Executive Leadership

John F. Speer III is president and chief executive officer of Ellucian. Previously Mr. Speer was president and chief executive of Datatel, Inc. since August 2006. He has more than 28 years of experience in the higher education technology community, personally helping hundreds of colleges and universities manage change through the implementation of advanced information management systems. In 2010, Mr. Speer was recognized by Ernst & Young as Entrepreneur of the Year for Greater Washington. He has also provided technology strategic planning for reaffirmation visiting committees for the Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

As senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Ellucian, Michelle Reed is responsible for marketing operations across a global higher education community. Ms. Reed leads a team dedicated to strategic marketing, branding, market research, and public relations, working closely with product management, and customer and partner relationships to serve our clients’ needs and earn recognition for Ellucian’s offerings worldwide.

As senior vice president and chief services officer, Mike Wallesen is responsible for all Ellucian services and support. Mr. Wallesen’s teams provide services to maximize operational efficiencies, enhance communication and collaboration, and facilitate learning at colleges and universities around the world.

As senior vice president of people, Holly Kortright is responsible for leading the global human resources function at Ellucian. In this role, she drives the company’s human capital management strategy—including talent acquisition and development, compensation and benefits, and employee engagement programs—in support of Ellucian’s mission to ensure our clients’ success.

Jonathan Garnett is responsible for driving Ellucian’s international growth and customer satisfaction throughout Europe, Middle East, Africa, India, and Asia Pacific regions.

Jack Kramer is senior vice president, customer perspective, and is responsible for making sure Ellucian’s customers experience the highest levels of satisfaction with the products and services we deliver and for identifying and implementing improvements that will bring additional value to our customers.

As senior vice president of corporate development, Toby Williams leads Ellucian’s corporate and business development initiatives focused on both partnerships and acquisitions. Mr. Williams joined Ellucian in 2011 as vice president of corporate development. He came to Ellucian from payroll and HR technology leader Paychex (PAYX), where he led M&A and corporate development.