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Learn more about Platform Learning’s leadership team. Executive Management Team Eugene V. Wade Jr., Chairman & CEOJuan Torres, President |
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Eugene V. Wade Jr., Chairman & CEO Gene Wade is the Chairman, CEO & Co-founder of Platform Learning. Platform Learning is a leading provider of supplemental educational services to low-income students attending public schools that have been identified as being “In Need of Improvement” under the federal No Child Left Behind Law. As part of its after-school and weekend tutorial programs, Platform provides individual learning plans small group instruction to students (at average student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 6:1). Since March 2003, Platform has grown from a startup to a company tutoring approximately 50,000 students in over a dozen school districts. Prior to co-founding Platform, Mr. Wade was Executive Vice President for Development at Edison Schools. While at Edison, he oversaw Edison’s effort in connection with securing its contract to manage 20 schools and 13,000 students in the School District of Philadelphia. He also advised Pennsylvania Governors Tom Ridge and Mark Schweiker in connection with the state takeover of the School District of Philadelphia. Before joining Edison, Mr. Wade was the Chairman and CEO of LearnNow, Inc, an education management company that managed charter schools and struggling public schools throughout the United States. Over a 22-month period, Mr. Wade grew LearnNow from a startup to a company serving more than 6,000 students attending 10 schools in four states. In July 2001, LearnNow was sold to Edison in a transaction valued at more than $36 million. At the time of the sale, LearnNow had more than $45 million in revenue and more than 250 corporate and school employees. Prior to LearnNow, Mr. Wade was a corporate and bankruptcy attorney at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn in Detroit, Michigan and at Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison in New York City. In addition to practicing law, Mr. Wade spent several years writing curriculum and conducting workshops for the Efficacy Institute, a non-profit educational consulting firm focused on improving the academic performance of low-income students throughout the United States. Mr. Wade holds a BA from Morehouse College, a JD from Harvard Law School
and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business at the University of
Pennsylvania. Mr. Wade grew up in the Roxbury section of Boston, Massachusetts
and has been actively involved in youth development and education reform
throughout the United States.
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Juan Torres, President Mr. Torres is the President of Platform Learning. He brings more than 15 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and growth companies in the education, technology and business service sectors to his role as President of Platform Learning. Prior to Platform, Mr. Torres co-headed the Software Group at Thomas Weisel Partners, LLC, a merchant bank formed in late 1998 by the founder of Montgomery Securities. As the first East Coast technology banker for Weisel, Mr. Torres helped the firm grow its revenue from $87 million to $450 million in three years. In 1998, Mr. Torres was part of the founding team of LearnNow, Inc., an education management company that managed public schools throughout the United States. Mr. Torres assisted LearnNow in raising $13 million in equity and debt capital from investors including Knowledge Universe, New Schools Venture Fund, and Pennsylvania Early Stage Partners. In July 2001, Edison Schools acquired LearnNow for more than $36 million. Prior to LearnNow, Mr. Torres co-founded the Internet Banking Group of investment bank, Dain Rauscher Wessels, raising more than $2.3 billion in equity capital and advising on $1.5 billion in M&A transactions. Mr. Torres practiced law at Anderson, Kill and Olick, and provided corporate restructuring assistance during his tenure at Citibank (Citigroup). In 1987, Mr. Torres worked for the Small Business Services Group at Coopers & Lybrand (PriceWaterhouseCoopers), and initiated a tax preparation service that served more than 50 low-income families in the South Bronx. Mr. Torres is a Certified Public Accountant, holds a BBA from Baruch College, a JD from the University of Michigan Law School and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley. Mr. Torres grew up in the South Bronx and attended public schools in New York City.
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