AIU Board of Trustees
Nancy Mann, Board Chair, is an alumnus of American InterContinental University, having graduated from the London campus in 1981. Ms. Mann currently is the project designer for Mitch Johnson Construction. She had previously spent six years as a District Manager for GF Furniture Systems where her responsibilities included space planning, ergonomic designs, and sales. After her tenure with GF Furniture Systems, she operated her own business as an Architectural Designer for travel resorts, and later served as a real estate appraiser and consultant for historic properties renovation. Ms. Mann resides in Aiken, South Carolina, and has been a member of the AIU Board of Trustees for over 20 years.
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David J. Kaufman, Board Vice Chair, is a partner and co-chair of the Corporate Practice Group in the national law firm of Duane Morris, LLP. His law practice focuses on mergers and acquisition, public and private securities, private equity and general corporate counseling. Mr. Kaufman assists predominantly entrepreneurial clients in developing and implementing creative strategies to accomplish their business objectives. He also regularly advises boards of directors, their committees and officers on their fiduciary duties and other obligations. He is a member of the Strategic Communications Committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association and is also a member of The Chicago Bar Association. He served on the editorial board of the Michigan Journal of International Law and as editor-in-chief of the Michigan Journal of Political Science. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and holds a B.A. and M.P.P. from the University of Michigan.
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Richard Pope Perry is a practicing Attorney at Law in Roswell, Georgia, having been admitted to the Bar in December of 1960. Mr. Perry graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in 1959. He graduated from the Lamar School of Law at Emory University with a J. D. in 1961. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Georgia Bar Association and North Fulton County Bar Association. He is also a retired Captain, U. S. Army, Judge Advocate General's Corps and is active in the Episcopal Church, serving as Chancellor of the Diocese of Atlanta.
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Ronald E. Frieson is currently the Senior Vice President of External Affairs at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. He is the retired President of Georgia Operations for BellSouth Corporation. Mr. Frieson began his BellSouth career in 1985, and held a number of leadership roles during his tenure including Vice President of Transition and Strategy, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, and Group Vice President. Prior to joining BellSouth, Mr. Frieson worked in the banking industry. Mr. Frieson is very active in civic affairs and is currently chair-elect of the national trustees for the American Kidney Fund. He has served as board chair of the Atlanta Police Foundation and Atlanta's Inn for Children. Mr. Frieson has served as a board member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, Buckhead Coalition, Atlanta Urban League, Hands on Atlanta and the 100 Black Men of Dekalb. He was also a member of the Leadership Atlanta class of 2002. Mr. Frieson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a Finance concentration from the University of Tennessee and a MBA in Information Systems from Georgia State University.
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Eric M. Israel, Board Secretary, has served as Senior Vice President and SBU General Counsel for Career Education Corporation's (CEC) University strategic business unit since January 2008 and CEC's Culinary strategic business unit since July 2008. Mr. Israel previously served as the Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel for CEC's University, Art and Design Group from January 2005 to December 2007. Prior to that, Mr. Israel was the Vice President of Administration and Corporate Counsel for CEC's Online Education Group from December 2003 to January 2005. From 1998 until joining CEC, Mr. Israel practiced corporate law with Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP where he concentrated his practice in general corporate, merger and acquisition, and securities matters. Mr. Israel received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan in 1995 and his J.D., cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1998.
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Diane Auer Jones is currently the Vice President for External and Regulatory Affairs at Career Education Corporation. Trained originally as a molecular biologist, Diane spent the first 13 years of her career working as a laboratory researcher and community college biology professor before moving to a career in public policy, which began during her term as a program director at the National Science Foundation. From there she moved to Capitol Hill where she was first a professional staffer and then acting staff director for the Research Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science. She returned to academia for several years during which time she served as Princeton University's Director of Government Affairs, but then went back to government serving as the Deputy to the Associate Director for Science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Diane was then nominated by the president, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education at the Department of Education. After leaving government service, and prior to joining CEC, Diane spent two years serving as the President & CEO of The Washington Campus, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching current and future business leaders about the intersection between business and public policy. The Washington Campus served as an extension campus for a consortium of 17 top U.S. graduate business schools, including the University of California Berkeley, UCLA, University of Michigan, the Ohio State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Texas, Texas A&M, Howard University, Grand Valley State University, Georgetown University, Northeastern University, Colorado State University, University of New Mexico, Arizona State University, Emory University, Purdue University and Indiana University. Diane also has experience as an entrepreneur having owned several small businesses, including a natural and gourmet food store, a health and wellness center, and she was co-owner of an environmental biotechnology company. Diane and her husband have two grown children who they home schooled for high school. They currently reside on their sail boat in Washington, DC.
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Dr. Robert T. Justis is chair of the Rucks Department of Management, and Director of the International Franchise Forum in the E. J. Ourso College of Business at Louisiana State University. Present teaching and research areas are concerned with franchising, entrepreneurship, international businesses, and strategic business practices. While working on his doctoral degree, Dr. Justis established a small business with two other students in Indiana and Florida that grossed over two million dollars a year. He specializes in the development and start-up of franchising and entrepreneurial organizations. Additional consulting assignments have included work for Burger King, Borg Warner Corporation, Texas Instruments, Wendy's McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Popeyes', Selection Research, Inc., National Research Corporations, etc. He has consulted or assisted over 250 franchising organizations around the world. In addition, Dr. Justis has developed and presented management programs in Brazil, Mexico, China, Australia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, France, and Switzerland. The Freedom foundation at Valley Forge has conferred upon Dr. Justis the Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education. He has also received distinguished teaching awards from every University where he has taught, including: Indiana University, Texas Tech University, University of Nebraska and Louisiana State University. He is often called "the father of small business" and recently he has become known as "the father of franchising" – titles associated with his development of these academic areas.
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Dr. George P. Miller, III, joined AIU in January of 2004 after serving for thirteen years as president of non-profit colleges in Tennessee and New York. He has over 30 years of experience in higher education as an administrator and teacher. Dr. Miller received the Bachelor of Science Degree from James Madison University, the Master of Science Degree from the University of Tennessee, and the Doctor of Education Degree from the University of Virginia. He is active in professional and civic affairs, is a published author, and is the recipient of numerous honors and awards for professional distinction and public service.
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Stephen J. Tober is the Chief Executive Officer of AIU and President of AIU Online. Mr. Tober joined AIU as Chief Operating Officer in October 2008 and had served as Interim CEO of AIU and Interim President of AIU Online prior to his current position. He has nearly 20 years experience in operations and management in a variety of industries including education, information technology services, investment banking and management consulting, and most recently held a senior position with ThinkEquity Partners in Chicago. He has also held senior roles at publicly traded companies including SPR, Leapnet and Smith Barney. Steve earned his Bachelor's degree from Amherst College and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.
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