College President Uses Business Background To Change Lives For Better
Todd Steele is the president and CEO of Tribeca Flashpoint College, a media, arts, and communications college online and in downtown Chicago. Steele brings more than 20 years of experience in postsecondary education to his current role. Before joining Tribeca Flashpoint College, he co-founded Career Education Corporation, a provider of postsecondary education. Prior to his work in education, he worked in private equity, buyout finance and economic research. Steele holds an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and a B.A. in economics from Northwestern University. Steele shares his thoughts and experiences on what it takes to be successful.
What are the responsibilities of your current role?
"As CEO of Tribeca Flashpoint College, I am responsible for setting and guiding the strategic direction of the institution, creating a culture that is dynamic and growth-oriented, and leading a staff and faculty focused on delivering a uniquely modern and relevant model of education. Our focus is on developing and delivering educational programs that prepare students for successful careers in the digital economy—from digital marketing and visual communications to film and recording arts to animation and visual effects."
What is your favorite part of your daily duties?
"The thing I enjoy most about coming to work each day is working with my team to grow the institution and make it better. It doesn't matter whether it is developing online delivery capabilities, developing new programs, making our school more affordable for students, or finding ways in which to enhance the student experience, I enjoy the process of bringing different departments together and achieving something that will make TFC bigger and better. If we're successful in what we do, we are creating an educational experience that will prepare our graduates for the 'real world' in a way that many schools simply cannot match."
Do you feel your education prepared you for your current role?
"Certainly, my background in business has helped me prepare to run a business. Having a background in finance and economics is very useful when it comes to the intricacies and the behind the scenes here at Tribeca Flashpoint College, however, there are a couple of things that we do at TFC that were not a part of my education that I believe are very useful for a many college graduates. Our curriculum facilitates the development of a work portfolio that allows our students to clearly convey their interests, talents, and accomplishments to prospective employers. Additionally, many of the projects that our students work on also develop their 'soft skills,' like collaboration, accountability, initiative, presentation skills, that are as important to their professional success as their portfolio."
Do you have any advice for people who desire to pursue a similar career?
"It's a great place to be if you want to engage in business and also change lives – an unusual opportunity to do well (business) and do good (change lives for the better). Given massive technological changes and industry-wide competitive and financial pressures that have been building for several decades, it is a great place to be for those who want to be in a dynamic, disruptive environment. Don't enter this if you are a status quo type person."
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