Chief Executive Officer

Jerome A. Grant has led Universal Technical Institute, Inc. as Chief Executive Officer and served as a director on the company’s Board of Directors since 2019, after previously holding the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.  He has significant expertise in higher education, having held executive leadership positions at multiple global companies where he oversaw digital strategy, strategic partnerships, marketing, technology and more. Prior to joining Universal Technical Institute, Jerome served as Senior Vice President-Chief Services Officer for McGraw-Hill Corporation and spent more than 14 years at Pearson in roles that included President-Business and Technology; Chief Learning Officer; Vice President-Digital Products; and Vice President-Technology Strategy.  He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Labor Relations and Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Interim Chief Financial Officer

Ms. Kline has served as the Company’s Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since December 2023. Prior to this role, she served as Vice President, Corporate Controller since joining the Company in February 2020. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Kline served as the Director of Financial Reporting at Nuverra Environmental Solutions from July 2015 to February 2020 and was named the Principal Accounting Officer from November 2019 through February 2020, and as the Director of Accounting and Reporting at PetSmart, Inc. from October 2007 to July 2015. Ms. Kline started her career with Deloitte & Touche LLP. Ms. Kline is a Certified Public Accountant. Ms. Kline earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Arizona.

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer

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

Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer

Todd A. Hitchcock leads all aspects of the company’s strategy, including transformation, corporate development, corporate affairs, communications and government relations. He has worked with Universal Technical Institute, Inc. since 2018, when he began consulting on various projects before transitioning to his current in-house position.  Todd has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and has held multiple leadership positions at global companies including Pearson, where he was Chief Operating Officer for Pearson Embanet and Senior Vice President for Pearson Learning Solutions; he also led Florida Virtual School’s Global Services division. Recognized as a thought leader in online learning, Todd has served on the boards of both the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) and iNACOL (now known as the Aurora Institute).  He holds Bachelors degrees in Business Administration and Education from the University of New Brunswick, and credentials in academic administration from the University of Toronto and York University.

Executive Vice President, Chief Academic Officer

Prior to his current appointment as Chief Academic Officer, Sherrell E. Smith served the company in multiple leadership roles since 1986, including Executive Vice President of Campus Operations and Services; Executive Vice President of Admissions and Operations; Senior Vice President of Operations; and as a campus president.  His past experience includes advising a private equity firm on acquisition opportunities in the education sector, and as Chief Executive Officer of the American Institute of Technology. Sherrell received a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Arizona State University.

Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer

Carolyn Frank joined Universal Technical Institute, Inc. in 2024, bringing more than 20 years of experience in building and managing human resource organizations across industries. Most recently, she served as Chief Human Resources Officer and Executive Vice President at Finance of America, and as Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President at Guild Mortgage Company.  Carolyn is recognized as a national leader in her profession, having been honored as one of the Top 100 Women in Business by the National Women's Conference in 2022, and as HR Executive of the Year by the San Diego HR Forum in 2018.  She holds a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management from National University and a Bachelor of Arts in Speech-Communications from Baldwin Wallace University.

Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer

Lori B. Smith has served Universal Technical Institute in multiple leadership roles across several functional areas for nearly 30 years.  Prior to her appointment as Chief Information Officer, Lori served as Vice President, Business Intelligence and Compliance; 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.

Division President, Universal Technical Institute

Tracy Lorenz is Division President of Universal Technical Institute, the transportation, skilled trades and energy divisions of Universal Technical Institute, Inc. Prior to joining the company as division president, Tracy served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Triumph Higher Education and held multiple leadership roles at Apollo Education Group, including President of Western International University. She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business/Management and a Master of Strategic Management, both from Indiana University-Kelley School of Business.

Division President, Concorde Career Colleges

Kevin Prehn was appointed Division President of Concorde Career Colleges in 2023, after holding several leadership positions at the company including Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Concorde, Kevin served as Regional Vice President of Operations at Education Corporation of America; Regional Vice President of Operations at Kaplan Higher Education; and Regional Operations Manager at Score Educational Centers. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Purdue Global and a Bachelor of Arts in communication from University of California San Diego.