American Public Education Strengthens Executive Leadership Team with Two Strategic Hires

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va., June 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American Public Education, Inc. (Nasdaq: APEI) – parent company of online learning provider American Public University System (APUS) and pre-licensure nursing educator Hondros College of Nursing (HCN) – today announced the hiring of two new senior management team members: Steve Somers as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development; and Amy Manning as Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

"Momentum is building at APEI. With Steve and Amy joining our leadership team, together we will accelerate our enterprise transformation and scale our adult learning platform," said Angela Selden, president and chief executive officer of APEI. "Our top priority is to fulfill our commitment to working adults of all backgrounds who seek new skills to advance their careers while maximizing the return on their educational investment. I am committed to ensuring that we have the best team in place to achieve our goals and grow APEI's core businesses."

Steve Somers joins APEI as SVP, Strategy and Corporate Development to help invigorate business strategy and advance strategic corporate development initiatives in support of the company's long-term organic growth goals and inorganic growth opportunities. Somers has extensive professional experience in the education and training industries, as well as in the e-commerce and wireless industries.

Prior to joining APEI, Somers served for more than five years as VP of Corporate Development at Kaplan, Inc. where he led acquisitions and divestitures across all business units. Prior to Kaplan, Somers served as VP of Corporate Development, Investor Relations and Treasury at Rosetta Stone, where he helped the company expand its core business and enter a new business segment with the acquisition of Lexia Learning. Prior to his experience in the education space, Somers led the M&A activities of GSI Commerce, an e-commerce business acquired by eBay, and SunCom Wireless, a telecom company acquired by T-Mobile. Somers graduated from Lehigh University with a BS in Business and Economics and an MBA from Villanova University. Somers is also a CFA Charterholder.

Amy Manning joins APEI as SVP, Chief Human Resource Officer. In this role, she will advance human resources initiatives, maximize business strategies and goals, and support growth and scale in APEI's core businesses.  In addition, she will work to elevate APEI's human resources processes and capabilities, including organizational and employee development, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, talent assessment, and workforce planning.  

Prior to joining APEI, for more than 16 years, Manning served in various roles at Cisco Systems. Most recently, Manning served as VP, Human Resources, supporting Cisco's Corporate Functions' executive leadership team and leading corporate civility initiatives to support employees experiencing crisis. Manning was an executive sponsor for Cisco's Conscious Culture initiative, which was designed to ensure an inclusive and collaborative working environment. During her tenure at Cisco, she played a pivotal role in supporting the assimilation, integration and promotion of new leaders, as well as engagement and support of existing executives. Manning also worked at PerkinElmer, GE Capital and ABB Inc. Manning holds a B.S. in Psychology from St. Lawrence University.

"The next chapter of our 30-year history will be written, in part, by adding critical talent to transform our business," stated Ms. Selden. "With the addition of Amy and Steve, who bring highly relevant experiences and competencies, APEI is better positioned to implement our ambitious plans and accelerate this new era of growth."

About American Public Education
American Public Education, Inc. (Nasdaq: APEI) is a leading provider of higher learning dedicated to preparing students all over the world for excellence in service, leadership and achievement. The Company offers respected, innovative and affordable academic programs and services to students, universities and partner organizations through wholly owned subsidiaries: American Public University System and National Education Seminars Inc., which we refer to in this press release as Hondros College of Nursing. Together, these institutions serve more than 80,000 adult learners worldwide and offer more than 200 degree and certificate programs in fields ranging from technology, business administration, public health, nursing and liberal arts to homeland security, military studies, intelligence, and criminal justice. For additional information, please visit www.apei.com.

Forward Looking Statements
Statements made in this press release regarding American Public Education, Inc., or its subsidiaries, that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about American Public Education, Inc. and the industry. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "seek," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," "will" and "would." These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding expected growth and plans with respect to recent, current and future initiatives, including business strategy, corporate development and human resources processes and capabilities.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks related to: the Company's dependence on the effectiveness of its ability to attract students who persist in its institutions' programs; impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; ongoing employee and executive retention and relationships; the Company's ability to effectively market its institutions' programs; adverse effects of changes the Company makes to improve the student experience and enhance the ability to identify and enroll students who are likely to succeed; the Company's ability to maintain strong relationships with the military and maintain enrollments from military students; the Company's ability to comply with regulatory and accrediting agency requirements and to maintain institutional accreditation; the Company's reliance on Department of Defense tuition assistance, Title IV programs, and other sources of financial aid; the Company's dependence on its technology infrastructure; strong competition in the postsecondary education market and from non-traditional offerings; and the various risks described in the "Risk Factors" section and elsewhere in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2020, and other filings with the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason, unless required by law, even if new information becomes available or other events occur in the future. 

SOURCE American Public Education, Inc.

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