Dr. Laura Palmer Noone - Chair of Westwood College Board of Trustees

As president of University of Phoenix, Dr. Laura Palmer Noone led the largest private university in the United States. She retired from that position in 2006 and was named President Emerita of the institution.

University of Phoenix is a pioneer in helping working adults fulfill their personal and career aspirations, offering academic programs at more than 180 campuses throughout North America, Canada and Mexico, as well as online. During Dr. Palmer Noone's tenure, the University became nationally recognized for blending practical and theoretical instruction, so students can apply their knowledge in the workplace.

A mother of two young children, Dr. Palmer Noone understands the challenges working adults face, including the lack of personal time to accomplish one's professional goals. In response, Noone led the development of innovations that changed the higher education landscape. For instance, she helped launch FlexNet, which combined campus and online instruction to allow for scheduling flexibility. During her tenure as President of the University of Phoenix enrollments increased by 293%. She helped accomplished this and more while ensuring the University held itself to the highest academic standards.

Before serving as president, Dr. Palmer Noone was the University's provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. She also has guest lectured at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education and served as faculty at Grand Canyon University and Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Her impressive background includes 10 years as an attorney in general civil practice in Iowa and Arizona, and serving as a Judge Pro Tem in Chandler. She is a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar Association of Arizona, and Maricopa County Bar Association.

Dr. Palmer Noone helped shape the education industry by sharing her unique perspective on non-traditional education as a member of the U.S. Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, and has served as a director of the American Council on Education. In Arizona, she serves as chair of the Arizona Board for Private Postsecondary Education.

Dr. Palmer Noone is frequently requested as a keynote speaker and has addressed audiences across the country regarding for-profit higher education, non-traditional education and modes of delivery, and the use of new technology in education.

As CEO of Nouveau Educational Systems, Inc., d/b/a Piccolo International University, Dr. Palmer Noone currently leads a start up, fully online institution focusing on niche academic programming, such as construction management and digital marketing.

Dr. Palmer Noone received her doctorate degree in higher education administration from The Union Institute. She received her Juris Doctor and Master's degree from the University of Iowa and her bachelor's degree from the University of Dubuque in Dubuque, Iowa.
 

George Burnett - System President and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Burnett joined Westwood College as System President and CEO in August 2006. He is responsible for the operation of the entire Westwood College system.

Prior to joining the College, he served as Chairman of R.H. Donnelley, Inc. From 2002 through 2006, he was President, CEO, and a Director of Dex Media. Inc./Quest Dex until the merger between Dex and R.H. Donnelley. Prior to that time, he was Chief Marketing Officer of Quest Communications International and also held several positions with AT&T, including Vice President of AT&T Marketing Services, Vice President of AT&T Card and Operator Services, and Vice President of Developing and Education markets.

Mr. Burnett also serves on the Boards of Circle Graphics (printing) and Cott Corporation (private label beverages). He serves on the Board of Special Olympics Colorado, and is a past member of the Board of the American Federation for the Blind.

Mr. Burnett earned his AB degree from Dartmouth College and his MBA from Dartmouth's Amos Tuck School.
 

Douglas H. Kelsall - Trustee

Mr. Kelsall is President and Chief Financial Officer of Education Sales Management (ESM), a company focused on enrollment services for educational institutions. He is responsible for operations technology, finance, and sales and marketing. ESM is headquartered in Denver, with over 500 employees.

From 1999 to 2007, Mr. Kelsall held various senior management positions at eCollege.com, most recently as President and Chief Operating Officer, and a member of its Board of Directors. eCollege.com is an online technology and services company providing support to distance learning and other educational programs. During his career at eCollege, Mr. Kelsall was responsible for operations, technology, sales and marketing, business development, finance, and administration. eCollege was successfully sold to Pearson Education in July of 2007.

Prior to joining eCollege.com, Mr. Kelsall was with Tava Technologies, a factory system integration company, and Evolving Systems, Inc., a telecommunication software company. He also founded Caribou Capital, a specialized venture capital company, in 1993.

Mr. Kelsall holds a BA degree from the University of Colorado, and an MBA degree from the University of Denver. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Westwood College, the Board of Directors of both TopSchool, Inc. and Smart Move, Inc., the Advisory Board of the University of Colorado at Denver Business School, and the Executive Strategic Council of the IMS Global Learning Consortium.
 

Bob Manning - Trustee

Mr. Manning is a founder and Managing Principal of M2P Capital, LLC, a private equity firm based in Denver. M2P is focused on growth equity investments, leveraged recaps, and management buyouts of middle market companies. It invests in partnership with company management and other private equity firms. Among its current investments are Deep Rock Water and Terra Resources.

Prior to forming M2P Capital in early 2002, Mr. Manning was a partner of Thoma Cressey Equity Partners and formed its Denver office in 1997. TCEP is a Chicago based private equity firm founded in 1980 with over $2 billion in institutional private equity funds.

Mr. Manning co-founded Green Manning & Bunch, a Denver investment banking firm, in 1988 and was a partner there until 1997. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President in charge of Corporate Finance and Director for Boettcher & Company, where he chaired its Investment Committee and served as a director of its private equity funds. His previous experience included senior corporate lending and management positions with the First National Bank of Denver and First Chicago.

Mr. Manning serves as a director of Deep Rock Water, FirstBanks of Colorado, and serves on the advisory board of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. He is a trustee and past chairman of the Denver Area Council of Boy Scouts and served as a director of the National Council of Boy Scouts. He is a trustee of the The Colorado College and serves on its Investment, Nominating, and Visibility Committees. He also serves as a director of the Air Force Academy Foundation, as a director and past chair of the Economic Club of Colorado and is a director and current president of The Hundred Club of Colorado. Prior community activity includes service on the boards of the Culver Educational Foundation, St. Joseph Hospital Foundation, Metro Denver Executive Club and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado.

Mr. Manning and his wife, Janet, have two grown children and three grandchildren. He is a graduate of Colorado College.
 

James Turner - Vice Chairman and Co-Founder of Westwood College

Mr. Turner co-founded Westwood College in 1987. Currently, his primary focus is serving as an internal member of the Board of Trustees. Previously, his major responsibility was developing and managing the institution’s educational operations. Prior to co-founding Westwood College, Mr. Turner working in Corporate Finance at Lehman Brothers. He is also a former chairman of the Training Assurance Foundation, a long-time member of the Colorado Private School Association (CPSA), and has twice served on the Board Nominating Committee of the Career College Association (CCA). He currently serves on the Board of the Career College Association.

Mr. Turner coaches youth soccer and is very active in the Scouting Community. He was a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Region Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002 and is a member of the Mile High United Way Tocqueville Society.

Mr. Turner earned his BS in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and his MBA from Harvard Business School.