2tor Co-founder and CEO Chip Paucek named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2012 Award winner in Maryland

BALTIMORE, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP announced that Chip Paucek, co-founder and CEO of 2tor, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 Award in the online services category in Maryland. The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. An independent panel of judges selected the winners, and the award was presented at a gala on June 28, 2012, at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120703/NY34545 )

"This award would not be possible without the extraordinary passion and dedication of the 2tor employees and the support and vision of our university partners," said Chip Paucek, co-founder and CEO of 2tor. "We're working together to transform higher education and break the mold of online learning. 2tor is a collaborative effort and I'm proud to represent everyone involved."

Founded in 2008 by John Katzman, Chip Paucek and Jeremy Johnson, 2tor partners with top-tier universities to deliver online degree programs that are rigorous and highly selective. 2tor provides universities with the technology platform, instructional design, marketing and infrastructural support to expand their programs beyond physical campuses to reach students around the world. 2tor's partners include the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education and School of Social Work, Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School and School of Government, and Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program, now in its 26th year, has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, Michael Dell of Dell Inc., Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, Fred Smith of FedEx, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, Richard Schulze of Best Buy, Andrew Mason of Groupon, Mindy Grossman of HSN, Inc., Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, and many more.

As a Maryland award winner, Chip Paucek is now eligible for consideration for the National Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 Award. Winners in several national categories, as well as the National Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 17, 2012. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

About Chip Paucek

Chip Paucek is 2tor's co-founder and chief executive officer. He previously served as 2tor's president and chief operating officer. After graduating from The George Washington University with a bachelor's degree in political communication, Paucek founded Cerebellum Corporation, the company behind the award-winning educational Standard Deviants television program. Standard Deviants was distributed on more than 100 PBS stations and was named a "Top Ten New Show for Kids" by TV Guide in 2000. After leading Cerebellum Corporation for a decade, Paucek co-managed the re-election campaign of U.S. Senator from Maryland, Barbara Mikulski. Senator Mikulski won the election in a landslide and set a state record for campaign contributions. Paucek then returned to education as the CEO of Hooked on Phonics, where he expanded the program's access by bringing it from infomercial sales to distribution across major U.S. retailers. Paucek co-founded 2tor in 2008. When not 2toring, Paucek is most likely on his boat in the Chesapeake Bay with his wife, Gabrielle, and their two sons. You can follow Paucek on Twitter at @ChipPaucek.

About 2tor, Inc. 
2tor, Inc. partners with top-tier universities to deliver rigorous, selective graduate programs online. Founded in 2008 by a team of education veterans, the company provides universities with the web technologies, infrastructural support and capital they need to transform their on-campus programs into high-quality web-based programs. 2tor is one of the highest-funded education technology start-ups in the United States. The company has partnered with prestigious research universities to deliver the following groundbreaking online degree programs:

• USC Rossier Online: Master of Arts in Teaching and Master's of Education in Advanced Instruction from the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education
• MSW@USC: Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California School of Social Work
• Nursing@Georgetown: Master of Science Degree in Nursing from Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies
• MBA@UNC: Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School
• MPA@UNC: Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Government
• @WashULaw: Master of Laws (LL.M.) in U.S. Law for Foreign Lawyers from Washington University School of Law

About Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential, and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 140 cities in more than 50 countries.

Media Contact: 
Shirley Chow 
Public Relations Manager, 2tor 
[email protected] 
858-336-0358

SOURCE 2tor, Inc.