Thom Jackson has held key positions at Fortune 100 companies and served three New Jersey governors, but it was his upbringing in a high-poverty Ohio zip code that truly formed him into the leader he eventually became―specifically, he saw the critical role of education. “I’m living proof of how education can change your life,” he says. “I’m on this trajectory because my 8th grade teacher Dottie Miller pulled me aside in the hallway and put me on the right path.”

That trajectory led Thom to join EdisonLearning, originally as General Counsel, during which time he quickly found himself immersed in education models, results, and understanding what quality teaching was all about. Within a couple years, the company went up for sale and Thom placed the winning bid, making EdisonLearning the largest minority-owned business in the online education space. Over nearly a decade as President & CEO, his passion has only grown. “I feel obligated to pay back at a scale Ms. Miller wouldn’t even have imagined,” he says. “It keeps me driven.”