CEO Today Business Women of the Year Awards

33 www.ceotodaymagazine.com CEO Today Business Women of the Year Awards 2018 USA CATHY GRAHAM Chief Financial Officer of 2U FIRM PROFILE We are in the midst of a transformational era in higher education. Technology is reshaping how we work and fundamentally redefining what it means to have a career, forcing us all to become lifelong learners. In the face of this new reality, leaders across academia are confronting a clear challenge: how to fully embrace the digital era while preserving the best of what has defined their institution, often for centuries. This need to adapt represents a stark change from adhering to a proven model that, for generations, has enabled universities to become a singularly powerful force in creating upward mobility in our society. We recognize that this can create fear - not necessarily of change, but of loss. One thing is undeniable, however; to preserve and build on their legacies in the digital era, institutional inertia is not an option. 2U Inc. is a diverse collection of more than 2,000 individuals who share a common belief in the power of higher education to transform lives for the better. Every 2Ute — regardless of office, department, or tenure — is passionate about helping our university partners deliver life-changing outcomes for their students. That purpose-driven mission and student-focused culture, combined with our scale and depth of investment in each partner, are what set our model apart. They are what make us more than just a vendor or another online program manager. For a decade, 2U has been a trusted brand steward and the partner of choice to the world’s top universities in navigating the complexities of bringing the best of themselves into the digital age. At the foundation of our model is a genuine respect for what makes a university great: a strong and independent faculty, a commitment to academic rigor, and the critical interplay among students and faculty that comes from the intimacy of a live classroom. We believe the best online education must be grounded in these core values — it is the reason why 2U partners have always maintained control over the accreditation process, the curriculum, faculty hiring, admission standards, and decisions about which students are accepted into their programs. We build and value trusted personal relationships with our partners because that human connection is essential to confronting and resolving difficult issues together. We rely heavily on data, and the ability to analyze it, because the insights that come from it are a powerful tool in making informed choices and preventing avoidable mistakes. But, most of all, we cherish and foster institutional will because, without it, real transformation is not possible. ABOUT CATHY GRAHAM Cathy Graham has served as 2U’s chief financial officer since April 2012. Previously, she served as chief financial officer for Online Resources Corporation, a financial technology company, from2002 to April 2012. Prior to that, she served as chief financial officer for VIANET.WORKS, Inc., an Internet services and web hosting provider, from 1998 to 2002. Previously, she served in senior financial positions with Yurie Systems, a telecommunications equipment manufacturer, and other public companies, as well as with several commercial banks. She holds a BA from the University of Maryland and an MBA from Loyola College of Maryland. www.2u.com “2U Inc. is a diverse collection of more than 2,000 individuals who share a common belief in the power of higher education to transform lives for the better.”