NICK CHERICO
Strategic Account Executive - Ed-Tech
New York,NY
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Strategic Account Executive
Progress Learning
New York, NY
08.2023 - Current
- Company Overview: formerly Horizon Education
- Promoted to sole Strategic Account Executive position amongst a sales team of 19 individuals, spearheading go-to-market strategy and revenue generation across New York, Illinois, & National Charter K-12 accounts
- Attained 201% to plan in 2025 Q1 & closed $645K in ACV across 120+ new partners in 2024 against a quota of $400K
- Hold a company-high 31% demo-to-close rate, delivering 200+ customized presentations annually to superintendents, curriculum directors, and instructional leaders, positioning offerings as aligned to district-wide goals
- Actively build and manage a pipeline exceeding $1.5M, with 95% forecast accuracy, supporting leadership's strategic planning and quarterly revenue projections
- Collaborate directly with senior leadership to define company-wide go-to-market strategy, including ICP development, messaging framework, and pricing tiers, contributing to a 15% YoY increase in company revenue in key markets
- Established key relationships with top 10% of districts by size in territory (primarily Illinois), helping launch multi-school implementations impacting 50,000+ students and 7,500+ educators
- Leveraged strong understanding of NYC's K-12 education landscape to develop a unique offering that generates $150K in ARR, in order to align with city-specific funding cycles, compliance standards, and instructional needs
- Lead full-cycle consultative sales - from cold prospecting and needs discovery to solution design, demo, and contract close - supported by CRM automation, segmented targeting, and optimized outreach sequences
- Represent company at national and regional education conferences, generating $300K in sourced pipeline in 2024 and elevating brand recognition in core markets
- Mentor a team of 8 junior AEs and 6 BDRs, acting as a player-coach by implementing real-time feedback loops, sharing best practices, counseling through complex deals, and guiding onboarding
- Formerly Horizon Education
Adjunct Professor of Business Communication & Public Speaking
Fordham University - Gabelli School of Business
New York, NY
08.2022 - 08.2023
- Led 2 - 4 class sections (~18 students/each) of undergraduate sophomores in developing public speaking skills so as to deliver effective business presentations as part of broader school-wide integrated business curriculum
Director of Partnerships, New York - Tri-State
Applerouth Education
New York, NY
08.2022 - 05.2023
- Oversaw annual in-market K-12 revenue target of $1.2M and routinely exceeded monthly sales goals, including for 2023 Q1 as well as surpassed Q2 target by mid-May
- Achieved 78% of 2023 annual B2B institutional sales goals within first 4-months of the year and improved direct B2C sales 22% YTD, which was the largest in-market improvement for the company in over 3 years
- Increased student leads 250% YOY within 8 months of employment and on-pace to surpass 2023 lead goal by 190%
- Established and managed 11 new institutional partnerships with area schools and local organizations
- Resurrected a 3-year neglected sales portfolio to re-establish 20+ programmatic SAT & ACT classes with target schools
- Designed and implemented field-marketing strategy to increase brand awareness for 500+ schools and 300K+ students throughout the territory
- Completed 20+ speaking engagements with schools and PTAs to educate audience on industry trends and increase leads
- Collaborated with Global Director of Marketing on diversifying product offerings and executing in-market sales strategy, which resulted in the first institutional deal with a NYC middle school in company history
- Wrote and presented proposals to school leaders and district personnel to further grow enterprise sales book of business
Director of Partnerships & Career Programs
The TEAK Fellowship
New York, NY
09.2018 - 11.2021
- Managed organization-wide career programs initiatives, such as career advising and internship / job placement efforts for 100+ college students, oversight of $50K annual budget, and recruitment of new corporate partners
- Led department growth and restructuring, particularly with regards to program expansion and process / policy overhaul
- Created framework, developed curriculum, and guided implementation of new Fireside Chat and Professional Coaching Initiatives as well as conducted instructional presentations on career services topics to organizations and students
- Served as thought-leader for current and emerging trends in college-to-career development, with a focus on DEIB
- Liaised with Senior Board officials and Next Generation Board members on various strategic initiatives
- Cultivated strategic partnerships with a number of high-profile businesses, including the development of an innovative 'Rising Entrepreneurs Project' with senior leaders at Apollo Global Management, which culminated in student presentations to firm Co-President and COO, among others
- Directed annual workshop events with 10 - 15 various employers, including Google, RBC, and Paul Weiss
- Increased student participation by 50% and retained ~90% of corporate partners in Summers 2019, 2020, and 2021
- Secured internship placements for 100% of students in Summers 2019, 2020, and 2021
Client Services Project Manager
Mind Gym
New York, NY
08.2017 - 06.2018
- Utilized Mavenlink software to develop and track project plans via Gantt charts against timeline and budget as well proactively communicate project status, issues, and risks to stakeholders
- Led project team, delegated tasks to appropriate members and monitored resource allocation by gauging resource capacity and forecasting future availability
- Microsoft - $600k management development program for all new managers
- Managed both internal and sub-contracted team, through intensive program development and delivery
- Successfully expedited project plan by one month to ensure company revenue remained in fiscal year
- Salesforce - $250k performance management program aimed to improve techniques for HR employees
- Guided work from initial scoping through content creation and session delivery
- Achieved 95% satisfaction rates from Salesforce employees and program rolled-out globally in 2018
Assistant Director
Cristo Rey New York High School, Corporate Work-Study Program
New York, NY
06.2015 - 08.2017
- Obtained new corporate partnerships annually through definable, repeatable, and scalable sales process as well as developed unique initiatives such as incentive-based contract policy
- Acted as primary relationship manager for 80 clients and orchestrated comprehensive job placement process for 400 student workers at a multitude of Fortune 500 companies
- Attained 95% client retention and 98% client satisfaction for school year 2016-2017
- Created extensive curriculum and taught two sections of bi-weekly Corporate Applications class which prepares students on essential workplace skills including how to interview and deliver effective presentations
Client Relationship Associate
New York, NY
06.2013 - 06.2015
Office Operations Associate / AmeriCorps Volunteer
New York, NY
08.2011 - 06.2013
Education
MBA - Dual Major, Management Systems; Communication and Media
Fordham University, Gabelli School of Business
05.2017
BA - Organizational Communication; Minor in Business
Xavier University, College of Arts and Sciences
05.2011
Skills
- Salesforce CRM
- HubSpot
- Mavenlink
- SurveyMonkey
- Slack
- Zoom
- Microsoft
- Google Suite
Websites
Hobbies and Interests
- Actively involved with various public speaking groups, including frequent participation in 'The Moth' and 'The Storytelling Project' - Organizations whose members perform personal stories on stage accompanied solely w/ a prompt
- Fan of live music and events - attended 18 shows during 2024, notably Fleetwood Mac and Sebastian Maniscalco
- Passionate NY Sports supporter and coached CRNY Varsity baseball team to an unimpressive 3 - 27 win/loss record
- Currently learning Spanish and enjoy all things culture / travel, in particular Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown
Timeline
Strategic Account Executive
Progress Learning
08.2023 - Current
Adjunct Professor of Business Communication & Public Speaking
Fordham University - Gabelli School of Business
08.2022 - 08.2023
Director of Partnerships, New York - Tri-State
Applerouth Education
08.2022 - 05.2023
Director of Partnerships & Career Programs
The TEAK Fellowship
09.2018 - 11.2021
Client Services Project Manager
Mind Gym
08.2017 - 06.2018
Assistant Director
Cristo Rey New York High School, Corporate Work-Study Program
06.2015 - 08.2017
Client Relationship Associate
06.2013 - 06.2015
Office Operations Associate / AmeriCorps Volunteer
08.2011 - 06.2013
MBA - Dual Major, Management Systems; Communication and Media
Fordham University, Gabelli School of Business
BA - Organizational Communication; Minor in Business
Xavier University, College of Arts and Sciences
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