Ben Sibley
Summary
Strategic finance and operations executive with 14+ years of experience in higher education budget management, fiscal operations, and staff leadership. Proven track record managing large-scale budgets exceeding $350M, leading teams of 140+ FTEs, and ensuring compliance with federal/state regulations in public and private education sectors. Expert in budget development, financial analysis, forecasting, and implementing internal controls. Known for streamlining fiscal operations, improving operational efficiency, and delivering measurable results through data-driven decision making and strategic resource allocation.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Vice President, Revenue Diversification
Strategic Education, Inc.
Herndon, USA
11.2023 - 01.2025
- Company Overview: $1.13B public company offering education services to 105,000 students globally
- Led comprehensive budget management and revenue optimization for Strayer University's $350M revenue portfolio across 60 campus locations serving 40,000 students.
- Managed budget development, forecasting, and compliance with federal regulations.
- Oversaw $350M in annual revenue streams and developed strategic budget allocation across multiple cost centers and campus locations.
- Achieved federal compliance standards for 2024 diversification requirements through rigorous budget monitoring and internal controls.
- Launched international recruiting program generating $5.5M in new annual revenue through detailed financial projections and market analysis.
- Transformed underperforming business unit from $7M loss to profitability through strategic budget restructuring and cost management.
- Developed long-term financial forecasts supporting strategic expansion initiatives.
- $1.13B public company offering education services to 105,000 students globally
Vice President, Insights and Operations
Strategic Education, Inc.
Herndon, USA
10.2019 - 11.2023
- Company Overview: $1.13B public company offering education services to 105,000 students globally
- Provided executive leadership for budget development, operational efficiency, and resource allocation.
- Reported to university president while managing 70 FTEs and $91M operational budget across multiple departments and functions.
- Managed $91M annual operational budget with responsibility for budget development, variance analysis, and quarterly forecasting.
- Led team of 70 full-time employees across multiple departments, conducting performance evaluations and professional development planning.
- Implemented scheduling efficiencies resulting in $1.3M annual cost savings while improving operational performance by 320 basis points.
- Developed proprietary systems and dashboards for budget monitoring, resulting in 2M annual system views and 96% user satisfaction.
- Strategically allocated resources to support 10,000+ student honors program, improving retention metrics and ROI.
- Redesigned budget processes reducing completion timelines by 12% while maintaining 91% satisfaction scores.
- $1.13B public company offering education services to 105,000 students globally
Associate Vice President, Student Academic Services
Strategic Education, Inc.
Herndon, USA
04.2016 - 10.2019
- Company Overview: $1.13B public company offering education services to 105,000 students globally
- Managed budget development and resource allocation for academic services supporting 60,000 students across 80 locations.
- Oversaw 140 FTEs and developed multi-year budget forecasts.
- Developed and managed budgets for 80 campus locations supporting 60,000 students.
- Supervised 140 FTE staff across multiple locations, ensuring compliance with budget policies and procedures.
- Achieved four consecutive years of improved continuation rates, retaining 2,000 additional students and generating $1.2M additional revenue.
- Developed accurate enrollment and revenue projections supporting 91% student re-enrollment rate.
- $1.13B public company offering education services to 105,000 students globally
Associate Vice President, Student Financial Services
Strategic Education, Inc.
Herndon, USA
10.2012 - 04.2016
- Company Overview: $1.13B public company offering education services to 105,000 students globally
- Led financial operations, compliance, and budget management for 55,000 students.
- Managed 125 FTEs across 80 locations while overseeing all forms of financial aid administration and federal/state compliance requirements.
- Oversaw comprehensive financial operations for 55,000 students including federal, state, military, and private funding sources.
- Maintained zero audit findings through rigorous internal controls and adherence to federal/state fiscal regulations.
- Led 125 FTE team across 80 locations, managing performance and ensuring policy compliance.
- Reduced veteran processing time from 6 months to 24 hours and enrollment cycle time from 14 to 2 days.
- Increased student satisfaction scores from 72% to 96% through improved financial processes.
- $1.13B public company offering education services to 105,000 students globally
Associate Bursar, Fiscal Operations
Strategic Education, Inc.
Herndon, USA
07.2011 - 10.2012
- Company Overview: $1.13B public company offering education services to 105,000 students globally
- Provided leadership for proprietary financial systems managing over $1B in student-related transactions.
- Led 8 FTEs in daily fiscal operations and compliance monitoring.
- Supervised over $1B in annual student-related financial transactions.
- Implemented controls reducing transaction error rate from 22% to 0%.
- Achieved zero compliance audit findings through systematic internal control implementation.
- Improved student satisfaction with financial aid processes from 48% to 88%.
- $1.13B public company offering education services to 105,000 students globally
Regional Director
Total Wine & More
Potomac, USA
04.2005 - 07.2011
- Company Overview: Nation's largest wine retailer with $6B revenue and 276 locations
- Managed budget development and execution for 6-store region with 180 team members, consistently exceeding revenue, margin, and operational targets through strategic resource allocation and performance monitoring.
- Nation's largest wine retailer with $6B revenue and 276 locations
Store Team Leader
Target Corporation
Minneapolis, USA
06.2000 - 04.2005
- Company Overview: General merchandise retailer with $107B annual revenue
- Led daily operations and budget management for $62M annual revenue location, achieving top 1% performance ranking through effective resource allocation and operational efficiency initiatives.
Education
Master of Business Administration - Management
Strayer University
Washington, D.C.Bachelor of Business Administration -
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VASkills
- Budget development, management, and adjustment processes in higher education
- Extensive experience with state, federal, and compliance audits in higher education
- Familiarity with public higher education internal controls, policies, and procedures governing financial operations, including federal and state fiscal rules
- Advanced proficiency in developing quarterly and multi-year forecasts of revenue, expenses, and fund balances
- Advanced skill in preparing and presenting budget status updates, projections, and rate recommendations
- Ability to manage and guide staff, including conducting performance evaluations, and fostering a collaborative work environment
- Strategic allocation of resources to align with the university's goals
- Working collaboratively with cross-functional teams to streamline processes
Certification
- Master of Wine Certification (The Institute of Masters of Wine)
- Certified Cicerone (Cicerone Program)
Timeline
Vice President, Revenue Diversification
Strategic Education, Inc.
11.2023 - 01.2025
Vice President, Insights and Operations
Strategic Education, Inc.
10.2019 - 11.2023
Associate Vice President, Student Academic Services
Strategic Education, Inc.
04.2016 - 10.2019
Associate Vice President, Student Financial Services
Strategic Education, Inc.
10.2012 - 04.2016
Associate Bursar, Fiscal Operations
Strategic Education, Inc.
07.2011 - 10.2012
Regional Director
Total Wine & More
04.2005 - 07.2011
Store Team Leader
Target Corporation
06.2000 - 04.2005
Master of Business Administration - Management
Strayer University
Bachelor of Business Administration -
James Madison University
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