American Public Education, Inc. (Nasdaq: APEI) – parent company of online learning provider American Public University System (APUS) and pre-licensure nursing educator Hondros College of Nursing (HCN) – today announced the hiring of two new senior management team members: Steve Somers as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development; and Amy Manning as Senior Vice President of Human Resources.
“Momentum is building at APEI. With Steve and Amy joining our leadership team, together we will accelerate our enterprise transformation and scale our adult learning platform,” said Angela Selden, president and chief executive officer of APEI. “Our top priority is to fulfill our commitment to working adults of all backgrounds who seek new skills to advance their careers while maximizing the return on their educational investment. I am committed to ensuring that we have the best team in place to achieve our goals and grow APEI’s core businesses.”
Steve Somers joins APEI as SVP, Strategy and Corporate Development to help invigorate business strategy and advance strategic corporate development initiatives in support of the company’s long-term organic growth goals and inorganic growth opportunities. Somers has extensive professional experience in the education and training industries, as well as in the e-commerce and wireless industries.
Prior to joining APEI, Somers served for more than five years as VP of Corporate Development at Kaplan, Inc. where he led acquisitions and divestitures across all business units. Prior to Kaplan, Somers served as VP of Corporate Development, Investor Relations and Treasury at Rosetta Stone, where he helped the company expand its core business and enter a new business segment with the acquisition of Lexia Learning. Prior to his experience in the education space, Somers led the M&A activities of GSI Commerce, an e-commerce business acquired by eBay, and SunCom Wireless, a telecom company acquired by T-Mobile. Somers graduated from Lehigh University with a BS in Business and Economics and an MBA from Villanova University. Somers is also a CFA Charterholder.
Amy Manning joins APEI as SVP, Chief Human Resource Officer. In this role, she will advance human resources initiatives, maximize business strategies and goals, and support growth and scale in APEI’s core businesses. In addition, she will work to elevate APEI’s human resources processes and capabilities, including organizational and employee development, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, talent assessment, and workforce planning.
Prior to joining APEI, for more than 16 years, Manning served in various roles at Cisco Systems. Most recently, Manning served as VP, Human Resources, supporting Cisco’s Corporate Functions’ executive leadership team and leading corporate civility initiatives to support employees experiencing crisis. Manning was an executive sponsor for Cisco’s Conscious Culture initiative, which was designed to ensure an inclusive and collaborative working environment. During her tenure at Cisco, she played a pivotal role in supporting the assimilation, integration and promotion of new leaders, as well as engagement and support of existing executives. Manning also worked at PerkinElmer, GE Capital and ABB Inc. Manning holds a B.S. in Psychology from St. Lawrence University.
“The next chapter of our 30-year history will be written, in part, by adding critical talent to transform our business,” stated Ms. Selden. “With the addition of Amy and Steve, who bring highly relevant experiences and competencies, APEI is better positioned to implement our ambitious plans and accelerate this new era of growth.”