The people you would work with.
We have launched and restructured language programs, pathways and online programs, and run organizations with up to $100 million in revenue. Our experience runs from the classroom to the executive team.
Rick Rattray is unique in his relationship with potential clients. There is no shortage of persons who have the quick solution to all the challenges in higher education; however, those of us who work in universities know that systemic improvement is complex and requires constant attention and adjustment. When I met Rick, he engaged me in a conversation. He listened, and we exchanged ideas. He respects the challenges university administrators face, and he contributes to their efforts. In the following eight years, he has been a sounding board and an idea generator for me. Rick is professional, knowledgeable, thoughtful, reliable, and collegial. I recommend him.
Rick Rattray and I were introduced in 2013 while working on the University of Central Florida's international recruitment efforts. This was a new adventure for UCF and Mr. Rattray and his team did a wonderful job of outlining the process and establishing goals. Mr. Rattray is incredibly knowledgeable within and beyond the educational market. His knowledge is only a percentage of his capacity, as his strongest attribute is his ability to continue open conversation around difficult problems until the problems are eliminated and you are left with a cohesive plan. Ultimately, the work Mr. Rattray did in the early years of our partnership is still in practice today and assisting in accomplishing UCF's international student recruitment.
Rick blends his great knowledge and skill with a personal touch that kept the partnership between our organizations positive and productive regardless of the situation. I enjoyed working with Rick and both of our organizations benefited from his leadership.
Rick is prepared, a deep thinker, and a quick doer, but Rick is also a tremendous human being. Amiable, kind, a tremendous listener, able to make friends easily: these qualities are crucial to business success but are hard to describe in a CV. In my work with Rick, I have always known him to be cordial, pleasant, positive, a deep listener, a true people person who knows how and when to speak and how and when to listen. Essential traits for business success.
Rick Rattray
Rick has spent his career where private and public education meet, founding several firms in the space before launching The Parliament Group. He was Founding Managing Director of ILSC GlobalFoundations, launching and running ILSC Education's US university operations; SVP of Portfolio Management at Shorelight Education, building the operating structure for its US partnerships; President and then EVP of Products at Relias Learning, a SaaS training provider later sold to Bertelsmann; and SVP and General Manager of Kaplan Global Solutions' US university services, where he co-founded Kaplan's online program management firm, Colloquy, later sold to Everspring.
He brings deep experience in on-ground, blended and online learning for international audiences, and holds a Master of Public and Private Management from Yale University.
Nadine Baladi
Nadine co-founded The Parliament Group and remains an executive advisor to the firm. She is Senior Vice President at Oxford International, where she leads its Canada group.
Her work sits where people, education and operations meet, with particular depth in pathway, junior and English language programs. Over more than twenty years in Canada and the United States she has built language-learning programs for international students, launched new programs and campuses, and set up pathway partnerships with US universities, leading teams from day-to-day execution through strategic planning.
She has served as a Commissioner of ACCET and as President of EnglishUSA, and holds several degrees from McGill University and the University of Toronto, including a master's degree in language education.
Chris Sauer
Chris brings thirty years of experience with partners in every active international market, and applies his background in language acquisition, program design and partnership development to every project. His recent work has focused on pathway programs, medical education, and enrollment approaches built around student access and success. He holds a master's degree in applied linguistics from Ohio University.
Jim Rattray
Jim is The Parliament Group's data and analytics specialist. He brings deep analytical expertise and a Six Sigma Black Belt's method for solving problems: defining and measuring a problem, modeling its causes, and proving a solution before it is put in place.
He spent twenty-five years at GE Aircraft Engines in Cincinnati. There he was the lead Black Belt on GE's “At the Customer, For the Customer” initiatives with Continental Airlines and FedEx, which brought Six Sigma methods into those customers' own operations to improve their performance. He holds a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Duke University.
Vanessa Andrade
Vanessa has more than twenty years in international education, at private and public institutions, in the United States and abroad, across language programs and higher education. Her work has covered student recruitment, program partnerships, agent screening and management, new program development, external relations, program operations and student services, SEVIS compliance and ACCET accreditation.
Stephen Larsen, Ph.D.
Stephen is CEO of Interlearn Global and advises The Parliament Group and its clients on transnational programs. He has led innovation in higher education for thirty years, from professor and administrator at Harvard University to senior executive roles in education multinationals, and for more than a decade has built international university programs that serve students in their home communities across Asia, Africa, South America and the Middle East.
He is a fellow at Harvard's Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and holds a Ph.D. in History from Princeton University.