Founders

Dean Hoke is a Managing Partner of Edu Alliance Group in the United States and Co-Founder of Edu Alliance Ltd. in the United Arab Emirates. Dean has decades of progressively responsible and visionary leadership roles in higher education, communications & online learning. He has led numerous initiatives that have created innovation & positive change in the higher education & non-profit sector. Dean is a member of the Board of the American Association of University Administrators, the Franklin University School of Education Advisory Board, and a member of NAFSA.

Dean began his career in 1975 with Bellarmine University working in a variety of roles including Admissions and External Relations. In 1983 he entered the broadcasting field serving as a senior executive for Public Broadcasting System stations and a cable network. In 1998 he co-founded The Connected Learning Network a full-service online learning company and in 2009 accepted an invitation to move to the United Arab Emirates serving in senior positions at Higher Colleges of Technology & Khalifa University before co-founding Edu Alliance in 2014.

He participates in numerous advisory & consulting projects in the fields of international education, branding, business intelligence and online learning. He is an active speaker and writer in the field of international higher education and distance learning. Dean has presented and written on the field of leadership, higher education and distance learning in the United States, Turkey, Spain, Lebanon, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.  Mr. Hoke has a B.A from Urbana University, a M.S from the University of Louisville, and a Certificate in Executive Management from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. Dean currently resides in Bloomington, Indiana. You are encouraged to connect on LinkedIn

Areas of Expertise include:

  • International Higher Education
  • Branding
  • Online Learning & Educational Technology
  • Business Intelligence and Development
  • Executive Search

Tom Davisson served for 30 years as Executive VP and COO with Sullivan University System in Kentucky. Prior to joining Sullivan, Tom was President of DeVry University DuPage and Area President of all Chicago area Campuses of DeVry. He has had P & L responsibilities both with DeVry and Sullivan, institutions of over 8,000 students. At Sullivan University, Tom led their team from a two-year institution to a regionally accredited doctoral-granting university. In addition to adding baccalaureate and masters level programming, Tom also led the university in adding a doctor of Pharmacy and Ph.D. in Management. He also led the institutions’ online development, growing to over 3,000 students taking online classes each term.

Mr. Davisson is one of the leading experts in the area of higher education institutions bridging the gap between education and the workforce. He has written White Papers for Governor’s in two states, worked on the Manpower Planning Task Force for the Governor of a third state. Tom also testified before the US Congress on Workforce legislation. In addition, he has served on and chaired visiting committees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) both in the Southeast US and in 5 other countries. He retired from the Board of Trustees of the University of Rio Grande in Ohio in the summer of 2019 and has been named Trustee Emeritus from their Board.

Tom has more than 47 years of experience in senior higher education administration experience. He also serves on numerous non-profit boards. He has a Bachelors Degree from the University of Rio Grande in Ohio, a Masters from National Louis University, and a Certificate in the Executive MBA Program from the University of Chicago.

Areas of Expertise

  • University Leadership
  • Business Development
  • Career Education
  • Accreditation
  • University Operations
  • Online Leadership

Dr. Senthil Nathan is Co-Founder of Edu Alliance Group, Inc. and Managing Partner of Edu Alliance Ltd in Abu Dhabi, UAE.  Since the founding of the company in 2014, Senthil has been involved in numerous advisory & consulting projects for higher education institutions, and investment firms . He also serves as a subject matter expert for engineering firms in the field of  campus planning.

Dr. Nathan joined the Higher Colleges of Technology in 1993, the largest higher education institution in the UAE with 23,000 UAE National students. He served in a variety of positions and from 2006-2103 was Deputy Vice Chancellor / Vice Provost for Planning & Administration. Dr. Nathan has been involved in numerous advisory and consulting roles in education / training & development engagements to a multitude of clients in the United Arab Emirates, Canada, The United States, Africa, and India and speaks on the current issues of higher education in the Middle East.

Dr. Nathan in 2014 received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the National Institute of Technology in India by the former President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam and he is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Livingston University in Uganda. He has his Bachelors of Engineering (Honors) from the National Institute of Technology, India, a Masters of Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India and a Ph.D. in Engineering from Rice University.  Senthil has also completed executive education programs from Harvard and MIT.

Areas of Expertise

  • University Administration & Strategic planning
  • Institutional & Program Accreditation
  • University Effectiveness
  • Institutional Development
  • Campus Planning

Nancy K. Hoke is a partner of Edu Alliance and a member of the Board of Directors. Her expertise in online instruction, instructional design, instructional technology, and digital video/audio production. With over 20 years’ experience in education Ms. Hoke has experience in K-12 and higher education. Her experience in designing and producing instructional media that assists in providing quality instruction and successful learning outcomes.  In addition she was a  public broadcasting executive and responsible for broadcast program  for K-12 instructional television.

Nancy worked in the UAE in K-12 and higher education providing expertise in online and blended learning. During her six year tenure at Khalifa University she managed the learning management system and the instructional technology. As a part of the start-up for Khalifa University, Ms Hoke provided research and recommendations for the learning management system and the technology to be purchased and implemented in the classroom. She is recognized as a expert in online learning and learning management systems and has presented and trained  in Europe, South Korea,  Oman, United Arab Emirates, and the United States. She has a Bachelors of Education from the University of Nebraska, and a Masters in Radio and TV from Michigan State University.

Areas of Expertise

  • Instructional Design
  • Mentoring
  • Educational Technology
  • Online Learning
  • Multimedia Production
  • Faculty Training