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As chairman and chief executive officer, Douglas Becker led the transformation of Laureate Education (formerly Sylvan Learning Systems) from a domestic tutoring provider into the world’s leading international higher education company with operations in over 15 countries.
Mr. Becker has served a Chairman and CEO of the Company since 2000, having previously served as President and Co-CEO. Under his leadership, Sylvan became the undisputed leader in K-12 tutoring with nearly 2,000 learning centers, over 200,000 students and the most recognized consumer brand name in education. The K-12 business of the company, now known as Educate, Inc., was sold in 2003 in order to allow the company to focus all of its energies on post-secondary education, by far its fastest growing line of business. It was in recognition of its new focus on higher education that the company changed its name to Laureate Education, Inc. in 2004. Laureate owns and operates private universities throughout the world to help meet the growing demand for post-secondary education.
Laureate’s student enrollment has grown at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 37% since 2001, driving expected revenue to more than $820mm in 2005. As the first company operating large-scale universities in multiple countries, Laureate is now recognized as one of the world's most promising international companies. Today, Laureate Education offers career-oriented degree programs to over 215,000 students through its network of 20 campus-based and online institutions in Europe, Asia and the Americas a network known as Laureate International Universities.
In a significant step to contribute to the revitalization of his hometown Baltimore, Mr. Becker relocated Sylvan’s corporate headquarters to the city's Inner Harbor East district in late 1996, the first move by a major corporation into Baltimore City in more than two decades. Today, Laureate’s headquarters are still located in Baltimore City, as are the headquarters of other education companies that were founded under the Sylvan umbrella such as Thomson Prometric and Educate, Inc. Today, these companies employ over 1,000 people in Baltimore and over 30,000 people throughout the world. Mr. Becker also established the Sylvan Learning Foundation (now known as the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation) in 1997 to provide support for education initiatives in Baltimore and around the world.
Beyond Laureate, Mr. Becker demonstrates his commitment to community through his service as Vice Chairman of the International Youth Foundation and as Chairman of Port Discovery -- The Baltimore Children's Museum, a world-class educational attraction in Baltimore's famed Inner Harbor. In addition, he is a trustee and director of several other non-profit organizations, including FIRST Robotics, and the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore. | 