Plato believed that educators must have a deep care for the well-being and future of those they work with. Educating is a moral enterprise and it is the duty of educators to search for truth and virtue.
“We felt as the book industry changed, we would feel comfortable working with them as partners through the transitions. Our students probably saw close to a 30% reduction…”
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"Seeing the support they gave us, we actually very quickly moved to looking at this solution versus others to provide better service, quicker access, better prices all for our students…"
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“The relationship has encouraged our faculty and our students to use technology to a degree they had not before and our students find it quite rewarding and they're saving a great deal of money."
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"The website was really neat and clean and it was easy to use and it wasn't too overwhelming, I think I definitely liked that."
Students are able to digest more information than before because of the technology they've grown up with and by the multitude of technological options they now have.
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“The numbers that we see about the amount of money that is saved by our students is significant."
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"It's much easier ordering online because you know your order is going to be shipped, rather than trying to find it at a bookstore where it's not always going to be there."
“Our relationship with Akademos has taken book buying to the next level."
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"It's very convenient, all the books I need are always right there and they're delivered very quickly..."
Our Team
Brian Jacobs, Ph.D, Founder and President
As a professor at Cornell University, Brian directly experienced the inefficiencies of the textbook industry and consequent excessive costs of course materials. He also saw that the internet provided an extraordinary means to address these inefficiencies. His idea of a textbook marketplace was implemented in 2002, and he continues to provide the management expertise and creative direction for the company in a rapidly evolving industry. Brian, who has published numerous articles in social and political philosophy as well as an essay collection with Cambridge University Press, has been awarded fellowships from Cornell, Yale, University of Göttingen, and the Mellon Foundation. He holds a BA degree from SUNY Albany, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University.
John Squires, Chief Executive Officer
John Squires was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Akadémos, Inc. on April 13th, 2011. John was previously the founder of Next Issue Media, the digital publishing consortium joined by Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith, News Corporation and Time Inc. Next Issue Media brought these companies together to develop publishing solutions for tablet reading devices. Prior to Next Issue Media, Squires served as Executive Vice President at Time Inc., where he was responsible for leading digital operations and overseeing Time, Fortune, Sports Illustrated, Money and Golf magazines. John holds a BA degree from the University of Washington.
Geoffrey Katz, Vice President, Program Management
Geoffrey Katz has worked for Akadémos in numerous capacities since graduating in 2001, including serving as its Director of Operations until 2009. Since joining the company he has become proficient with the technologies that power the Akadémos platform, and has been an integral part of its ongoing development. Geoffrey took a leading role in the launch and development of the Textbookx.com Marketplace, and has overseen its growth to millions of books and hundreds of thousands of sellers. Geoffrey leads the IT Department and ensures that Akadémos’ system remains an industry leader and an innovator in its use of technology. Geoffrey holds a B.A. degree from Cornell University.
Daniel Rubin, Vice President, Technology
Daniel Rubin joined Akadémos, Inc. in 2002, and is responsible for overseeing the technology development and management of Akadémos’ programming team. Daniel architects, plans and manages both the front-end and back-end of our technology platform, including the institutional program and national marketplace. Daniel studied Computer Science at Polytechnic Institute of New York University, where he was awarded the institution’s Principles Scholarship.
Sarah Jensen, Vice President, Operations
Sarah Jensen joined Akadémos in 2004 as Marketing Manager, moving to Operations in 2009. She works closely with the IT Department to develop new projects and improve site performance, as well as oversees inventory and warehouse fulfillment, institutional account management, and customer service. Sarah holds a BA degree from Cornell University.
Kirk Bodick, Vice President, Sales
Kirk Bodick was appointed Vice President of Sales of Akadémos, Inc. on March 26, 2012. Previously, Kirk was the Vice President of Institutional Sales – Eastern Region at Pearson Learning Solutions where he was responsible for building C-level relationships at the state, system and institutional level, as well as leveraging Pearson’s vast technology, content and services for selling custom learning solutions in the higher education industry. Prior to his position, Bodick served in multiple management positions for PLATO Learning, Inc., including Regional Vice President for North American Post-Secondary Sales. Kirk holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Michigan.
Board of Directors and Advisors
Brian Jacobs
(see above)
John Squires
(see above)
Scott Eagle
Scott Eagle has had extensive experience managing major Fortune 500 brands and building successful new companies. In addition to being an advisor to Akadémos, Scott Eagle serves as Chief Marketing Officer of eHarmony Inc., overseeing the company’s advertising/brand development, customer acquisition and lifecycle areas. Prior to joining eHarmony Inc., Scott was at Claria Corporation, a behavioral ad network, where he served in the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer roles. At Claria Corporation, Scott grew revenue from zero to $120 million in the company’s first four years of operation. Previously, Scott served on the executive team at Concentric Network Corporation where, as Vice President of Marketing, he helped drive their successful IPO. He has also held senior management positions at MFS Communications and Procter & Gamble. Scott holds a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Bill Youstra
Bill Youstra is a Venture Partner at Kohlberg Ventures and has helped startups in various internet consumer categories: mobile, virtual worlds, e-commerce, search and media/marketing. Previously, Bill was a product and content executive at AOL while the company grew from 500,000 to over 20 million customers. He holds an MBA and MA in Education from Stanford and degrees in Film, Computer Science and Marketing from the University of Maryland.
Eric Fingerhut
Eric D. Fingerhut, a nationally recognized leader in education and economic development policy, is the Vice President for Education and STEM Learning at the Battelle Memorial Institute, the largest non-profit research and development organization in the world. Fingerhut previously served as the Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, as an Ohio State Senator and as a member of the United States House of Representatives. Chancellor Fingerhut earned a Bachelor of Science degree with highest honors from Northwestern University in 1981 and received a law degree from the Stanford University School of Law in 1984.
Dale Kutnick
Dale Kutnick is Senior Vice President, Executive Programs, at Gartner Group. Dale joined Gartner in 2005 following the company’s acquisition of META Group where he was cofounder, chairman of the board and research director. He also served as president, CEO and research director of META Group from its inception in 1989 through 2002. In addition to his operational duties as CEO, Dale led the creation, development, packaging and management of content quality for the company’s intellectual capital. He was also a frequent keynote speaker at industry conferences, a contributor to many books and other publications and a consultant to numerous IT industry CEOs and CIOs. Dale is a graduate of Yale University.
Dr. Edward Roberts
Dr. Edward Roberts is an American technology writer and academic figure, and a high-tech entrepreneur and investor. His Entrepreneurs in High-Technology: Lessons from MIT and Beyond (Oxford University Press, 1991) won the Association of American Publishers Award for Outstanding Book in Business and Management. Ed is Founder and Chair of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, and for over 30 years chaired the MIT Sloan School of Management’s Management of Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group. Ed is a co-founder, board member and angel investor in many high-tech start-ups. He has been a co-founder and/or director of numerous emerging technology companies, including at present Advanced Magnetics, Pegasystems, PR Restaurants, Interactive Super Computers, and Visible Measures Corp. He has authored 160 articles and eleven books, the most recent Being Innovation: Driving Product, Process and Market Change (Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2002). Ed holds an S.B. and S.M. in electrical engineering from MIT, a Master’s degree in Management (M.B.A.) from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a Ph.D. in economics from MIT.
