Employee Center

Recent Postings:

December Employee of the Month Announcement

Congratulations to Rick Wood!
 

As BSEG’s Vice President of Compliance, Rick Wood has always been a tremendous asset to our company and an ever-present resource for all of the IOT campuses. He responds to challenges with a remarkable calm, and his insightful words provide valuable guidance for all of BSEG’s employees. Mr. Wood is a person of great integrity, who consistently insists on upholding the highest levels of compliance.


Lately, Rick has been working especially hard. He has had to manage several submissions to ACCSC and ACCET, working hand-in-hand with campuses to assure the submissions and responses are accurate and represent our schools well. Rick is the BrightStar expert on state agencies in California and Oregon as well as the United States Department of Education.


BSEG isn’t the only one that values Mr. Wood’s talent and experience. This past December, Rick finished serving a full year as the President of CAPPS, the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools. As the President of CAPPS, he provided leadership for the Association on matters of importance to sector schools in California, and played a critical role in determining policy and strategy for the Association.


As a leader at BSEG and in the industry, it is apparent that Rick is intelligent and hard-working; however, it is also important to note that Rick has a great sense of humor, which makes him a pleasure to interact with. Rick is compassionate, wise, and always willing to share his vast pool of knowledge and expertise with anyone who asks. It’s no wonder that many of our campus presidents have described Rick as “a rock,” but this month BSEG is proud to recognize him as Employee of the Month for December and acknowledge just how grateful we are to have him as “our rock.” Congratulations, Rick!
 


November Employee of the Month Announcement

Congratulations to Cindy Comstock!
 

The Clovis Campus has a long standing tradition of friendly faces at the front desk. November’s BSEG Employee of the Month takes that practice to an entirely new level.Call the Clovis campus, or walk in the front door, and you are likely to be greeted by the cheery voice and big smile of Cindy Comstock. Cindy’s warm demeanor makes everyone feel important and welcome when they come into contact with IOT Clovis.


The reception desk is a stressful place. Between managing incoming calls, entering inquiries, taking student payments, and greeting visitors and students at the desk, Cindy is constantly juggling responsibilities. Her supervisor, Sharon Walker, describes her performance like a duck’s in the water. Everything looks calm and serene above the surface, but look below and she is paddling like crazy!

Cindy has organized the front desk, keeps it clean every day, and has implemented methods to keep it running efficiently. She is fast and accurate when completing tasks; from inquiry reconciliation spreadsheets to transferring calls to the correct employee. She is great at putting prospects at ease when they are preparing to take an entrance exam, and she has also proven to be a strong trainer as she has taught new front desk personnel to do their jobs well.

The Clovis management team often gets positive feedback about Cindy from students, visitors, and co-workers. Everyone likes and appreciates her because of her competent work habits and outgoing personality. IOT Clovis and BSEG are fortunate to have Cindy on our team, and are pleased to award her as Employee of the Month for November. Congratulations to IOT Clovis’ “Director of First Impressions”: Cindy Comstock!
 


Welcome IOT Salem!

Valley Medical College Changes Name to Institute of Technology;
Grand Opening of New Campus Set for Thursday, December 1

SALEM, Ore. — Valley Medical College today announced that it has changed its name to Institute of Technology (IOT), reflecting the campus’s continued growth and plans to add new programs in 2012. 

Valley Medical College has been training students for entry-level careers in the healthcare field in Salem since 1995.  The school will continue this tradition as Institute of Technology.  This name change accompanies a recent campus expansion that has doubled the footprint of the school to accommodate new enrollment growth. 

“We are proud to extend the Institute of Technology name to our Salem campus,” said Bill Hillard, president of BrightStar Education Group.  “Salem is an important market for us, and we are committed to offering increased educational opportunities to the Salem community.”

The Institute of Technology family of schools already included five campuses in California and has been operating in the Central Valley of California since 1986.  Institute of Technology’s Salem campus will be the sixth campus bearing the IOT name. 

A community-focused grand opening and open house will be held on Thursday, December 1, 2011 from 4 to 6 pm, with a ribbon cutting ceremony officially taking place at 4:30 pm. All members of the Salem community are invited to attend and participate in the celebration. 

Institute of Technology’s Salem campus, owned and operated by BrightStar Education Group, provides training and certificate programs in the fields of licensed practical nursing (LPN), medical assisting, medical administrative assistant, medical receptionist and phlebotomy.

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Kaylee Carroll - VMC’s New DOA!

Congratulations to Kaylee Carroll on her promotion to VMC’s Director of Admissions! Kaylee has been an integral part of the VMC team since before it was acquired by BrightStar Education and has been working as an admissions representative since the acquisition.  Kaylee was awarded the distinction of Rookie of the Year in 2010 based off of her excellent admissions performance and was promoted to Senior Admissions Rep in March of 2011.  We wish Kaylee the best of luck, and are excited to have her lead the soon-to-be Salem IOT admissions team as they continue their growth. 

 

Congratulations, Kaylee!


Welcome Tim Jolly: Vice President for Admissions

We are pleased to announce that Tim Jolly has joined BrightStar Education Group as Vice President for Admissions.  Tim comes to us from Anthem Education Group where he served for over 22 years in a variety of positions, culminating in the position of Vice President of Admissions for the Western Region, Anthem Education Group.  Tim will report to Todd Lardenoit, Brightstar’s Chief Operating Officer.  There is no better person to join Brightstar in the key role of advising the admissions department at our schools in key compliance and performance matters. 

Tim will be traveling heavily to the schools, and will be based out of Phoenix, AZ, or Ashland, OR, when not at the schools.  Tim is married and his wife Wendy is the better half of the Jolly team.  

Please join us in welcoming Tim & Wendy Jolly to our great BrightStar team. 


Congratulations Valerie Truong!

Please join us in congratulating Valerie Truong on her promotion to Director of Admission for the Citrus Heights Campus. Valerie has done a wonderful job as the Assistant Director of Admissions, and in her new position she will be instrumental in getting the Citrus Heights Campus’ student census to even higher numbers. Congratulations Valerie!


October Employee of the Month Announcement

Congratulations to the IOT Clovis Career Services Team!
 

October 2011 was a remarkable month for the Career Services team from Clovis. Through teamwork, creativity, and perseverance, this amazing group placed 132 students – more than any BSEG school has ever placed in a single month!

The team has been aggressively pursuing relationships with key businesses people and organizations that would benefit from hiring a well-trained IOT grad. They send out postcards and mailers, deliver candy and donut boxes emblazoned with the IOT logo, and invite employers to visit and conduct interviews on campus. They also work hard to prepare students for success by conducting mock interviews and assisting with resume preparation and other job-seeking skills.

Every Advisor on the team met or surpassed the 21 placement mark this month. Leading the way with 24 placements was Elizabeth Matson, who works with medical grads. Elizabeth has a warm, outgoing demeanor that helps her connect with students. Lead Career Services Advisor, Penny Dhindsa, who also works medical, had 23 placements. Penny is an experienced employee with a strong background as an effective teacher in the medical division and in professional development. With a little help from the rest of the team, Penny and Elizabeth rejoiced over a record 49 medical division placements in October.

Tim Kearn added 22 placements to the team’s total in the HVAC and WGD departments. His dry sense of humor keeps the CS team laughing, and his calm demeanor bolsters students’ confidence. Tim’s partner in HVAC, Michael Ramos who also handles CERM, had 21 placements to his name. Michael has a contagious, outgoing personality that suits him well for working with employers and students.

Two Clovis CS team members familiar with 21 Club territory; Falina Marihart and Megan Arno each had 21 placements in October. Falina shines in her role in culinary! She used to handle marketing for IOT several years ago, and she also has her line of hats. Megan handles the Business Division and NST. She is a firecracker who goes the extra mile to connect employers to students and grads.

The team is strengthened by the work of Edia Camara, the Administrative Assistant who nurtures students and provides invaluable support to the advisors. The team is coached by Amanda Nash: an intelligent, articulate, and creative visionary who knows how to encourage her team. Amanda has kept the faith during difficult times for over a year, and IOT Clovis anticipates that this is the first of many “Century Club” months for Amanda and her team. IOT Clovis and BSEG are fortunate to have Amanda, Elizabeth, Penny, Tim, Michael, Falina, Megan, and Edia on our side, and we are pleased to award them as Employees of the Month for October. Congratulations to the Clovis Coyotes Career Services Team!
 

 


September Employee of the Month Announcement

Congratulations to Connie Woodward!

As the school librarian at the IOT Citrus Heights campus, Connie has a lot of responsibilities. She maintains the learning resource center, and ensures that books are current and organized to guarantee efficiency and sufficiency. She has also taken over textbook ordering from classrooms and makes sure to order any other necessary reference materials for students. 

In addition to her responsibilities in the learning resource center, Connie is the principal architect of Citrus Heights’ tutoring program for both current students and ATB students. The program helps these students prepare for their entrance exam. Connie oversees FWS students and other volunteers who assist in tutoring current students. 

When surveyed, students recognized Connie as someone who is completely dedicated to the school and is ready to assist any student that walks through the door. She always has a great attitude and is willing to help colleagues in any department whenever she can. 

IOT Citrus Heights and BSEG are fortunate to have Connie with the team, and we are pleased to award her as Employee of the Month for September. Congratulations, Connie! 


Corporate New Hire: Antony Page

BrightStar Education Group is pleased to welcome Antony Page as a new Financial Analyst.

Antony was recently employed at Anthem Education Group as a Finance Manager. He prepared budgets forecasts and various ad hoc analyses, and he is looking forward to his work at BrightStar Education Group.

Originally from Canada, Antony has been living in Phoenix for 11 years and is the proud father of 9-year-old daughter, Zoya. In his free time, Antony enjoys spending time with his daughter, hiking, and going to the gym.

Welcome, Antony!


New Hire - Sarah Heifets, Marketing Assistant

As of this month, Sarah Heifets is BrightStar Education Group’s new Marketing Assistant. A Denver native, Sarah is a recent graduate of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. with a degree in Marketing and International Business. Sarah has held market research internships at The National Geographic Society and at EchoStar Technologies, and she is excited to be back in Denver and ready to start her new marketing role at BrightStar!
Sarah’s main responsibilities will include updating Placement and Defensive Scouting reports, managing BrightStar’s social media, conducting competitive research, and writing and compiling the newsletter.