CHICAGO, March 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — eCollege(R), a leading provider of value-added information services to the post-secondary education industry, today announced that it has named Tom Dearden as CEO and Bob Haimes as COO of Datamark, Inc., the Enrollment Division of eCollege. Dearden, who previously served as president and COO of Datamark, replaces Arthur Benjamin, who has informed the Company that he is considering several positions and intends to accept a new position outside the enrollment marketing industry. Haimes most recently has served as senior vice president of corporate strategy for eCollege.
“Both Tom and Bob bring years of experience in our two operating divisions, ensuring a high level of continuity in leadership, while at the same time providing a deep knowledge of the opportunities we see for our combined company,” said Oakleigh Thorne, chairman and CEO of eCollege. “Tom’s 16 successful years at Datamark give us tremendous confidence in his ability to take on this role, which is a natural progression as he has led a strong Datamark team and helped build a sustainable business. We believe Bob will enhance the Datamark management team with his extensive marketing background, keen sense of product vision and technology integration experience.”
“Arthur has done a fantastic job building Datamark into a leading enrollment marketing firm in the U.S. serving the proprietary post-secondary education market. We wish him well in his new endeavor,” said Thorne.
Dearden joined Datamark in 1989 as the original member of its creative staff. Before being promoted to president and COO, he served as production manager, creative director and director of operations. As one of Datamark’s strategic leaders, Dearden has worked to drive company profitability by increasing productivity, enhancing client satisfaction and controlling costs. Prior to joining Datamark, Dearden was the founder and senior partner at Bennett/Allen Associates, an advertising agency based in Salt Lake City.
Since joining eCollege in 1999, Haimes has been instrumental in leading marketing, product management, and strategic and tactical planning, as well as overseeing enterprise partnerships. As senior vice president of corporate strategy, Haimes drove eCollege’s long-term planning efforts and overall growth strategy, including the acquisition of Datamark in 2003. Haimes’ career includes more than a decade of experience at Procter and Gamble, where he held positions in operations and brand management, as well as new business development. Haimes will also retain his position as a senior vice president of eCollege, overseeing strategic, cross-divisional initiatives.
