Executive Leadership Summit
2022 Summit
Executive Leadership Summit
The Executive Leadership Summit is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for leaders in the postsecondary career education sector to connect with each other and share ideas. The summit allows for a forum for executives to share ideas, learn from each other, and strengthen relationships. It is an opportunity for attendees to consider new approaches to challenges facing their organizations and the sector and make connections with colleagues who are facing similar issues. 

Registration
Registration for the 2023 event will open in the spring of 2023. 

Hotel
Hotel Omni Mont-Royal
1050 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal, Quebec H3A-2R6
​Reservation link coming soon. 

Travel Advice and Guidance 
We recommend attendees arrive by the morning of November 14th and plan to depart the morning of November 17th. 
2022 Summit
2022 CEO Summit
November 2-3, 2022 | Phoenix, AZ

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Phoenix for the 2022 CECU CEO Summit.
​Next year's event will be held November 14-16 in Montreal, Quebec. 
View speakers from the 2022 Summit
​James Kvaal, U.S. Under Secretary of Education
James Kvaal was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Under Secretary of Education on September 14, 2021. Under Secretary Kvaal was formerly the president of the Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), a research and advocacy nonprofit dedicated to affordability and equity in higher education. 

Under Secretary Kvaal served in the Obama Administration as the deputy domestic policy adviser at the White House and deputy undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Education. He led efforts to cut student loan monthly payments, hold career colleges accountable for excessive debts, and make community colleges tuition-free. He helped organize the White House Summit on College Opportunity, which featured more than 100 college presidents and other leaders committing to actions to help more students graduate from college. He also has served in senior roles in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. 
​Congressman Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01)
Growing up, Tom O'Halleran was taught the value of hard work and honesty in serving his community. He took these lessons and joined the Chicago Police Department where he was commissioned as one of the youngest homicide detectives in the city's history. He served with distinction, receiving countless commendations and awards for his work to serve and protect his community.

Following his service, Tom became a member of the Chicago Board of Trade and opened his own small business. As a member of the board of directors, he chaired the finance, floor operations, and planning committees. His work gave the Board of Trade a vision for the future.
Ron Brownstein
Ron Brownstein is CNN’s senior political and election analyst, a senior editor at the Atlantic, and a contributing editor at National Journal. He is a prolific and penetrating columnist on politics and policy, and the best-selling author or editor of seven books.

Before taking over the political coverage for Atlantic media company, he served as the national political correspondent and a columnist for the Los Angeles times. 

There he was twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and cited for “the clarity, consistency, and quality of his political reporting.” He has also appeared on virtually every political talk show on nearly every network.

​The Economist called Ron “one of America’s best political journalists,” saying, “his speeches reflect the depth of his knowledge of the wide expanse of America’s past and present, making him one of the most trustworthy predictors of America’s future.”
Daniel Brozovic
Daniel Brozovic is a Principal in the Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville Education group representing institutions of higher education, investors, and education loan lenders. Dan’s experience in the higher education sector enables him to provide practical, real-world advice that clients can understand and implement with confidence.

Dan focuses on advising clients in transactions regulated by the U.S. Department of Education and in regulatory matters and administrative litigation before the Department of Education. In addition, he counsels educational institutions regarding compliance with federal, state, accrediting agency, and grant funding agency standards. Dan also has significant experience assisting in civil litigation and arbitration matters, with a particular emphasis on electronic discovery issues and the enforceability of arbitration provisions and the arbitrability of disputes.
Dennis Cariello
Dennis Cariello is a shareholder at Hogan Marren Babbo & Rose, Ltd. and the co-chairman of the firm’s Education Practice. With more than 15 years of experience, he has created a diverse national law practice that allows him to provide a wide range of services to colleges and universities, student lenders, education investors and education technology and service providers. He counsels clients on matters that include education law and policy, corporate transactions, government and regulatory affairs, Title IX and civil rights matters, privacy law and litigation.

Mr. Cariello has advised a number of governmental and non-governmental regulators on higher education policy and process.  Previously, he served as a non-federal negotiator on the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) 2016 Negotiated Rulemaking Panel on “Borrower Defense to Repayment.” In addition to serving as the Chair of Education Regulatory Compliance for an Am Law 100 firm, prior to joining HMBR, Mr. Cariello served at the DOE as Deputy General Counsel for Postsecondary Education and Regulatory Services.
Scott Casanover
Scott Casanover oversees the global legal and government affairs functions for West Coast University and American Career College.  In this capacity he provides advanced litigation strategy, regulatory interpretation and guidance, and key corporate legal support to the schools he serves.

Prior to joining WCU and ACC, Casanover was the General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer for Vatterott College in St. Louis, Missouri. He also served as General Counsel for MAC Meetings and Events, and as Litigation Counsel for the May Department Stores Companies. In addition to these positions, Casanover was a litigation attorney in the St. Louis office of Husch Blackwell.

Scott has over 20 years of professional legal experience in the areas of litigation, transactions, intellectual property, corporate governance and regulation, policy, and compliance.
Jeff Ehrlich 
​Drawing on his deep experience in government service, Jeff Ehrlich represents clients in the consumer-finance space, providing advice and counseling to businesses that compete in markets governed by multiple state and federal agencies that enforce complex and often novel statutes and regulations.
​
Before joining McGuireWoods, Jeff served as deputy enforcement director for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). In that role, he led the CFPB’s Field Litigation Team, managing investigations and litigation in the CFPB’s four regional offices and headquarters. He directed more than 100 enforcement actions against financial-services providers, fintech companies, and retailers, often partnering with other federal regulatory and enforcement agencies and state attorneys general.
Farnaz Farkish Thompson
Farnaz Farkish Thompson serves as a trusted advisor to institutions of higher education, and a Partner and the Deputy Chair of the Education Industry Team at McGuireWoods LLP. Prior to joining McGuireWoods, Farnaz served as the Deputy General Counsel for Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education and also as in-house counsel at the University of Virginia.

She advised the U.S. Department of Education on litigation strategy and worked closely with the U.S. Department of Justice in cases arising under federal antidiscrimination laws and the Administrative Procedure Act.

​She co-authored the 2019 borrower defense to repayment regulations and advised the Office of Postsecondary Education and Federal Student Aid on other regulations governing proprietary schools. 
Jerome Grant
Jerome A. Grant is the Chief Executive Officer for the Universal Technical Institute and serves on the company’s Board of Directors since November 2019. Prior, he joined UTI as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in November 2017. His vision is to help UTI become the leading provider of technical training for students entering careers in automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians, and offers welding technology and computer numerical control (CNC) machining programs. His personal insights and experience are driving the company to embrace state-of-the-art technology, encouraging the development industry-aligned curriculums, and creating quality partnerships with industry leaders to align with student success outside the classroom.
Art M. Lee
Art Lee is the Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for the University of Arizona. He is based primarily at the UA Phoenix Biomedical Campus. Mr. Lee works on a diverse array of matters for the university and handles a variety of matters, including providing general legal counsel and advice to constituents at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus in addition to the rest of the University.

Before joining the University of Arizona, Mr. Lee was an Associate General Counsel with Arizona State University. Prior to that, he served as a Senior Legal Staff Associate Attorney at the University of Colorado. 

Thank you to our sponsors!