Corporate Office

Michael Iannacone, President/CEO, has been in education for over 35 years. Earlier in his career he was a history teacher before entering education administration. He has held several positions including admission representative, director of admissions, school director, and vice president of operations overseeing 13 locations. Michael has been with Quad Business Partners as President/CEO over Star Career Academy for the over 4 years. He is passionate about the needs of the student coming first and has defined the role of his corporate office as adding value to the school’s campuses and fulfilling the dreams of its students.
 

Ellen Kanakaris, CPA, MBA - VP Finance/CFO, oversees the financial operations of the company, including the following departments: accounting, payroll, accounts payable, student accounts and financial aid. Ellen has 20+ years experience in financial accounting. She graduated from Villanova University receiving a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy. She is a Certified Public Accountant with a current license from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She received her Master's in Business Administration from New York University with a double major in Finance and Marketing. She worked in public accounting for five years with Deloitte and Touche in Philadelphia. Since then she has held various positions with increasing responsibility in financial accounting in both private and public companies in NYC and Southern NJ. She joined the STAR team in 2009.
 

Michael Levitt, Regional Vice President of Operation, was at the helm when The Culinary Academy of Long Island opened its door in 1996 with ten students, one program and one kitchen. In the past fourteen years, The Culinary Academy multiplied its students, space and programs graduating thousands of students and becoming part of the Star Career Academy. In his current position as Regional Vice President of Operations, Michael oversees multiple Star campuses and coordinates expansions and the openings of new campuses.
 

Michele Mumma, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, joined Star Career Academy in December 2008 and is currently the Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Her responsibilities include the admissions departments, as well as the marketing strategies within the organization. Michele brings over 13 years experience to Star Career Academy. Prior to joining Star Career Academy, Michele had a successful career at Career Education Corporation. Her previous positions included the Vice President of Admissions Operations, Vice President of Marketing and Admissions for their Start Up Division, as well as the Vice President of High School for the University Group.
 

Al Dawkins, Vice President of Student Services & IT, has over 17 years experience in the post-secondary career school industry. Al has served as Campus President, Corporate Director, National Director and Regional Vice President in the areas of campus operations, career services and student loan default. Al oversees Career Services and Default Management system wide as well as the completion of multiple accrediting and compliance workshops (ACCSC, ABHES, ACICS, ACCET, Default Management & Title IV Administration). He is also engaged in campus preparation for reaccreditation, compliance and accreditation outcomes reporting. Al holds a BA in Business Administration from St. Joseph’s College, End User MS Office Certification and completed IT/Computer Networks study at Metropolitan College.
 

Ann Bouse, Vice President of Compliance, Ann Bouse earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. She has worked in career education for more than 27 years in financial aid, operations and compliance. Additionally, she worked for the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority as the Director of Communications. Ms. Bouse has been an active committee member of the New Jersey Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators for more than 20 years and has been a Team Leader for the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges.
 

Bill Thorn, Corporate Director of Education, Bill Thorn, Corporate Director of Education, has more than 20 years of experience in career-training and education. He started his career in education as an instructor and has since been a Curriculum Developer, Program Chairperson, Academic Dean, and Corporate Director of Accreditation prior to joining Star Career Academy. Bill has an extensive background in education compliance and accreditation even serving as the Programmatic Chairperson for the standards committee of a national allied health accreditation agency. He has a passion for education and to further improve the industry he has participated as a reviewer/evaluator for multiple accrediting organizations including ABHES, AAMAE/CAAHEP, and PA Dept of Education.