Rebecca Alptekin
Vice President of Operations & Customer Success | SaaS, Higher Education, & Event Technology
Carmichael,CA
Summary
Operations and Customer Success executive with 20+ years in SaaS, higher education, and large-scale events. Scaled MarchingOrder from 11 to 600+ enterprise clients, delivering $1M+ in revenue recovery, $225K+ in cost savings, and 97% client retention. Expert in SaaS automation, revenue recognition, and cross-functional operations. Currently leveraging this expertise to advise SaaS and service-based companies on scalable growth, operational efficiency, and client success.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Vice President of Operations
Tassel (formerly MarchingOrder)
11.2023 - 07.2025
- Promoted to lead end-to-end operations for a fast-scaling EdTech SaaS company serving 600+ higher-ed clients; reported directly to the CEO as a member of the executive team.
- Led a team of 7 across Operations, Customer Success, and cross-functional delivery, ensuring enterprise-level client satisfaction for all core products (Name Announcements, Displays, Print, and Web Setup).
- Architected and launched Project Lightspeed, a cross-functional automation initiative aligning Ops, Product, and Engineering. Designed scalable workflows projected to cut Ops/CS hours per ceremony by 50%, recover 1,600+ Ops hours annually, and reduce contractor spend by $50K/year—unlocking long-term margin growth and operational scalability.
- Recovered $800K in stalled revenue by diagnosing bottlenecks in the estimate-to-invoice workflow and implementing CRM/data workflow optimizations. Resolved $300K in delayed invoicing immediately and established controls to prevent recurrence, improving cash flow and revenue recognition accuracy.
- Delivered $225K+ cost savings through synthetic voice rollout, script optimization, and phonetic database expansion.
- Scoped interim systems to fill PRD gaps and prevent delivery delays during resource constraints.
- Shielded team during peak seasons by absorbing re-records, QA, re-runs, and cross-functional blockers.
- Co-led CS/Ops integration efforts to align the customer journey and reduce churn.
Vice President of Customer Success
MarchingOrder
08.2011 - 11.2023
- Scaled the Customer Success team from 1 to 10 employees, building onboarding, renewal, and escalation processes that supported 600+ universities nationwide, including 12% of U.S. News top 100 institutions.
- Maintained 97% client retention and an NPS of 78, safeguarding $6M+ ARR during multiple product rollouts and company transitions.
- Established KPIs, lifecycle strategy, and team structure, building the CS department from the ground up to support rapid company growth.
- Served as the voice of the customer across Product and Sales, shaping roadmap priorities and strengthening enterprise client relationships.
- Developed the CS dashboard and escalation protocols that reduced turnaround time and improved transparency.
- Acted as a cultural anchor during leadership transitions, reinforcing company values and sustaining employee trust.
Operations & Facilities Manager
University of Phoenix
Seattle, WA
07.2005 - 07.2011
- Oversaw daily operations and large-scale events for the nation’s largest for-profit university, laying the foundation for a future career in higher-ed technology and commencement logistics.
- Directed 7 commencement ceremonies annually across four regions (Bay Area, Sacramento, Central Valley, and Western Washington), managing audiences of up to 3,000 attendees per event.
- Developed and launched “Grad Central,” an event operations model later adopted across 30+ campuses nationwide.
- Created SharePoint-based workflow automation tools to streamline employee transitions and task delegation.
- Designed and implemented the Emergency Flip Chart protocol across 33 learning centers in Northern California and Washington.
- Served as a Certified Ergonomic Specialist, training new hires and conducting ergonomic evaluations to improve employee safety and compliance.
Education
MBA - Marketing
University of Phoenix
Sacramento, CABSB - Management
University of Phoenix
Sacramento, CASkills
- Revenue Recovery & Recognition
- AI-Driven Process Optimization & Efficiency
- Automation & Digital Transformation
- Project & Event Management
- Operational Strategy & Infrastructure
- Startup → Scale Growth Strategy
- Customer Success Leadership
- P&L Oversight
- Organizational Design & Change Leadership
- Executive & Board Communication
LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS
- Finance and Accounting for the Nonfinancial Executive – Stanford University GSB, 2025
- Business Analytics for Leaders: From Data to Decisions – UC Berkeley Emeritus, 2024
- Certified Ergonomic Specialist, 2009
Timeline
Vice President of Operations
Tassel (formerly MarchingOrder)
11.2023 - 07.2025
Vice President of Customer Success
MarchingOrder
08.2011 - 11.2023
Operations & Facilities Manager
University of Phoenix
07.2005 - 07.2011
MBA - Marketing
University of Phoenix
BSB - Management
University of Phoenix
Similar Profiles
Manuel HernándezManuel Hernández
Director of Product Operations at Tassel (formerly MarchingOrder)Director of Product Operations at Tassel (formerly MarchingOrder)
Tamati SipiTamati Sipi
Volunteer at Under 14s Tommy Tassel Jnr Rugby League CarnivalVolunteer at Under 14s Tommy Tassel Jnr Rugby League Carnival
Paras BansalParas Bansal
Business Development Manager at Wood N Tassel Furniture incBusiness Development Manager at Wood N Tassel Furniture inc
Ethan McHughEthan McHugh
Swim Team Coach at Glen Oaks Swim & Tennis ClubSwim Team Coach at Glen Oaks Swim & Tennis Club
Damian ByrdDamian Byrd
Restaurant Server at Olive Garden - Darden RestaurantsRestaurant Server at Olive Garden - Darden Restaurants