Chief Executive Officer

Jerome A. Grant has served as a director on our Board of Directors since 2019 when he was named Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Grant joined Universal Technical Institute as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in November 2017. Prior to joining Universal Technical Institute he served as Senior Vice President-Chief Services Officer for McGraw-Hill Corporation from June 2015 to April 2017. Prior to joining McGraw-Hill he spent more than 14 years in executive leadership roles at Pearson Education, Inc. including President - Business and Technology, Chief Learning Officer, Vice President - Digital Products and Vice President - Technology Strategy. Mr. Grant received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Labor Relations and Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He brings to the Board more than two decades of executive leadership experience in post-secondary education, including digital strategy, strategic partnerships, marketing and technology.

Chief Financial Officer

Troy R. Anderson joined Universal Technical Institute as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in September 2019. Mr. Anderson has more than 25 years of experience in financial strategy and leadership and has held senior level-roles with leading companies in the services and technology sectors. Most recently, he was Vice President, Global Finance and Corporate Controller for Conduent, Inc., and prior to that served in several financial roles for Xerox, Inc. including Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for their Public Sector Industry Group and Director of Investor Relations. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Maryland, as well as Bachelor of Science degrees in Accounting, Business Administration and Finance from Salisbury University.

Chief Legal Officer

Christopher E. Kevane joined Universal Technical Institute in March 2020 as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer. Kevane has more than 20 years of legal and executive experience, representing both publicly traded and private, equity-backed organizations. Prior to joining UTI, he was Chief Legal Officer for Centauri Health Solutions, one of Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing private healthcare IT services companies. In addition, he has served as the senior legal officer for Rural/Metro Corporation and practiced with the international law firm of Squire Patton Boggs,  focusing on capital markets initiatives. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a Juris Doctor degree from Arizona State University.

Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer

Todd A. Hitchcock serves as Senior Vice President – Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer (CSTO) for Universal Technical Institute.  In addition to leading the development of Corporate Strategy, Mr. Hitchcock also oversees the Transformation Office, Corporate Development, and Corporate Affairs.  Hitchcock has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the education sector and as President of Red Leaf Advising, a higher education consulting company, he had been advising UTI for more than two years before formally joining the company in 2020 . Prior to that, Hitchcock served as Chief Operating Officer of Pearson Embanet, as Senior Vice President for Pearson Learning Solutions, and as Vice President of Florida Virtual School’s Global Services division. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick, a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of New Brunswick, and Academic Administration Credentials from the University of Toronto and York University.

Todd has served on the Board of Directors of both the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) and The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL.)

Chief Information Officer

Lori B. Smith has served as our Senior Vice President – Chief Information Officer since January 2020. She has been with UTI for 28 years and has held several leadership positions across several functional areas. She most recently served as Vice President, Business Intelligence and Compliance from 2016 to 2020. Lori has also served as Controller, Vice President of Student Services, and Vice President of Financial Aid/Student Services. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Black Hills State University.

Chief Academic Officer

Sherrell E. Smith has served as our Chief Academic Officer since 2023. Prior to this, he served as the Executive Vice President of Campus Operations & Services from 2018. He was Executive Vice President of Admissions and Operations from 2015 to 2018, and Senior Vice President, Operations from 2012 to 2015. During his previous tenure with Universal Technical Institute, from 1986 to 2009, Sherrell held several positions, including Campus President, Regional Vice President of Operations, Senior Vice President of Operations and Education and Executive Vice President of Operations. Prior to his return to UTI, he advised a private equity firm on acquisition opportunities in the education field and served as the Chief Executive Officer of the American Institute of Technology. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Arizona State University.

Division President, Universal Technical Institute

Tracy Lorenz has served as Division President of the Universal Technical Institute division which contains the Transportation, Skilled Trades, and Energy offerings, since 2023. Prior to joining Universal Technical Institute Inc. (the “Company”), as Division President, she served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Triumph Higher Education and spent nine years at Apollo Education Group in various roles, including as President of Western International University. Ms. Lorenz has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business/Management and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Management, both from Indiana University-Kelley School of Business.