2tor Names Chip Paucek as Chief Executive Officer

NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- 2tor, Inc. announced today the appointment of Chip Paucek as Chief Executive Officer. Paucek is a 2tor co-founder and has been serving as the company's President and Chief Operating Officer since its founding. John Katzman, 2tor's founding CEO, will continue to serve as Executive Chairman.

2tor was founded in 2008; it partners with top-tier universities to deliver rigorous, selective graduate programs online. Founded by a unique team of education veterans, the company provides research universities with the web technologies, infrastructural support and capital needed to compete in a space previously dominated by mediocre online programs. Over the past three years, Katzman and Paucek have built a world-class management team. With its university partners, the team has grown four graduate programs with over 3,000 students.

Prior to 2tor, Paucek was the CEO of Hooked on Phonics, broadening the brand's presence from its infomercial roots to national retail prominence. Prior to that, Paucek ran U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski's re-election campaign, and co-founded and managed the company behind the award-winning Standard Deviants PBS television series.

"This new structure positions us to continue our explosive growth," said John Katzman, Executive Chairman of 2tor. "Chip has been a large part of the company's success these past three years. I look forward to continuing to work with him as Executive Chairman."

"It's been exciting to deliver on a vision that we could rethink the boundaries of higher education," said Chip Paucek, CEO of 2tor. "I'm ecstatic and humbled to lead 2tor at this exciting time, both for this intense growth period for the company and higher education globally."  

2tor is the most well-funded education start-up in the United States. The company has partnered with prestigious research universities to deliver groundbreaking online degree programs:

• MAT@USC: Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education
• MSW@USC: Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California School of Social Work
• Nursing@Georgetown: Master's in Nursing from Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies
• MBA@UNC: Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School

About Chip Paucek

Chip Paucek is 2tor's co-founder and Chief Executive Officer. He previously served as 2tor's President and Chief Operating Officer. After graduating from The George Washington University with a bachelor's degree in political communication, Paucek founded Cerebellum Corporation, the company behind the award-winning educational Standard Deviants television program. Standard Deviants was distributed on over 100 PBS stations and was selected by TV Guide/Today Show as the top show for kids. After leading Cerebellum Corporation for a decade, Paucek co-managed the re-election campaign of U.S. Senator from Maryland, Barbara Mikulski. Senator Mikulski won the election in a landslide and set a state record for campaign contributions. Paucek then returned to education as the CEO of Hooked on Phonics and expanded access to the program by bringing it from infomercial sales to distribution across major U.S. retailers. When not 2toring, Paucek is most likely on his boat in the Chesapeake Bay with his wife, Gabrielle, and two sons.

About John Katzman

John Katzman is the founder and Executive Chairman of 2tor. Katzman served as 2tor's CEO from 2008 to 2011. Prior to founding 2tor, Katzman founded The Princeton Review and served as its CEO until 2007. By then, the Review helped half of the students applying to U.S. colleges and universities each year find, get into and pay for school, and helped hundreds of colleges and K-12 school districts improve educational outcomes. Katzman's innovative ideas on educational reform have made him a leading authority on assessment and university admissions. He is the co-author of five books on testing and admissions, and a frequent lecturer and panelist. Over the years, Katzman helped launch several start-ups. He serves on the Boards of Directors for three non-profits, and the Board of Advisors of several for- and not-for-profit organizations, including the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and the National Association of Independent Schools. Katzman is married to Alicia Ernst; they have a son and a daughter. His personal interests include ice hockey, running, skiing and architecture.

About 2tor, Inc.

2tor, Inc. partners with top-tier universities to deliver rigorous, selective graduate programs online. Founded in 2008 by a unique team of education veterans, the company provides universities with the web technologies, infrastructural support and capital needed to compete in a space previously dominated by mediocre online programs. 2tor develops state-of-the-art technology platforms that enhance traditional offline curricula to create transformative instruction using the best educational and social web technologies. Since its founding, 2tor has partnered with the University of Southern California, Georgetown University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to deliver groundbreaking online degree programs.

Media Contact:  Shirley Chow  //  PR Manager, 2tor, Inc.  //  [email protected]  //  858-336-0358 

SOURCE 2tor, Inc.