Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ:CECO) today announced that Jeffrey D. Ayers has joined Career Education as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Ayers is an experienced chief legal officer who has been a member of the executive teams of NYSE listed companies. Ayers will fill the open position that has been served on an interim basis by Lawrence D. Levin, senior partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, as outside general counsel.
Ayers has had significant compliance and transactional experience, having practiced law for more than 20 years in both law firms and corporations. Most recently, he was senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for NovaStar Financial in Kansas City, where he managed a staff of 35 and was responsible for all legal, regulatory, compliance and corporate governance issues. His legal role included Sarbanes Oxley compliance, managing public offerings of stock as well as overseeing all public securities filings, managing all litigation, negotiating repurchase and debt facilities and negotiating all aspects of acquisitions and joint ventures. In his regulatory role, Ayers directed all regulatory and licensing compliance for multiple entities licensed in 50 states.
Prior to joining NovaStar, Ayers was vice president and associate general counsel at GE Insurance Solutions, where he was responsible for various legal functions at the $10 billion-plus unit of General Electric, including insurance regulatory issues worldwide, public securities filings and related Sarbanes Oxley compliance, financings and transactions. He earned his J.D., with high distinction, and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Iowa, and received his B.S. degree from Graceland University, summa cum laude, with majors in Computer Science and Mathematics.
“The addition of Jeff to our executive leadership team is another important step for the company as we build on our progress over the last year,” said Gary McCullough, president and chief executive officer of Career Education Corporation. “Jeff’s breadth of experience in large, publicly-traded companies and his expertise in regulatory compliance and international acquisitions is a unique blend of skills that aligns well with our goals for the future.”
“Gary has assembled a dynamic executive team at CEC and I am pleased to join them,” said Ayers. “This is an exceptional opportunity to operate both domestically and internationally, and to make a difference in a field for which I have personal and professional interest. I look forward to contributing to the future growth and success of CEC.”
About Career Education Corporation
The colleges, schools, and universities that are part of the Career Education Corporation (CEC) family offer high quality education to a diverse population of approximately 90,000 students across the world in a variety of career-oriented disciplines. The more than 75 campuses that serve these students are located throughout the U.S. and in Canada, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom, and offer doctoral, master's, bachelor's, and associate degrees and diploma and certificate programs. Approximately one third of our students attend the web-based virtual campuses of American InterContinental University Online and Colorado Technical University Online.
CEC is an industry leader whose gold-standard brands are recognized globally. Those brands include Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America; Harrington College of Design; Brooks Institute; International Academy of Design & Technology; American InterContinental University; Colorado Technical University and Sanford-Brown Institutes and Colleges. Through its schools, CEC is committed to providing quality education, enabling students to graduate and pursue rewarding careers.