Leadership - University of Phoenix

Chris Lynne is the president of University of Phoenix. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from the Booth School of Business at University of Chicago.

Steve Gross is the chief marketing officer for University of Phoenix. Previously, Gross served as chief executive officer at Calvert Education. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from State University of New York at Albany.

Raghu Krishnaiah is the chief operating officer of University of Phoenix. He earned both a BS and an MS degree in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Srini Medi is the senior vice president and general counsel for University of Phoenix. Previously, he served as Chief Legal Officer at Bisk Education, Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, an MBA and a Juris Doctorate (JD) from the University of Houston.

Cheryl Naumann is the chief human resources officer of University of Phoenix. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Eric Rizzo is the senior vice president of government affairs for University of Phoenix. He holds a Bachelor of Science in marketing and business communications from Bentley University.

Jamie Smith is the chief information officer for University of Phoenix. Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Iowa State University and has served as a board member for Junior Achievement and the Memphis IT Council.

Ruth Veloria is the chief strategy and customer officer for University of Phoenix. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from University of Oxford in the U.K., and a master’s degree in Marketing and Finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Blair Westblom is chief financial officer for University of Phoenix. Westblom is a graduate of Vanderbilt University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a minor in Business Administration. Westblom is a seasoned financial leader with more than 20 years of experience in public, Fortune 500, and private companies across a variety of industries.

John Woods, PhD, is the chief academic officer and provost for University of Phoenix. He holds a PhD in Higher Education Administration from Bowling Green State University, as well as a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University. He has served as a peer evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission.

University of Phoenix leadership