Involved in the field of education for more than 15 years, Todd Rickel, PhD, serves as managing partner and president of EDUGRP LLC in Akron, Ohio. The company provides educational opportunities and access to first-generation students seeking degrees. Todd Rickel also works as managing partner and president of Rickel Education Group LLC, also in Akron. In this position, he provides solutions for clients involving financial forecasting, online platform rollouts, and new academic program expansion.

Todd Rickel started his career with the University of Phoenix where he served as director of academic affairs. He went on to become regional executive director and then spent almost two years as campus director. In this last role, he initiated startup campus operations and saw more than 500 students attend two locations in less than two years.

He also spent almost two years as chief learning officer at White Hat Ventures and Management, which consists of a 51-campus system in Akron. He managed more than 20,000 students in six states, including virtual and campus-based institutions.

Todd Rickel was a board member of the Education Industry Association (EIA), Junior Achievement, and the American College Health Association. He is a former member of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU), and the American Educational Research Association (AERA).