Executive Leadership Team

Jay Heiler

Chief Executive Officer

Jay Heiler

Chief Executive Officer

Jay Heiler, Chief Executive Officer of Great Hearts Academies, is the Co-Founder of Great Hearts Academies. From January 2012 to February 2020, Mr. Heiler was appointed to the Arizona Board of Regents that oversees Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University. Heiler was chief of staff for former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington in the 1990s. Since leaving public service in 1997, Heiler has worked as a political consultant in public affairs and strategic communications. Heiler is a graduate of the ASU School of Law and has been admitted to the State Bar of Arizona, Virginia State Bar and the Federal District Court of Arizona. Before coming to Great Hearts, he practiced law at Beus Gilbert McGroder PLLC.

Dr. Daniel Scoggin

Academies Officer and Co-Founder

Dr. Daniel Scoggin

Academies Officer and Co-Founder

In 2004, Dr. Scoggin authored the original Great Hearts business plan. As the founding CEO, he secured the initial strategic funding partnerships with local and national philanthropy to launch the Arizona schools network. From 2004 to 2015, Dan directed the network’s growth and parent demand.

Dr. Scoggin holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the Claremont Graduate University, attended the Stanford University Executive Education program, and was named a Piper Fellow and Pahara-Aspen Fellow. He is the proud father of four daughters, who have graduated and are currently attending Great Hearts school in Arizona.

Ron Zoromski

Chief Financial Officer

Ron Zoromski

Chief Financial Officer

Jake Tawney

Chief Academic Officer

Jake Tawney

Chief Academic Officer

Jerilyn Olson

Chief People Officer

Jerilyn Olson

Chief People Officer

Doug Cummings

Senior Vice President of Business Operations

Doug Cummings

Senior Vice President of Business Operations

Genevieve Peterson, CFRE

Chief Development Officer

Genevieve Peterson, CFRE

Chief Development Officer

Maria Baier

Vice President, External Affairs

Maria Baier

Vice President, External Affairs

Wade Dyke

Foundation President

Wade Dyke

Foundation President

Dr. Wade Dyke served as the President of the private for-profit American Public University System. He has 25-plus years of experience in education and business within private, non-profit and public enterprises. Prior, he served as CEO of Great Hearts Academies, a charter school network with some 19,000 students.

Prior to that, Dr. Dyke was the president of Kaplan University (now known as Purdue Global University), where he worked for nine years in several jobs of ascending executive responsibility, including as Executive Vice President of Higher and Professional Education. He was instrumental in expanding online learning options for campus-based and online students while simultaneously enhancing policies and practices to promote growth and innovation throughout the Kaplan organization.

Dyke has also held the CEO role at Chancellor Beacon Academies, after starting his business career at International Paper Company. He served at the Department of Education as Chief of Staff for the Deputy Secretary during the President George H.W. Bush Administration.

Dyke is a Rhodes Scholar and former White House Fellow who earned his PhD and Master of Arts Degree at the University of Oxford in politics and economics. He holds bachelor’s degrees from Oxford and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He also worked as an assistant professor at the Ohio State University.

Brandon Crowe

Superintendent, Great Hearts Arizona

Brandon Crowe

Superintendent, Great Hearts Arizona

Kurtis Indorf

Interim Superintendent, Great Hearts Texas

Kurtis Indorf

Interim Superintendent, Great Hearts Texas