Who is Making it Happen
CEO & FOUNDER
Wade is known for innovation in heavily regulated spaces, pioneering the all-you-can-fly subscription airline model as founder and CEO of Surf Air. Prior to that Wade worked on then-VP Dick Cheney’s staff, as an economist at the Pentagon, and as an intelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency with whom he served one tour in Iraq. Wade was on the National Finance Committee for both of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns and worked for then Governor Jon Huntsman while at BYU. He has degrees from the University of Central Missouri and BYU.
PRESIDENT & FOUNDER
Dennis served as an advisor to and general counsel for then-Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. Prior to joining the Rauner administration he was an appellate attorney at Jones Day, an experience that built on his time clerking for both the D.C. and the 10th US courts of appeals. Before becoming an attorney Dennis worked as an actuary. Dennis has degrees from Maryville University of Saint Louis and Northwestern University School of Law.
VICE PRESIDENT
Seth has worked in higher education for 20 years. Starting in law school admissions, he has also worked with university leaders across many divisions including Enrollment Management, Student & Academic Affairs and Advancement. Over his career, Seth has worked with colleges and universities in the US, UK, Canada and China, focused on tutoring and language testing. Seth graduated from Boston University with a focus in Economics & Organizational Behavior.
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Prior to Degree Insurance, Carren led the corporate social responsibility programs for a large global company, overseeing all philanthropic, volunteer and community outreach efforts. She also worked in corporate government relations after working on Capitol Hill for almost a decade, serving constituents from the great state of Illinois.
She has a bachelor’s in Political Science from Brigham Young University and certificates from Johns Hopkins and Harvard Business School Online in Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Business Strategy, respectively.
DIRECTOR OF ATHLETIC OUTREACH
Michael is a former D-1 college athlete. In the years after graduation, Michael has honed his sales skills in a variety of industries, continuing to work with university athletic departments across the nation, building and maintaining those unique relationships. He loves to spend time volunteering and mentoring youth; sharing his story of perseverance, hard work, and dreaming big. Michael graduated from BYU with a Bachelors in Life & Science.
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS
Prior to Degree, Cole worked in admissions at Lincoln College and was the Assistant/Pitching Coach for the baseball team. He started his professional career at Renewal by Andersen where he was able gain great experience in marketing, sales, and team leadership.
Cole, a former collegiate baseball player, pitched 4 years at Robert Morris University where he obtained his degree in business administration with concentrations in sports and healthcare administration.
SUMMER ASSOCIATE
Sam Lucas is a student at the University of Utah studying Business Administration at the David Eccles School of Business and is Degree Insurance’s first Summer Associate. He is currently exploring all sides of business, and has a passion for learning.
Sam is a swimmer on the University of Utah’s Swim and Dive program, and was on the PAC-12 conference team for both the 20-21 and 21-22 seasons. Post-grad, Sam wishes to explore different passions, including entrepreneurship, and continue learning for future job opportunities.

Salen Churi
Director, Degree Insurance

Todd Henderson
Director, EIC-IL

Katie Dobbs
Director, EIC-IL

Dr. Michael Morris
Dr. Morris is the Vice President of Programs at Strada Education Network.

Dr. Chuck Staben
Chuck is the former President of the University of Idaho.

Gov. Jeff Colyer
Jeff is a surgeon and served as the 47th Governor of Kansas.

Chris Campbell
Chris is the former Assistant Secretary of Treasury for Financial Institutions.

Ruzwana Bashir
Ruzwana is the Oxford-educated CEO and founder of Peek.com.

Carol Aslanian
Carol spent more than 20 years at the College Board, and is an expert on adult learning.