Our founder was CEO of a small university in the Southeast U.S until late 2010. He then began talking with others – former university presidents, provosts, professors, higher education entrepreneurs – about an idea he had to improve the process whereby an individual selected a college or university. There was unanimous agreement that there was something wrong with current methodology. Prospective college students were being inundated with supposedly valid but very limited “best school” lists from the likes of U.S. News & World Report, Kiplinger, USAToday, Bloomberg Businessweek and others. And many supposedly informational websites employed aggressive Internet marketing schemes. The result was, for too many students, enrollment in programs and schools that were wrong for them.
Research confirmed that fifty percent of college students switched fields of study, some multiple times, and one-third transferred to a new school prior to graduation. No telling how many dropped out because they were in the wrong program or school or were overburdened with costs. Millions of tuition dollars and untold years were being wasted. Something had to be done.
A different approach
Many of the higher education experts contacted by our founder asked if they could help in formulating a new approach to help prospective college students choose the right school and field of study. As a result, our experienced and distinguished Advisory Board was established to guide us in developing an effective process, one that placed emphasis on an individual’s specific needs, criteria and unique personal characteristics. These were the seeds that spawned University Research & Review and our PeCÄXX Technology, Personal College Advisor/20.
Our people
L. Joseph Schmoke (Founder)
Joe conceived the Company’s strategy and is the principal founder. Previously he was chairman and CEO of Andrew Jackson University (AJU), an accredited for-profit degree granting university that provides all its courses online. Prior to AJU he was the key strategist and a board member at Auto University, a training organization for the automotive industry. A longtime entrepreneur, Joe is the primary author of Vital Business Secrets for New and Growing Companies (Dow Jones- Irwin, 1989), and has been designated Distinguished Lecturer by the Graduate School of Business, Florida Atlantic University.
Jerry Israel, Ph.D. (Co-founder) 
After retiring as president of the University of Indianapolis in 2005, his second post as president of a college, Jerry was temporary president of Lambuth University. He continues to provide strategy consulting services to a number of colleges and universities. He wrote The 75 Biggest Myths about College Admissions (Sourcebooks, 2008) debunking many of the misconceptions students and their families hold about selecting and entering college.
Stephen H. Barnett, Ph.D. 
A former economist and banker, Steve is the Managing Director of WhiteKnight Solutions and serves as our Acting Chief Financial Officer. Steve was a founder and President/CEO of Pointe Federal Savings and Loan and held senior management roles with Southeast Bank and Royal Trust Corporation. Steve also was an economist with Salomon Brothers in New York and has served as a consultant to the School Board of Palm Beach County.
Mark De Fusco, Ph.D. 
Currently involved with special projects at the University of Southern California, Mark spent several years as the education industry specialist with Berkery Noyes, a Wall Street investment bank. His long and varied experience in higher education includes CEO/President at Vatterott Education Holdings, a college with 20 campuses in nine Midwest states. He also served in several management positions with the Apollo Group and opened University of Phoenix’s first campus in the Northeast United States.
Mark Draper, Ph.D. 
Mark is a prominent academician, scholar, researcher, author and executive. He is former Vice Provost of Grantham University, and was Chairman of English and Humanities at the University of Charleston. Before the Internet existed, he organized the nation’s first online writing and testing center. Prior to beginning his academic career, he worked in marketing, public relations and advertising.
Denzil Edge, Ph.D. 
Denzil Edge is a researcher, educator and entrepreneur. He was a professor, administrator and researcher at the University of Louisville, and he has founded three technology companies. He was the CEO/ President of The Learning House, Inc. (www.learninghouse.com). He developed more than 50 online campuses for colleges and universities. He also serves as chair of the United States Distance Learning Association.
Ron Antevy 
Ron is CEO of e-Builder, the nation’s leading construction management software provider which is partly owned by McGraw-Hill. Ron is widely considered an expert in complicated software services design and implementation.
Brian S. Bright, M.Ed. 
Brian consults with education industry executives in many areas. He was VP Business Development and Strategy for Liaison International, Inc., the education industry’s leading provider of centralized application processing and accreditation management SaaS. Brian also co-founded Educor Capital Partners, LLC (“ECP”) and was VP for Business Development at Eduventures, Inc., the leading research and consulting firm for the Education and Training Industry.
Stephen C. Goodall 
Steve is the retired President and CEO and 32 year veteran of J.D. Power and Associates. Steve led the company’s rapid growth and subsequent sale to The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and continued to lead the company for four years after its sale. Steve is currently a board member of Outsell, Inc., and serves as an advisor to uSamp and MarketPsych Data, LLC. Steve has served on college business school advisory boards, and has lectured on market research.
George S. Goulson 
Most recently an executive in the motion picture industry, Mr. Goulson previously held senior executive positions with A&W Restaurants and Little Caesar’s Enterprises, where he headed national growth efforts and franchise development. Prior to his career in the specialty restaurant industry he was an executive in Mr. Schmoke’s early enterprises and an independent concert promoter. George has extensive experience in providing services and products to wide segments of the consumer market.
Everette Freeman, Ed.D. 
Currently president of Albany State University, former senior vice president and provost of the University of Indianapolis, and senior executive at Tennessee State and Jackson State universities, Everette brings over three decades of higher education experience and insight to UR&R. He also served in executive positions at Eastman Kodak, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration.
Mandee H. Adler 
Mandee Heller Adler is a Certified Educational Planner and is the Founder of International College Counselors, one of the world’s largest college and graduate school admissions counseling businesses. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with Honors and two degrees, from the Wharton School and from the College of Arts and Sciences. She also received an MBA from Harvard Business School. Adler authored From Public School to the Ivy League: How to get into a top school without top dollar resources (Biographical Publishing, 2014).
Kurt M. Sagovac 
As Assistant Vice President of PeCÄXX, Kurt has a wide range of responsibilities, including serving as an advisor and as Assistant to the Chair. In addition to his 20-plus years of international management experience, Kurt was a senior executive in a multi-subsidiary interactive services holding company founded by Mr. Schmoke.
Jasiel Moreno 
As Relationship Manager and Technical Specialist of PeCÄXX, Jasiel serves as an advisor and as webmaster. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Management and Marketing from Florida Atlantic University in 2013. Prior to graduating, he joined the PeCÄXX team first as an intern; later obtaining full-time employment. As a Cuban-American, he has witnessed firsthand the struggles Hispanic children face in school when first brought to this country. He hopes to give back via his advisory role.
PeCÄXX 