Tom McNamara

Chief Operating Officer @ Unitek Learning

About

Accomplished entrepreneur and executive with a track record of building great businesses in the education and healthcare sectors. Tom has founded, nurtured and grown some extraordinary organizations focused on unlocking student potential through education and workforce aligned training. He believes that intense focus on student outcomes leads to exceptional business success. He has dedicated much of his career to this belief, from key leadership roles in university settings to founding an innovative predictive analytics and student retention software company. Tom has honed his methodology to develop a replicable, scalable and predictable approach to business success in the education and healthcare sectors. He cites embracing data, operational excellence and a true belief that education and workforce aligned training will unleash human potential as the key to success.

Country

United States

City

Greater Chicago Area

Industry

Higher Education

Skill

Finance, Staff Development, Higher Education, Leadership Development, E-Learning, Leadership, Career Counseling, Instructional Design, Adult Education, Public Speaking, Auditing, Strategic Planning, Project Management, Enrollment Management, Admissions, Budgets, Coaching, Strategy, Organizational Development, Training

Experience

Chief Operating Officer

Unitek Learning

2026-1 - Present · 9 mos

Tempe, Arizona, United States

Tom is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations and ensuring the achievement of the company’s strategic objectives. He leads cross-functional teams to optimize operational performance, drive process improvements, and scale systems that support growth and positive outcomes for students and employer partners alike. Tom partners closely with the CEO and ELT to translate strategy into action, manage resources effectively, and maintain operational excellence across all Unitek business units.

Chief Transformation Officer

Unitek Learning

2025-3 - 2026-1 · 11 mos

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Unitek is leading the transformation of how HigherEd and Healthcare Systems are partnering to solve acute nursing and other workforce shortages by expanding access to innovative earn as you learn nursing programs for healthcare team members.

Board Member

Unitek Learning

2020-3 - 2026-1 · 5 yrs 11 mos

Board Member

ThinkCERCA

2021-1 - Present · 5 yrs 9 mos

President Workforce Development

Risepoint

2022-3 - 2025-2 · 3 yrs

Greater Chicago Area

• Developed strategic partnerships with large regional and national Healthcare Systems to support Risepoint's community-serving university partners in educating and training the next generation of nurses and healthcare professionals. • Supported the launch of innovative nurse training programs and initiatives to address the evolving needs of the healthcare sector.

Operating Advisor

The Vistria Group

2018-10 - 2022-3 · 3 yrs 6 mos

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Founder and CEO

Nuro Retention

2016-5 - 2021-3 · 4 yrs 11 mos

Greater Chicago Area

Chief Operating Officer

West Coast University

2014-9 - 2016-3 · 1 yr 7 mos

Irvine, California

Partnered with the CEO and Provost to oversee all University Operations at one of the largest nursing and health sciences universities in the country.

Past Board Member

St. Francis Medical Center

2013-1 - 2016-3 · 3 yrs 3 mos

Lynwood, California, United States

President

American Career College

2011-11 - 2016-3 · 4 yrs 5 mos

Irvine, California

Successfully led the repositioning and expansion of American Career College to become the preeminent provider of career focused health care education in Southern California. Redefined the role the college plays in the community, expanded the service-learning based curriculum, improved upon exceptional outcomes, expanded lifelong learning opportunities and boosted community centered philanthropy. American Career College now has five locations in Southern California and one location (Contemporary Forms) in the Bay Area.

President

Contemporary Forums

2012-2 - 2016-2 · 4 yrs 1 mo

Irvine, CA

Led the repositioning of Contemporary Forums to become a leader in broad-based healthcare continuing education. Achieved joint accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), becoming one of only 20 organizations to attain this distinction in 2015.

Group President

Career Education Corporation

2001-2 - 2011-11 · 10 yrs 10 mos

Greater Chicago Area

Held a number of senior leadership roles in college administration. As leader of the Start-Up Group, led the successful opening of 15 colleges over a four-year period. Assumed the leadership of the $300M revenue, 13,000 student, 15 college Art & Design Group in 2009, and led a successful repositioning and turnaround.