Concord University Appoints Adam Wergeles Vice President, Operations And Cassandra Colchagoff, Associate Dean Of Concord Law School
Los Angeles, CA, January 29, 2002 -- Concord University, a unit of Kaplan, Inc. that includes Concord Law School and Concord Law Center, announces that Adam F. Wergeles, Esq., has been appointed Vice President, Operations, and Cassandra Colchagoff, Esq. has been appointed Associate Dean.
Wergeles joins the Office of the Presidency at Concord, which includes the President and founding Dean, Jack R. Goetz, and the Vice President, Development, Donna Skibbe. Wergeles' primary initial responsibilities will be to oversee the growth and operations for Concord Law Center, which currently offers an online Masters of Law (LLM) degree in Health Law. In addition to his Concord Law Center responsibilities and other duties associated with the Office of the Presidency, Wergeles will oversee Concord's continuing efforts to attract high quality executive applicants to Concord Law School's Juris Doctor (JD) degree program. Currently, more than 42% of Concord Law's entering class has completed at least one or more graduate degree programs.
Wergeles most recently served as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary with Quisic Corporation (f/k/a University Access, Inc.), an e-learning company in Los Angeles, CA, where he gained extensive experience negotiating course development and marketing agreements with several leading academic institutions. Previously, he served as Corporate Counsel and Assistant Secretary with R.H. Donnelley Corporation in Purchase, NY, and as Associate Counsel with Fine Host Corporation in Greenwich, CT.
Wergeles received his J.D. in 1991 from the University of Southern California Law Center, and his B.A. in 1987 from Hamilton College. He is admitted to the Bar in California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, and New York, and serves as Chairman of the Board for The Growing Place, a not-for profit child care center in Los Angeles, California.
In addition to Wergeles' appointment, Cassandra Colchagoff was promoted to Associate Dean of Concord Law School. Colchagoff joined Concord Law School during the summer of 2000 as an adjunct professor teaching first year classes. She continued her practice as a trial lawyer in Tulsa, Oklahoma until the summer of 2001, and then moved to Los Angeles to become Associate Dean of Administration of the Law School. Colchagoff received a BA in History, followed by an MA in the History of Decorative Arts. She then received her JD from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1995. She is admitted to the Bar in Oklahoma.
"Cassie is a great professor, enormously respected by both her students and her colleagues. Her total dedication to Concord's student-centered learning model is something we very much value at the administrative level in Concord," said Jack R. Goetz, Dean and President. "Moreover, we are very lucky to have someone with Adam's unique understanding of the e-learning market join our executive team."
About Concord University
Concord University opened with Concord Law School (www.concordlawschool.com), the nation's only entirely online law school, in 1998, with six faculty members and a class size of 33 students. Today, more than 60 faculty members including Deans, Professors, Supplementary Lecturers and Instructors serve Concord's student population of more than 900 adult learners worldwide. In addition to leading academics such as distinguished Professor Arthur R. Miller, and renowned Criminal Law lecturer Rafael Guzman, who serve as Supplementary Lecturers, Concord's top-notch faculty log in and teach from 20 states, and include law school deans and professors, judges, litigators, and academics. Licensed in the state of California, Concord has received accreditation under a pilot program from the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council. Completion of the JD program permits graduates to apply for admission to the California Bar, and upon passing the California Bar Examination, graduates are qualified to practice in California courts, and may also apply to practice in many of the Federal courts. In 2001, Concord University launched Concord Law Center (www.concordlawcenter.com) to offer LL.M. degrees to law school graduates and practicing attorneys. Currently, the Law Center offers a LL.M. in Health Law, and will offer a LL.M. in tax law in the fall of 2002. Concord University is part of The Kaplan Colleges group of institutions (www.kaplancollege.edu) which includes Kaplan College and College for Professional Studies. Each of the institutions within The Kaplan Colleges is separately accredited and authorized and offers a variety of career-oriented programs in both online and traditional classroom formats. Kaplan, Inc. (www.kaplan.com) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).
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Amy Ochagavia
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