CEO Corner
President & CEO’s Welcome Letter
April 4, 2007 at 11:39 am
Filed under CEO Corner
Welcome to BrightStar Education
Success in fulfilling our vision to be the premier provider of postsecondary education begins and is measured by customer satisfaction, employee excellence and retention, return on capital investment and a desire to improve our local community.
Our students are the most important stakeholders in our business. Therefore, our goal is to provide students with the highest quality education which will, upon graduation, endow them with a high valued career. To this end we want to meet or exceed their expectations, doing so will turn them into advocates for our Colleges.
Outstanding customer service is a result of both our employees’ skill and enthusiasm in serving our students and their in-depth knowledge and excitement about the programs of study we offer.
To fuel your enthusiasm and confidence, let me share with you that we are continually working to raise our educational standards. We do not seek to offer mediocre programs commonly found at other institutions; instead we strive to be the leader by offering programs which will, when all things are equal, provide our graduates with an advantage in today’s highly competitive workplace.
Our success is also dependent upon the collective energy of all of our employees. In addition to receiving fair wages and benefits, belief in the value of our work and finding fulfillment from our jobs is a key reason we are part of BrightStar Education. Therefore, we design and promote safe work environments where motivated employees can flourish and reach their highest potential.
We strive to build positive and healthy relationships among employees. “Us versus Them” thinking has no place in our company. We encourage participation and involvement at all levels of our business.
We know that profits are essential to create capital for growth, job security and overall financial success. Profits are the “savings” every business needs in order to change and evolve to meet the future. Profits enable us to meet or exceed student expectations.
Finally, we want to be a partner within the communities we serve. Employees are encouraged to participate in neighborhood and community events and the company routinely donates resources to several community groups.
Building a premier provider of education begins with you. Welcome to BrightStar!
Jim Haga
President & CEO
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Employee of the Month
November’s Employee of the Month
December 1, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Filed under Employee of the Month
Rod, FAO at the Modesto campus, has worked with the school for just over two years. In that time, he has moved from the reception area where he excelled, to the Director’s Assistant and ultimately, because he wants to learn all aspects of the Post Secondary field, he has moved to FA! Listening to Rod as he explains all of the details to a student is truly remarkable. His kind approach and demeanor make our students feel comfortable. He is an asset to every department that he works in and is always there to help out, or work those extra hours covering a shift in any department he can. Rod truly excels as a team player. He makes those around him better, and that is why Rod is November’s employee of the month! Thanks for all you do Rod!!
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October Employee of the Month
October 22, 2008 at 10:04 am
Filed under Employee of the Month
Douglas Den Hartog (Clovis Campus Business Division Director) has provided significant leadership for our education team since July, when he began leading the team on an interim basis.
Douglas has been a source of insight and encouragement in leading the team to decreased drop rates over the course of the past three months. His efforts, and those of the education and student services teams, resulted in a third quarter drop rate of 3.58%. He has also played a key role in reviewing the state of our curriculum, and working to close some gaps in the curriculum resources that are available to our faculty on our network.
This is Douglas’ second Employee of the Month award this year. He was one of the four Clovis NST Instructors who received the award in April for their outstanding efforts! Thanks Douglas and keep up the great work!
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September Employee of the Month
October 22, 2008 at 10:01 am
Filed under Employee of the Month
As the Corporate Accounting Manager, Jennifer Collins is responsible for the monthly financial reporting process. Primarily, this means directing the determination of tuition revenue, the processing of all expenses, the capturing of all capital expenditures, and the compilation of the school profit and loss statements. Then, she compares the monthly and year to date results to the budget, the prior year and the latest forecast, and communicates everything to the campuses.
What makes Jennifer stand out further is the effort that she goes through to make certain that the schools are accommodated around numerous cut-off issues, as well as all of the detailed back-up that she provides to make their results as clear as possible. We are very lucky to have her as part of the team! Your great work has not gone unnoticed, thank you Jennifer.
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August Employee of the Month
August 13, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Filed under Employee of the Month
Congratulations to Sherry Parker!
As our Student Accounts Representative, Sherry is responsible for maintaining cash flow for the private payments our students make. She is also responsible for third-party billing. Sherry has a gentle nature which helps her to work with students and agencies in a positive way. She maintains good relationships with them while managing our cash flow to expected metrics. She has done an outstanding job of getting payments to our school in a timely manner, and built good rapport with students and agencies along the way.
While her position can be a stressful one, she maintains a positive attitude, and never seems flustered or annoyed. She is an incredibly valuable and valued employee!
Congratulations Sherry! Your great work has not gone unnoticed. You can reach Sherry to congratulate her at sparker@it-email.com.
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July’s Employee of the Month
July 29, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Filed under Employee of the Month
Congratulations to Eunice Heard! Eunice is in charge of student collections at Modesto. She has worked for BrightStar for 7 years in several different departments and has always found a way to make that department her own. Eunice is a team player and works well with all other departments. She has found her niche collecting payments with students and is successful because of her great rapport with them.
Eunice has a unique ability to get students to understand that when she tells them that payments are due, they are due. Eunice has always been a great employee, and we thank her for her continued dedication and hard work.
Thanks again Eunice for all that you’ve done. Keep up the good work!
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Lynn Meacham is June’s Employee of the Month!
July 18, 2008 at 11:58 am
Filed under Employee of the Month
Lynn Meacham is the bookroom/externship coordinator at Modesto. She is the epitome of a team player and will do whatever it takes to get the job done for the students and staff. She works with all departments in keeping up with the books so that all students have their books and supplies on the first day of class.
Lynn makes sure that all of her files are updated and that books are returned or students are charged. She is in charge of sizing all students for their uniforms for HVAC, MOA, PT and PMA, and is also the externship coordinator, making sure that all students have sites and turn their time cards in on time.
With Lynn, “No student is left without or behind.” She can be depended upon to take on any task without complaints, and the job always gets done. Thanks Lynn for all you do! Keep up the good work!
May Employee of the Month
June 26, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Filed under Employee of the Month
Congratulations to Richard Melella!
Richard Melella has worn many different hats through his many years of service with IOT. The one he has worn most recently has been the most important one that I can remember. He has been directly overseeing the Career Services department at our Clovis campus (to help add stability and guidance) as well as giving guidance to our other campus Career Services departments.Richard was dispatched to give all of his attention to our placement outcomes for the campuses, especially the Clovis campus. Our placement numbers were not in compliance with the state or our accreditation body; in fact, we had 2 programs out of 14 that were in compliance with the state. Through his direction and the hard work of the individual career service department employees that number has climbed to 9 with just a few job/verifications/waivers to get to put us over the top for the state.
As for our national accreditation body, we have never been in position to report that all programs are in compliance, until now. Richard is projecting that all programs will be in compliance for our national accreditation body by the end of the year.
A big thank you goes to Richard, but a bigger thank you goes to all of our Career Service Representatives for recapturing the vision for our students. Richard, we appreciate your leadership!
Jim Haga
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April Employees of the Month
May 22, 2008 at 11:37 am
Filed under Employee of the Month
After maintaining a streak of 60 days and counting without a drop in the NST program, these four instructors deserve to be praised! Their sustained teamwork and passion is reflected in the program’s success and unprecedented retention rate. These four instructors represent the quality of IOT’s instructors.
During Mike Sears’ 12 year tenure with the company, he has been a dedicated instructor of both business and technical programs. Currently, Mike teaches the first mod of NST where he helps each student develop good study and attendance habits by promoting a welcoming attitude of professionalism in his class.
John Barnett has been on the Technical Division team since August, 2006. John’s a quiet guy, and is really at his best when he’s able to work one-on-one with our students. In that capacity, his students really understand and learn a great deal from him. John has the certifications and background to anchor our students and send them off as prepared and polished members of the workforce.
Dwayne Thornhill joined the faculty in June of 2007. Dwayne, also the Clovis employee of the month for April, 2008, was a graduate of the NSE program in 2005. After graduating, he went immediately to work in his field. Dwayne is strongly proactive in ensuring our students’ success. Accordingly, he has the highest numbers on the team when it comes to setting appointments for students to restart. He is proud of that and highly competitive.
Douglas Den Hartog has been with the IOT Education team for two years now. As the new Business Division Director, Douglas wears many hats. Most recently he has stepped in with NST to assist in the updating of the curriculum. He’s currently working with Mike, Dwayne and John, as well as with the Modesto team to polish our NST program into one of IOT’s crown jewels.
Please congratulate and thank these gentlemen when you see them, as it is instructors like them that keep our students motivated and excited to succeed!
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March Employee of the Month
May 22, 2008 at 11:28 am
Filed under Employee of the Month
Jimmie Robinson has been with Modesto IOT since August 2003. He retired two years prior, but the school was fortunate in convincing him to return to the profession where he spent 24 years. His role as lead instructor includes managing the HVAC program with the Technical Division Director. In addition, he works with 5 instructors to keep over 200 students on the road to success. Sadly, Jimmie will be leaving IOT in April to try retirement, once again. Jimmie says he is looking forward to his retirement, “this time.” When asked what he will do, he stated, “fish, remodel our home in Kansas, watch my grandchildren grow and just enjoy spending time with my wife.” His family includes his wife of 46 years, one son and one daughter, 4 grandchildren, and 2 great-grand children.
When asked what he loved most about teaching at IOT, he stated, “Touching the lives of our students, watching them gain a trade. I like to have them come back to thank us, introduce their new family and just to talk HVAC.” When asked what he will miss most about IOT he stated, “Teaching and the staff. Staff becomes your family when you work with them so closely for a long time”. We will miss him, the students will miss him and life will go on at IOT but Jimmie will never be replaced in our hearts. We wish him all the best, and if he wants to come out of retirement, we’ll be here.
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February Employee of the Month
February 29, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Filed under Employee of the Month
Congratulations to Sharon Walker!
Sharon Walker is a true professional. She approaches her job with grace and intelligence, successfully managing multiple projects at one time. As Executive Assistant to the Campus President, she handles sensitive information with integrity and confidentiality. Our employees find her approachable, and she has a pleasant demeanor and even temperament which enables her to handle stressful situations with warmth and good humor.
If she were a student, she would receive an “A” for her work, which is always done correctly and on time. We will miss her work ethic and her efficiency when she leaves our campus. The good news is that she will remain on as a substitute instructor for our school!
Please congratulate Sharon. She can be reached at Clovis or by email swalker@it-email.com
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What’s New?
Clovis Employee Announcement
August 1, 2008 at 11:42 am
Filed under New Employees, Update Section, What’s New?
For some time now, BrightStar Education Group has been seeking ways to distinguish our school from the many competitors for our medical division students. We know that we have the best instructors around. What we need is a way to show prospective students that we go the extra mile to make sure they are able to succeed. This is especially true for medical division students, since there are so many schools who offer similar programs to ours.
We are launching an online tutor (using a chat feature on MyIOT) that will give our medical division students a distinct advantage. Students will be able to access this online tutor at various times throughout the week, including evening hours. We have been searching for the right person to run this critical initiative, which will serve students from all Institute of Technology campuses that offer medical programs. We have now found that person.
Kimberly Kempen has agreed to serve as our MyIOT Online Medical Tutor. Kim has the right combination of experience and skills to take on this new role. She was formerly an effective instructor in our medical division, and has most recently served as the director of Career Services for our campus. She understands how to relate to students, and she knows what our students need in order to attain success in their new careers.
Kim will start her new role on Monday. While we search for a new Director of Career Services, I will manage the career services team. In fact, starting Monday, I will most usually be found in the career services office.
We look forward to seeing how this effort increase retention and helps our students succeed. Once we have perfected the process with our medical division students, we will consider other programs that might benefit from an online tutor as well.
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Ron Gardner is Clovis’ New ADOA!
July 2, 2008 at 9:31 am
Filed under New Employees, What’s New?, Community News
Ron Gardner has been promoted to Clovis’ new Assistant Director of Admissions.
Mr. Gardner joined the Clovis admissions team in November, 2007 and has had an immediate and positive impact on the team, becoming one of our top performers shortly after completing his training program. During the first six months of 2008, Ron has earned the respect of his peers and of employees throughout our school. He is an enthusiastic and professional team player, with considerable leadership skill. During the next month, he will have the opportunity to train under the tutelage of Jim Haga, our company CEO, who is currently serving as the Clovis Campus Interim Director of Admissions.
Congratulations Ron! We welcome your leadership!
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Congratulations to Joseph Rodriguez
July 1, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Filed under What’s New?
IOT Graduate Joseph Rodriguez has been promoted from financial aid clerk to financial aid officer!
Mr. Rodriguez graduated with honors from the Administrative Office Professional program at Institute of Technology. A veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he used the GI Bill to help pay for his education. Since he began his employment at the Institute of Technology- Clovis last year, Joseph has earned the respect and admiration of his co-workers with his hard work and his polite and helpful demeanor. Please join us in congratulating him on his new position as Financial Aid Officer.
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Garibay has been named as the Lead Financial Aid Officer
March 1, 2008 at 3:29 am
Filed under What’s New?
I am pleased to announce that Gena Garibay has been named as the Lead Financial Aid Officer for the Modesto Campus In this capacity, she will provide leadership to all Financial Aid Officer’s at the Modesto Campus and handle any requests from the corporate office. Gena has proven to be an effective leader and mentor to the Financial Aid here at Modesto, her excellence in customer service is above and beyond. She is an important part of the TEAM here at Modesto.
Congratulations to Gena on her new role!
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Congratulations Joe Haydock
February 26, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Filed under What’s New?
I’m pleased to announce, we have added one more category to the Hall of Fame:
Director of Admissions of the Year.
Joe Haydock, now the Campus President at Clovis, has been named the 2007 Director of Admissions of the Year for 2007. In 2007, under his leadership, the Clovis Coyotes enrolled 1421 students from 7303 leads which means they enjoyed a L/E average during the entire year of 19% (21% is considered perfect). Congratulations Mr. Haydock.
Kim Clemmons - Modesto
April 26, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Filed under What’s New?, Community News
Kim Clemmons, Director of Student Services at Modesto, displays the new Hall of Fame letterman jacket awarded to the top performers in their field at Institute of Technology.
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Employee Center
Recent Postings:
November’s Employee of the Month
December 1, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Filed under Employee of the Month
Rod, FAO at the Modesto campus, has worked with the school for just over two years. In that time, he has moved from the reception area where he excelled, to the Director’s Assistant and ultimately, because he wants to learn all aspects of the Post Secondary field, he has moved to FA! Listening to Rod as he explains all of the details to a student is truly remarkable. His kind approach and demeanor make our students feel comfortable. He is an asset to every department that he works in and is always there to help out, or work those extra hours covering a shift in any department he can. Rod truly excels as a team player. He makes those around him better, and that is why Rod is November’s employee of the month! Thanks for all you do Rod!!
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October Employee of the Month
October 22, 2008 at 10:04 am
Filed under Employee of the Month
Douglas Den Hartog (Clovis Campus Business Division Director) has provided significant leadership for our education team since July, when he began leading the team on an interim basis.
Douglas has been a source of insight and encouragement in leading the team to decreased drop rates over the course of the past three months. His efforts, and those of the education and student services teams, resulted in a third quarter drop rate of 3.58%. He has also played a key role in reviewing the state of our curriculum, and working to close some gaps in the curriculum resources that are available to our faculty on our network.
This is Douglas’ second Employee of the Month award this year. He was one of the four Clovis NST Instructors who received the award in April for their outstanding efforts! Thanks Douglas and keep up the great work!
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September Employee of the Month
October 22, 2008 at 10:01 am
Filed under Employee of the Month
As the Corporate Accounting Manager, Jennifer Collins is responsible for the monthly financial reporting process. Primarily, this means directing the determination of tuition revenue, the processing of all expenses, the capturing of all capital expenditures, and the compilation of the school profit and loss statements. Then, she compares the monthly and year to date results to the budget, the prior year and the latest forecast, and communicates everything to the campuses.
What makes Jennifer stand out further is the effort that she goes through to make certain that the schools are accommodated around numerous cut-off issues, as well as all of the detailed back-up that she provides to make their results as clear as possible. We are very lucky to have her as part of the team! Your great work has not gone unnoticed, thank you Jennifer.
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Keever Jankovich, Campus President – Roseville
October 17, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Filed under New Employees
Keever will step in as the new Campus President for our Roseville campus. Keever has spent the last six years teaching graduate and undergraduate business classes at the University of Phoenix campuses throughout Sacramento as well as being the Campus Director for InterCoast Colleges of Sacramento and New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, Inc. of Sacramento. Keever also has ten years of corporate leadership experience working for companies like Aramark and Boise Cascade.
Keever holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Santa Clara University and a Master of Science degree in Public Relations/Marketing from Golden Gate University. Welcome to the BrightStar team Keever!
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New Hires Clovis
October 1, 2008 at 10:35 am
Filed under New Employees
Institute of Technology - Clovis has been busy with new hirings.
Taking new positions at the Clovis campus are:
Chris Ortega - Financial Aid Clerk (IOT Grad)
Jana Tonkin - Administrative Assistant Admissions (IOT Grad)
Scott Gale - HVAC Instructor
Kent Reimers - Business Instructor
Leonard Brown - Culinary Instructor
Congratulations and welcome to all of our new additions!
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Congratulations to September’s New Additions at Clovis
September 4, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Filed under New Employees
Chuck Bryant, Career Services Advisor
Chuck spent over seven years as an Employment Readiness Specialist with Workforce Connection, a WIA contract provider. Chuck is well-know to the IOT family in Clovis, as he sent many of his clients to our school for employment readiness training. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Education at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, and his Master of Arts in Educational Counseling and Student Services from California State University, Fresno.
Jeanne Whitney, Director of Career Services
Jeanne has eight years of experience in proprietary education, including four years experience leading a career services team. She has been a volunteer with Make A Wish Foundation since 2002. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Fresno.
August Employee of the Month
August 13, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Filed under Employee of the Month
Congratulations to Sherry Parker!
As our Student Accounts Representative, Sherry is responsible for maintaining cash flow for the private payments our students make. She is also responsible for third-party billing. Sherry has a gentle nature which helps her to work with students and agencies in a positive way. She maintains good relationships with them while managing our cash flow to expected metrics. She has done an outstanding job of getting payments to our school in a timely manner, and built good rapport with students and agencies along the way.
While her position can be a stressful one, she maintains a positive attitude, and never seems flustered or annoyed. She is an incredibly valuable and valued employee!
Congratulations Sherry! Your great work has not gone unnoticed. You can reach Sherry to congratulate her at sparker@it-email.com.
Permalink
Clovis Employee Announcement
August 1, 2008 at 11:42 am
Filed under New Employees, Update Section, What’s New?
For some time now, BrightStar Education Group has been seeking ways to distinguish our school from the many competitors for our medical division students. We know that we have the best instructors around. What we need is a way to show prospective students that we go the extra mile to make sure they are able to succeed. This is especially true for medical division students, since there are so many schools who offer similar programs to ours.
We are launching an online tutor (using a chat feature on MyIOT) that will give our medical division students a distinct advantage. Students will be able to access this online tutor at various times throughout the week, including evening hours. We have been searching for the right person to run this critical initiative, which will serve students from all Institute of Technology campuses that offer medical programs. We have now found that person.
Kimberly Kempen has agreed to serve as our MyIOT Online Medical Tutor. Kim has the right combination of experience and skills to take on this new role. She was formerly an effective instructor in our medical division, and has most recently served as the director of Career Services for our campus. She understands how to relate to students, and she knows what our students need in order to attain success in their new careers.
Kim will start her new role on Monday. While we search for a new Director of Career Services, I will manage the career services team. In fact, starting Monday, I will most usually be found in the career services office.
We look forward to seeing how this effort increase retention and helps our students succeed. Once we have perfected the process with our medical division students, we will consider other programs that might benefit from an online tutor as well.
Permalink
July’s Employee of the Month
July 29, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Filed under Employee of the Month
Congratulations to Eunice Heard! Eunice is in charge of student collections at Modesto. She has worked for BrightStar for 7 years in several different departments and has always found a way to make that department her own. Eunice is a team player and works well with all other departments. She has found her niche collecting payments with students and is successful because of her great rapport with them.
Eunice has a unique ability to get students to understand that when she tells them that payments are due, they are due. Eunice has always been a great employee, and we thank her for her continued dedication and hard work.
Thanks again Eunice for all that you’ve done. Keep up the good work!
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Lynn Meacham is June’s Employee of the Month!
July 18, 2008 at 11:58 am
Filed under Employee of the Month
Lynn Meacham is the bookroom/externship coordinator at Modesto. She is the epitome of a team player and will do whatever it takes to get the job done for the students and staff. She works with all departments in keeping up with the books so that all students have their books and supplies on the first day of class.
Lynn makes sure that all of her files are updated and that books are returned or students are charged. She is in charge of sizing all students for their uniforms for HVAC, MOA, PT and PMA, and is also the externship coordinator, making sure that all students have sites and turn their time cards in on time.
With Lynn, “No student is left without or behind.” She can be depended upon to take on any task without complaints, and the job always gets done. Thanks Lynn for all you do! Keep up the good work!