of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut, and a Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law.

Linda Muehlbauer came to Capella University in 2001 as director of enrollment services. In 2003, she was named vice president of operations and in 2004, vice president of business management. Since 2005, she has served Capella University as vice president of learner support. Muehlbauer came to Capella from Bank of America Mortgage, where she developed Internet and traditional business expertise in the areas of sales, customer service and retention, and quality service training and process implementation. At Bank of America Mortgage, Muehlbauer was recognized as one of the bank's top customer experience leaders and for achieving 98 percent overall customer satisfaction through the implementation of quality training programs. Muehlbauer has a Bachelor of Science from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, where she is currently pursuing an executive MBA degree.

Jon Q. Reynolds, Jr. has served as a director of our company since 2005. Since 1999, Mr. Reynolds has been a general partner at Technology Crossover Ventures, a venture capital firm he joined in 1997. Mr. Reynolds earned an A.B. degree in geography from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Karen Viechnicki joined Capella in 2002. She came to Capella from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where she served as dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies from 1998-2002. From 1992-1998 she served as interim dean and associate dean in the College of Education at Ohio University. Prior to 1992, Viechnicki served as director of Off Campus Programs and Field Experiences at Kent State University. Viechnicki's professional training has been in the areas of teacher preparation, program evaluation, and higher education administration. She has taught graduate and undergraduate courses and served on numerous dissertation committees. In addition, she taught for several years in K-12 settings. Viechnicki received her Bachelor of Arts from Arcadia University and her Master of Arts from the University of Akron, Ohio. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in curriculum and instruction from Kent State University.

Kurt Linberg, dean of the School of Business and Technology, previously served as a faculty member and program director of IT programs. He joined Capella in 2000, and in 2001 became the founding dean of the School of Technology where he managed the ongoing development of the bachelor's and master's in information technology programs. In July 2004, Linberg assumed leadership of the graduate programs in the combined School of Business and Technology. Prior to his focus in higher education, Linberg spent nearly 20 years in software development and project management with Fortune 500 companies. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in applied management and decision sciences from Walden University. He has the Master of Science in software engineering from the University of St. Thomas and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in applied mathematics from the University of Wisconsin. He has published eight papers and holds seven patents for mission-critical implementation in the medal and education fields. He currently serves on the executive committee of the National University Telecommunications Network and the executive committee of the National Society of IT education.

Valerie Perkins brings more than 26 years of undergraduate education experience to her role as dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies. Perkins came to Capella University in 2003 from Chicago, Ill., where she was employed at Malcolm X College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. In her years with Malcolm X College, she served as associate professor of English, English Department chairperson, dean of Arts and Sciences and vice president for Academic Affairs. Her numerous conference presentations, leadership, and outreach activities won her the City of Chicago's Kathy Ostermann Award for Superior Public Service in 1999 and the Outstanding Administrator Award from the 7th Congressional District, United States Congress, in 2001. She has served as president of the board of directors, University of Illinois-Chicago, Mile Square Health Center; competition chairperson, Illinois Academic Decathlon; and state executive board member, American Association for Women in Community Colleges.

Darrell R. Tukua has been a Capella Education Company director since 2004. From 1988 to 2003, when he retired, Tukua was a partner at KPMG LLP, a public accounting firm he joined in 1976. Since 2005, Tukua has served on the board of directors of The MMIC Group, an insurance company, where he is also a member of the audit and budget committees. In 2007, he became a member of the boards of directors of two subsidiaries of The MMIC Group, MMIC Technology Solutions and MMIC Agency. Tukua also has been a member of the Gate City Bank board of directors and its audit, nominating/corporate governance, and compensation committees since 2005. During 2004, he was an advisory board member of Gate City Bank. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota. Tukua earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of South Dakota.

Jeffrey W. Taylor has served as a director of Capella Education Company since 2002. He is currently senior vice president, U.S. government policy and investor relations, for Pearson plc. He previously served as president of Pearson, Inc., the U.S. holding company of Pearson plc, from 2003 to 2008, and as vice president of government relations for Pearson, Inc., from 2000 to 2003. From 1994 to 2000, he was vice president and chief financial officer of National Computer Systems, an education testing and software company. Taylor earned a Bachelor of Science from Indiana State University.

Kimberly Spoor is a core faculty member in professional studies and the FirstCourse faculty lead in the School of Education at Capella University. Spoor was principal of the Ojibwe School, a grades 6-12 tribal grant school on the Fond du Lac Reservation in Cloquet, Minn. Subsequently, she became an assistant professor at the College of St. Scholastica, where she also served as the director of student affairs in teacher education and developed and directed the Ojibwe Language and Culture Education program. Spoor's background includes a 13-year career in health services, which included respiratory therapy, hemodynamic monitoring, and polysomnography. Spoor is interested in issues in equity education with a focus on American Indian education and culture. She has presented papers on a number of topics, including "Alternative Ways of Thinking and Learning with an Emphasis on Anishinaabe Teachings and Culture," at the National Association of Native American Studies in Houston, Texas; "Over-representation of Students of Color in Special Education," at Lincoln College, Oxford University in England; and "Preservation and Revitalization of Indigenous Languages," at the University of London in England. Spoor has a Bachelor of Arts in social science from the College of St. Scholastica, a Master of Education from Harvard University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Capella University. She also completed the Harvard Principals' Center's Summer Institute. Return to University Mission & Leadership page.

Greene most recently served as vice president of sales and distribution for Financial Services at IBM, responsible for setting business development strategy and driving growth across the $24 billion banking, financial markets and insurance industry segment. Prior to that, he served for four years as general manager of IBM's Global Banking unit, the company's largest industry vertical, with responsibility for driving performance of the company's $14 billion, worldwide business portfolio of 1,200 banking clients. Before that, he led strategy and business development for IBM's Financial Services Strategy and Solutions division. Earlier in his IBM career, Greene served as vice president of IBM's SecureWay software business group, focused on e-business infrastructure products, and played a central role in developing IBM's electronic commerce software strategy as co-founder of the company's e-commerce initiative now known as IBM WebSphere. Prior to joining IBM, he served in leadership roles with companies including Technology Solutions Company (New York, NY), Berkeley Investment Technologies and Citicorp. He began his career in 1982 as an economist with the Federal Reserve Board.

Patricia Cardenas-Adame is vice president of student affairs at Mesa Community College, the largest of the ten Maricopa Community Colleges in Arizona. Cardenas-Adame earned her Doctor of Philosophy in higher education administration from Capella University. She also holds a Master of Arts in human resource management from Emmanuel College in Boston, Mass., and a Bachelor of Science in secondary education from Texas A & M University. Cardenas-Adame's professional experience includes more than 20 years in higher education specializing in the enrollment and student life areas of student support services. Her experience in education ranges from classroom experience to student support. She works from a student-centered philosophy to provide teaching and learning opportunities that meet the unique needs of diverse students. Additionally, Cardenas-Adame is a committed community leader who is an active member of various civic organizations. Her career has included employment at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Gilbert, Ariz.; Rice University in Houston; Rio Salado College in Phoenix; Emmanuel College in Boston; Houston Baptist University in Houston; and Texas A & M University in Kingsville, Texas.

Paul A. Schroeder has been serving as a Senior Vice President of Capella University since April 2006, primarily responsible for the day-to-day operations of Capella University. In addition, he has been serving as a Senior Vice President of Capella Education Company since 2004, and as a director of Capella University since 2003. From 2004 to March 2006, Mr. Schroeder served as our Senior Vice President, Business Management, from 2003 to 2004, Mr. Schroeder served as our Senior Vice President, Business and Technology and from 2001 to 2003, Mr. Schroeder served as our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Schroeder held various executive management positions, including Senior Vice President, General Manager and Chief Financial Officer, with Datacard Group, a privately held company providing hardware and software solutions to the financial card and government ID markets. From 1984 to 1997, Mr. Schroeder held a variety of financial management positions at NCR Corporation, an NYSE-listed technology systems and services company. Mr. Schroeder earned a B.A. from Haverford College and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University s Kellogg School of Management. He also completed additional graduate work at the University of Illinois.

Priscilla McNulty joined Capella in April 2004 and serves as corporate counsel and regulatory advisor to the organization. McNulty's background includes legal and corporate development with three multi-billion-dollar international corporations. She also has substantial experience dealing with public policy and government affairs. Prior to entering the corporate world, she was in private practice with a notable Minneapolis law firm and served as judicial law clerk to the chief judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota. McNulty earned her BA and MA Ed degrees with honors from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., and her Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law. While attending William Mitchell, she was awarded a fellowship in international law from Cambridge University. McNulty has experience working with international business affairs, including mergers and acquisitions, as well as development of businesses of all sizes from start-ups to diversified enterprises.

Sharan B. Merriam is a professor of adult education at The University of Georgia in Athens, where her responsibilities include teaching graduate courses in adult education and qualitative research methods and supervising graduate student research. Her doctorate is in adult education from Rutgers University. Before coming to Georgia, she served on the faculties of Northern Illinois University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Merriam's research and writing activities have focused on the foundations of adult education, adult development, adult learning, and qualitative research methods. For five years she was co-editor of Adult Education Quarterly, the major research and theory journal in adult education. She is a three-time winner of the prestigious Cyril O. Houle World Award for Literature in Adult Education for books published in 1982, 1997, and 1999. She regularly presents seminars on adult learning and qualitative research throughout North America, Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. In 1999 she was a Fulbright Scholar to Malaysia.