Leadership

Former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift is the President of Education at Work the premiere work-based learning non-profit serving higher education in the country. Swift has served in leadership roles in the public, private, political, and non-profit sectors for over three decades fueled by a passionate belief in the power of education to transform lives.

Governor Swift began her career in public service as a Massachusetts State Senator at the age of 25, the youngest woman to ever serve in that role. As a member of the Education Reform Conference Committee in 1993 she worked to ensure that all students in Massachusetts public schools would have access to excellence in education, regardless of where they lived. As Lieutenant Governor and Governor from 1999-2003 she oversaw many of the most controversial implementation items in the Act and took pride in Massachusetts being named a national model by the United States Department of Education in 2003. For many years, Massachusetts’ approach resulted in its students scoring at the highest level in math and English on the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests, or “Our Nation’s Report Card.” In October 2023, Swift was honored to be appointed by Secretary Cardona to serve on the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) as the National Governor Association’s Republican designee. NAGB oversees the NAEP tests and is widely recognized as the premiere federal education governing board for education excellence in K-12.

In 2022, after the death of her husband, Swift founded the non-profit Cobble Hill Farm Education & Rescue Center on their family farm. She is a sought-after speaker on issues of education, working mothers & women’s leadership, and more recently, the topic of gratitude, grief, and loss. Swift earned national attention when she became the first Governor in United States History to give birth while serving in office, to twins. She continues to proudly claim the title of working mother even as her three daughters, Elizabeth, and twins, Lauren, and Sarah, have graduated from college and are pursuing their careers with passion, integrity, and confidence. She is an avid sports fan with unquestioned Boston loyalties.

As Chief Operating Officer, Adrian is responsible for all areas of operations at Education at Work.

Prior to his role at Education at Work, Adrian served as the Vice President of Strada Collaborative for seven years. In this capacity, he contributed significantly to the organization’s impact and sustainability and played a pivotal role in supporting the growth of Education at Work. His dual commitment reflects a passion for advancing educational initiatives and creating pathways for student success.

Adrian’s passion lies in championing non-traditional pathways to student success. Having been a non-traditional student himself, he understands the importance of helping individuals develop the skills necessary to carve out fulfilling and rewarding careers. This personal experience fuels his dedication to creating opportunities for students to thrive and succeed.

Adrian has over twenty-five years of experience in operations, sales, program, and quality leadership roles. His first job as a part-time student at eighteen was testing software for some of the largest companies in the world, and he says he owes much of his later accomplishments to the skills and disciplines he developed during those early years.

Ismail has more than 30 years of leadership roles specializing in finance and administration, most recently managing EdMetrics Associates, Inc., a finance and accounting service company supporting for-profit and not-for-profit, small to mid-size organizations in the education ecosystem. Before that, he served as CFO of Middlebury Interactive Languages, LLC, a partnership between Middlebury College and K12, Inc. As a senior management team member, Ismail helped drive a threefold increase in revenue and profits and implemented an organic strategy for organizational growth. Ismail also worked at Pearson Education, the world’s largest publisher, in a series of finance roles with increasing responsibility. He is adept at forming and leading startup companies and has managed the functional areas of Finance, Human Resources, Technology Support, and Customer Service. Ismail is a firm believer in a team-based approach, where individual strengths and competencies come together in collaboration for success. Ismail majored in finance at Loyola University Chicago and resides in the Chicago area with his wife and college-bound son.

Jamie Northrup is the Chief of Growth & Impact at Education at Work, where he oversees sales, marketing, and the expansion of corporate partnerships. With a career deeply rooted in education, Jamie has held diverse leadership roles in sales, marketing, and strategy. He spent five years leading digital strategy at Tulane University and served as the Executive Vice President for Business Development at Cinematic Health, a healthcare education start-up.

Jamie’s professional journey reflects a seamless transition between traditional higher education, non-profit work, and for-profit organizations. His commitment to mission-driven impact led him to Education at Work, where he plays a crucial role in addressing the need for training college students, ensuring they are well-prepared for their first job after graduation. Jamie Northrup’s career is a testament to his passion for bridging the gap between education and professional development, making a lasting impact on the trajectory of students entering the workforce.

As the Senior Vice President of Shared Services, Kelly is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the daily operations while managing workforce planning and business intelligence strategies. He works closely with other executives to develop and implement organizational strategies, manage staffing levels, ensure employees are equipped to perform their roles, and optimize business processes to drive efficiency and profitability.

Kelly is a dynamic professional with over 20 years of experience in Operational Management, Workforce Planning, Data & Analytics, and Strategic Planning across a variety of areas including Call Center Operations, Capacity Planning, Financial Planning & Analysis, Project Management, Decision Support, and Reporting. Additionally, he has an MBA and M.Ed. with specializations in Accounting, Finance, Leadership & Change Management.

Kelly aligns himself with Education at Work’s mission to drive student professional success by facilitating great opportunities with Fortune 500 companies.

As the Senior Vice President of Operations, Benjamin oversees the daily operations and recruitment process for students and experienced professionals, ensuring that the company attracts and hires top talent in a timely and cost-effective manner while building relationships with colleges and universities. 

With over 20 years of experience in operations management, including senior roles at a telecommunications company and a personalized healthcare company, he has a proven track record of optimizing demand and resources, reducing customer costs, and improving operational performance. As an Area/Digital Sales Manager and Operations Manager, he provided leadership and development for call center teams, established effective organizations, and coordinated activities of exempt and non-exempt employees. During his time with a healthcare institute, Benjamin implemented a training program to improve the supervisory skillset of staff, resulting in improved accreditation and grant requirements. He acquired a degree in Business Management and is a member of Delta Mu Delta and the National Society of Leadership and Success. 

Benjamin supports Education at Work’s mission to provide college students with employment opportunities that lead to personal growth, financial stability, and career success. He wishes to empower students and promote equity in their career development any way he can.

Patrice Clark, Vice President of Human Resources, is responsible for providing strategic Human Resources leadership and consultation to create innovative HR strategies to anticipate and assess emerging business, organization, and people trends. Additionally, she identifies and delivers solutions to support business leaders on decisions related to talent, employee relations, compensation, performance management, learning and development, and culture. 

Patrice is a multi-cross trained corporate resource with more than two decades of progressively responsible executive leadership and business management experience. A lifelong learner, Patrice holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and MBA and enjoys all aspects of business. 

Her passion is and has been to provide a service to others to help them thrive and prosper. Patrice is dedicated to EAW’s mission to prepare students for their professional future any way she can.

Igor is Education at Work’s Vice President of Operations. He has been a key player in delivering outstanding results for our client-to-vendor relationships while leading the development of students, supervisors, and operations leaders. His core focus is to bring individuals together and help them succeed.

Before joining Education at Work in 2017, he spent 7 years in leadership where he supported multiple lines of business with an information management company managing operations and training.

Igor believes that students are the mission and our future. He believes that we at Education at Work can positively impact young individuals to be professionally equipped for the beginning and the continuation of their professional career.

As Vice President of Job Delivery Training and Quality, Demetria is responsible for the implementation of learning strategies, direction, and the evaluation of all corporate training programs. She collaborates with stakeholders on cross-functional quality and training policies to ensure that training is consistent, compliant, and appropriate to enhance overall performance and employee/student enablement. 

With over 13 years of experience, Demetria has worked with global BPO partners to support strategic business goals and to oversee knowledge management infrastructures. Her responsibilities included the identification of developmental needs of domestic and international training communities to incorporate learning interventions that align with the business competency framework. As an internal auditor, she educated domestic corporate departments on ISMS and Quality Management standards to prevent nonconformities to ensure compliance and maintenance global standing.