Vicki Greene is the President of GED Testing Service and SVP of Americas for Pearson’s Workforce Skills Division. She works with the GED team, adult educators, GED Administrators, employers, legislators, and learners to create pathways of success to a high school equivalency credential. She is also responsible for leading the Accelerated Pathways program, a nontraditional, online college experience with a focus on building upskilling plans to meet the needs of learners. Before these roles, Vicki served as GED Testing Service’s Vice President, where she led a wide array of functional teams, including marketing, technology, operations, sales, and public relations. She has been a member of the GED Board of Directors since 2019. Vicki also currently serves on the Creating IT Futures Foundation Board of Directors. She holds a BA in Public Relations from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Vicki resides in Minnesota with her husband, an educator and dean of students. They have three children.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
M and T Bank prison CEOs. You should know power
by iHeartMedia. Let's me Vicky Green.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
She is the CEO of GED Testing Service, which is
a company that offers anyone to get their GED through
online services. Before we talk more about Vicky's company and
their specific offerings, I first asked her to talk a
little bit about herself, where she's from, and her origin story.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
I grew up.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
In Minnesota, So for those who don't know Minnesota, there's
Minneapolis and Saint Paul. I grew up on the Saint
Paul's side. I attended a Catholic grade school. I went
on to high school and then went to Saint Mary's
University in Winona, Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
All right, we're here to talk about GED services, but
before we do that, I always like to give context
to everybody because I know you've been with the organization
for twelve years and you also making us. You made
an ascension in the company, which I do want to
talk about as well, because I think that's always a
cool angle for people. Learning at a different level and
then becoming a head of the company is really interesting stuff.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
But before that, when you were coming up of school,
what did you want to do?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
So I went to school to be a broadcaster.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
I thought that I would go into sports broadcasting, and
then when you get into the job market, you recognize
that sports broadcasting is more difficult To land a job,
you have to move around, and landed in a role
in project management and technology. And again, back when I
started in technology, there were very many women, and so
I found it interesting, intriguing and was surrounded by some
(01:25):
really smart leaders. And then morphed into outside of technology
into process management, product and operations and worked at Deluxe
Corporation and operations for several years, and then found myself
recruited over to ged to run operations at TED, which
(01:47):
is a company owned by the largest education company Pearson.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So I don't know if that's a big paradigm shift
in your life to do one thing and then go
to that. But can you tell me about your thinking
about why you made the change and then why you
joined the company.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yes, I you know.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Deluxe was one of those companies where you're surrounded by
men and women who have been with the organization for years.
In fact, my team at Deluxe, I think the average
tenure was over twenty five years of service, and so
you're surrounded by people who love what they do working
with financial services, helping banks really navigate, making sure that
(02:22):
people feel warm and welcome when they go into a
financial institution. And I loved that work. But for me,
you know, as a mom of three kids, I also
recognized that I want to do something that was really
focused on impacting lives. And you know, looking back, I
don't even think I really recognized what impacting lives meant.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
And so when the head of HR at.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Pearson called me about the opportunity at GED, I thought
to myself, wow, you know what a shift from financial
services into education, And instantly, you know, fell in love
with the mission of GED and the people and really
what the intent was to do. And again vis was
prior to me really understanding what any of this meant.
(03:07):
So I started TOED to run operations, which meant, you know,
creating a technology department, a marketing organization, putting operational structure
in place around the GED test, which back then was
on paper, and then transitioning that into a computer based test.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
So before we get into mission and all the cool
things that you do at GED, can you expand on
that a little bit more Because I mentioned your ascension,
you did one job very well and then you moved
up to CEO. How long did you do that for?
What was your game plan? About ascension? And then talk
about being CEO? Because it's always neat to see people
try something different in an organization as they ascend up.
(03:44):
Some want to be in charge of a company, some don't.
You obviously did. I want to find out why, but
talk about the first job and then moving over to CEO.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Yeah, you know, it's it's a beautiful question because I
think sometimes as leaders, we don't necessarily know exactly where
we want to go, but we know that we want
to do more. And for me, when I got into
the heart of GED and recognize how much work still
had to be done for me, I think it motivates
you to continue to look for ways to enhance lives.
(04:15):
And so when I started at GED, it was really
around creating a structure, creating discipline, creating processes, creating all
of this, I would say, operational soundness of the organization.
And so for me, that ascension came with Okay, great,
we have structure, we have processes, we have all these
beautiful things in place to run an organization. Now I
(04:35):
want to get out to the market. I want to
start changing the face of the ged learner. I want
to start talking about who the ged learner is, the
heart and soul of the ged learner. I want to
start talking to employers around why they should be hiring
every single ged learner. And so for me, it morphed
into what was the right thing to do for the
organization to make us really sound and then it morphed
(04:58):
into how do I take it to the next level
and start talking and being the voice behind the ge learner.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
And that's a good segue because I know there's a
lot of people that are like mine, like you, because
I am first of all. Sometimes you don't know your path,
and yet you get on this path and it takes
you a screwy way that you never expected, but it's
it's full of wonderful surprises. And then you know the
ascension of CEO. And once again, I know a lot
of people, you know might get intimidated or scared about
(05:25):
running a company.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
And I'm curious if that's something that.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
You wanted to do, that you know that was on
your bucket list, that I'd like to be in charge
of a company, especially one that's treating me well and
I'm being treated well, can you talk about that move up?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yeah? Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
You know, when you again you look back at your life,
you start recognizing the reasons why you want to move ahead.
And I have been so fortunate to be surrounded by
incredible leaders, leaders that have invested in me, people that
have given me really good feedback, strong feedback, have given
me guidance, and they've also been role models for me.
(06:03):
And so when I look at that, I've had the
ability to really take from all of those leaders and
saying this is the type of leader that I want
to be. And again, it's a daily struggle. Of course,
it's scary, of course it's risky. Of course it enters
all of our mind. Am I going to do what
I'm supposed to do? Am I going to fail? Am
I going to succeed? And for me, the key is
(06:25):
every day waking up saying this is what I'm going
to do, this is how I'm going to do it,
and then surrounding myself with a really powerful team. And again,
the team that is at GED is like no other team.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
That I've had. And so you surround.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
Yourself with people that are better than you and things
that you can't do and they are stronger in you know,
government relations and communications or.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Marketing or technology.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
And so for me, the success comes with yes, I,
you know, am in charge of GED, but it's the success,
the success of this is behind the team and all
of the the leaders and.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
The team members that we have.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Well, Vicky, this is not going to surprise you, but
I in this series. I did another interview the other day.
It's a big company, a really big company, and the
gentleman I spoke with is pretty smart. He said exactly
the same thing that you did them. He surrounds himself
with people that are smarter than him, the good people,
the kind people, the carrying and giving people. But he
also had the same quality that you do that I
(07:24):
can tell you have when it comes to GED. You
have passion, and I imagine those are things that we're
trying to get the message across to maybe some of
our future entrepreneurs that if you have passion and you
surround yourself with good people and you're kind, you're probably
going to win in life.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
You know, we never talked about kindness in leadership. You know,
I think there's this perception that you have to be
the hammer behind rules and regulations and you have to
you know, set the pace. And for me, again as
a mom, as an athlete, as someone that recognized is
how important it is to love what you do and
(08:01):
to also be surrounded by people that you love working with.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Kindness has to sit at the heart of leadership.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
And for me, that doesn't mean that we don't have
tough decision It doesn't mean that there's some days that.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Are really, really tough.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
But there's never a reason that we shouldn't be hind
of one another and there's never a reason as to
why we shouldn't show compassion and empathy to everyone that
we work with on a daily basis.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Well, very well said. So we've teased this enough. I've
doddled enough. Let's talk about mission statement for gd What
is that.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Yeah, it's actually very simple.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
It's we need to reach the forty million adults out
there who do not have a high school diploma. And
our mission is how do we get and capture the
hearts and minds of every learner and recognize that learners
are coming at education from lots of different angles. Some
people had a really good k through twelfth start, some
(08:51):
people struggled, some people didn't have maybe families that valued education,
and so our mission is how do we reach every
one of those learners, help them get at their high
school equivalency and then on a path to successful job
and career.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Very good.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
In just a few moments, I'm going to talk about
your programs, your capabilities, and all the things that people
are probably curious about as they're googling you right now.
But with that said, for our listeners that haven't been
introduced to GED before, if you were to give a
thirty thousand foot view about exactly what you do do.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
What would that be.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
So what we do is think about all the adults
out there who don't have high school diploma. What we
do is we work with the states, and we work
with learners, and we work with employers to help those
learners and those adults without high school diploma earn their GED.
And when you think about the GED, think about it
(09:40):
as a high school diploma equivalency. So it's broken into
four subjects.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
You have math, science, Social.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Studies, and then ROLA which is reading, language and arts.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
And our goal is that every learner out there.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
We have seven hundred thousand learners every year that sign
up for their GED anyone that's listening, go to ge
dot com, sign up for an account, and then we
will help you with studying materials, with access to tests,
to access to tutoring, everything that you need to earn your.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
GED credential before we get into some of once again
those programs, capability, how to sign up and all the
different things, and also working through your employer to do so,
which is a really cool angle that I want.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
To chat about.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
It's about you know what this is as far as
data is concerned, because I know when we met you
in the green room, you really came up with some
staggering stats. And I know with education it can get
a little mucky and a little bit overwhelming about how
many people don't have their GED, and it's I'm in
awe of these statistics. So just in general terms, maybe
(10:41):
in the United States, can you tell us where we're
at right now when it comes to either people that
don't have their GED or people that are trying to
get their GED.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
Yes, so we know right now today that there are
over forty million adults in the US that do not
have a high school diploma. We also know that the
average AIDS to a GED learner is we know the
number one reason that a GED learner does not go
on to earn their high school diploma or their GED
is fear of failure, which should not be a surprise
(11:11):
because when you think about the K through twelve system,
if you don't necessarily fit into what the K through
twelve system wants you to do, or maybe you're struggling
with anxiety or depression, or maybe you've had some bullying,
maybe you've had some other life circumstances. Unfortunately, we've seen
death and families, We've seen.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Individuals who have to drop out to get jobs.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
There's lots of reasons for individual learners to not earn
the high school diploma. And the bottom line is that
we are here to help support those GED learners, help
them believe in themselves and see their potential through our
eyes and their eyes.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
So, VICKI, if you could indulge me and our listeners
of this great conversation from soup to nuts. Is somebody
super interested in signing up and the cost and how
long everything takes and what it's involved.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Can you tell us about how that works?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (11:58):
Absolutely so. Anyone that's go to ged dot com. It's
the best way to learn about the GD program.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
We also have.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
A GED app it's called GED and Me that can
be downloaded if you have an Apple a smartphone. But
GED dot com is really the central home to everything GED.
So it will ask you to make an account, understand
who you are. So we want to know where you live,
we want to know your aide, we want to know
the last grade that you completed, and then we want
(12:27):
to know about your dreams and aspirations. What is it
that you want to do and where do you want
to go. And then there's opportunities for every learner to
take a practice exam which will really gives indication.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Of where you're at your journey. And it's not to
say are you ready or you're not ready.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
It's really to say, here's where you're at, and maybe
you're ready to go to take the test, and we
would recommend that you go take the tests again it's
broken into four subjects or maybe the practice exam is
going to say, you know what, you may have to
do a little bit of studying and we're going to
identify exaus exactly the areas that you need to study
by subject for you.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
And so really think.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
About GED as a hub for everything GED and then
also recognizing that we're in your corner to help you
whatever you need in your journey of earning your credential.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
So I imagine that it's different because you have different
vocations and classes that you can take. With that said,
are there is it just one cost? Are there different costs?
And how long does the whole process take?
Speaker 3 (13:27):
So there are So.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
There's just one cost of the GED test, and so
depending on what state you're in, it will tell you
based upon the state that you identify, what the cost is.
And each test is broken into each subject. So again
roughly you can kind of think it's less than or
around forty dollars I'll say, kind of estimate. Some states
might be a little less, some might be a little
bit more, but forty dollars per exam, and then they're
(13:50):
study materials, and the studying materials can really range and
costs and price. So our practice exam is on average,
I think six P ninety nine around seven dollars. But
the process, it really depends.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
And it varies on lots of factors.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
What we know about GED learners and many learners might
have children, maybe juggling a job or two jobs.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
In many circumstances.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
And so what we say is the average time from
starting to completing can be.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Around ninety days.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
We've had some people that started and are done in
a week, and we've had some people that it takes years.
And again, what we're here to say is that it
doesn't matter how long it takes you, is that we're
here to support you, to give you the resources that
you need, and ultimately we want to help you earn
your GED not only for yourself, but your family and
for generations to come. And we also recognize that this
(14:42):
is the gateway into a career path and then into
some type of education or career up scilling down the road.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
And I know that you have online testing now? Is
everything online or can anybody go in person if they
wanted to?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
How does it all work that way?
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (14:58):
So the GED this is I think I think this
is the power behind how we can help so many
learners is that the GED is supported by seventy thousand
adult educators. And think about adult educators as someone who's
literally in your corner helping you understand what materials they
can give to you to help study. They can show
(15:20):
you different paths of how to study, you can sit
in a classroom and many of these adult ed centers.
Let's say you really need just a refresher in math,
our adult educators that we work with can offer math
classes in person. There's also ways that you can do
some things online. So I think the bottom line is
where you live, what state you're in, what zip code
(15:42):
you're in. We can help guide you as to where
the resources are surrounded around you, and then we can
help you at GED as well help you with what
you need.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
If I could segue maybe to storytime and put a
pin in that just for a second, because I imagine
you have so many wonderful stories that have been passed
up to you of how you've changed people's lives, especially
when it comes to education. So I'm sure there's just
bunches of that. Maybe we'll try and pick one on
in just a second. But what that said in your
industry right now? I don't want to make any assumptions,
But what kind of challenges do you and your team
(16:11):
have right now?
Speaker 4 (16:12):
Yeah, you know challenges. Every day we face challenges. There's
challenges around funding. We love to be in a physician
where more learners have access to funding to pay for
a test in their states. I think the other challenge
is perception. I think there's a perception around who is
the GED learner. And what I would tell you is
(16:34):
that the GED learner is someone who has tremendous grit
and determination and persistence. And the challenge that I have
in many cases is that people have this thought behind that.
And what I can tell you is that there's nothing
more inaccurate.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
The GED learner is motivated.
Speaker 4 (16:55):
They want to go on and they want to have
a career. They want to have a family, they want
to have a house.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
They want what.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
Every one of us has, which is what we all
call the American dream. And I have not met a
learner in my twelve years of being here that doesn't
want that and doesn't want that for their children as well.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
So I realized that as CEO, you don't always have
boots on the ground when comes to the thousands and
thousands of people that take GED. But with that said,
I'm sure your team has shared some really wonderful stories
where it's changed lives. You've been there for twelve years,
so I'm sure you just heard bunches and bunches of
great stories. But is there one that sticks out that.
He said, you know what, that's why we get up
every day because we change lives today.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
Is there one story that maybe you could share with us?
Speaker 4 (17:36):
You know there are you know the I am one
of the really fortunate leaders. In fact, someone just said
to me, you're part of the five percent, and I
didn't understand what that meant, but he said, you're one
of the people that are in the five percent category
of loving what you do every day. And I love
what I get to do every morning. I wake up
so grateful for the opportunity to be on the path
(17:59):
of someone changing someone's live And nothing prepares you for that,
nothing prepares you.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
For that ability to wake up and say, wow, even.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
In your worst day, we're changing lives of millions and
hundreds of thousands learners. But there is a story that
has stuck with me. And I had the pleasure of
actually talking to this learner, and this learner lives in Minnesota,
and her story really stuck with me because it was
on the heels of COVID.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
And this learner.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
Really suffered from deep, dark depression and it hit her
in the seventh and eighth grade, and her school really
tried to work with her and tried to give her
some guidance and help, and she went to counselors and
her family was helping, and you know, everyone is doing
the right thing. And when she entered high school, she
just recognized she could no longer stay engaged, that just
(18:47):
being in the classroom was too difficult, and she dropped
out of high school. And when she did that, she
became a couch surfer, as she would call herself.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Someone she wasn't.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
She wasn't really wanting to be at home, and I
think the home was just a difficult situation for her.
So she went from one friend's house and when she
out welcome, you know, she was there too long. She
decided to go to the next friend's house, and she
called herself a cupsurper. And then she decided that she
needed to go on government assistance.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
And so she was on with.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
One of our large employers, you Care in Minnesota, and
you Care offered to pay for their Medicaid recipients. And
she received an email one day and it says, we
will pay for your GED. And it was the second
that she saw that subject line in her email that
she went immediately and signed up for GEDI works. She
(19:44):
took her GED exam, she passed all four and in
fact two I believe two of them maybe three she
passed with honors. And the next semester she enrolled in
a local college to become a psychologist to help people
that looked and went through life circumstances of herself. And
the reason that that story resonates so much with me
(20:05):
is when you talk to a.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
Learner, you hear these stories? Do you hear the pain
in her voice?
Speaker 4 (20:11):
And even though I didn't get to see her face,
I could just feel the pain in her eyes and
the circumstances that she was dealing with and going through.
And to look at what the GED did for her
was everything to me. And it really and capit encapsulated
everything as to why I do what I do, and
(20:31):
why everyone at GED does what they do, and why
there's still so much work yet to be done.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Well think, I sure appreciate you sharing that, and you
know it's changing lives, and you know we all do
our jobs, but way you can change your lives when
it comes to education and that specific story, it's just
wonderful and very heartwarming, So thank you for that. I
did want to also kind of circle back because I
talked about employers. I know that's something that you mentioned
that you're encouraging employers to be a part of GED
(20:58):
and hand that down to their so that you know,
if you don't have a GED, you can be a
part of this. Can you expound on that just a
little bit for.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Us, Yes, we GED.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
What we decided years ago was that we needed to
have employers at the center and the heart of everything
around the GED organization. And we started GED works about
six seven years ago. And this is where any employer
that wants to pay for their current employees or to
(21:27):
hire employees without their high school diploma, they would fund that.
And so what that means is that one of our employers,
as I talked about uk, KFC, Taco Bell, we have
one hundred and thirty employers out there. What that looks
like is after you identify with working with one of
our employers, we assign you an advisor and that advisor
(21:48):
will work with you one on one through the duration
of your entire GED journey. So we'll get to know
you again. We'll understand who you are, where you want
to go. We'll understand are you working full time part time?
Speaker 3 (22:00):
So that we can set you up on a path
to success.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
We don't want to assign study materials that if you're
working fifty sixty hours a week, we don't want to
give you ten twenty hours of study. So we'll break
it down to say, you know, let's focus on maybe
thirty minutes a day of studying. But really, the employer
is funding the cost of the tests, the cost of
the studying materials, and the cost of tutoring on behalf
of their employees. And again, what I'll tell you is
(22:24):
that I've talked to hundreds of employees that have gone
through GED works and there's two things that every employee
always says is Number one, the advisor helped me get
through some of my toughest days.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
They helped me get.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Through my studying and they were the reason that I
earned my GED. And the second is that the way
that they look at their employer is really really different
from maybe how they started. For them to know that
their employer invested in them and their belief in them
as an employer to earn their GED means everything. And
(22:57):
what you see is that now they start talking about
that employer to their family, to their friends, to the
market to the public.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
We've seen TikTok.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
Videos of people that said, my employer pays for me
to get my GED, and so it just becomes viral.
And so my message to every employer out there is
that if you're looking for employees that have grit, determination
and who will be dedicated to you, please look up
GED works and go to gd dot com and look
(23:27):
up ged works.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Well, that's good stuff.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
And you know when I take away from that story,
for a lot of people, there could be ten million
reasons about why you want to get your GED, but
one of them is ownership of having a GED, but
also the respect that comes with having your diploma and
your GED in that situation, and that's a big deal
to a lot of people. I mean, I've known people
throughout my life that have done very well that didn't
(23:50):
get their GED, but they went back and they got it.
Just for the sense of ownership and respect. To come
to the point that you're talking about, especially when it
comes to employers program, I'm glad that you do that.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
Well, let's do this.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
I could talk to you forever about what you do
and your team and all the cool things, but I
want to kind of get some final thoughts from you
and for our listeners about ged and just kind of
recapping everything we talked about.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
So the floor is hears VICKI go ahead.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
So one of the things that I talk about, first
of all, thank you, Thank you for having me and
for being part of this.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Anytime that I get.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
An opportunity to talk about the gen Learner, I'll take it.
But one thing that you'll hear me talk a lot
in the public and when I'm meeting with folks and
even on my podcast, is that it just takes one person,
one person to believe in you, one person to see
something in yourself that maybe you don't see, one person
that can maybe push you on the days that you
(24:44):
don't want to be pushed. And for me, when I
was growing up and going into college, I struggled in
high school and in academics, and when it was time
to go to college, my grades weren't necessarily what I
would wanted them to be. And I had one person
at Saint Mary's University in Winoa, Ken PELGRENI who saw
(25:05):
something in me that I didn't see in myself. And
so what I would say to every listener everyone else
there is be the one person that invests in our learners.
Be the one leader that's at a company that's looking
to do the right thing on behalf of learners. Be
the one educator that really pushes someone to see something
that they don't see in themselves.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
And just be the one human that's.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
Willing to be kind, to give back, and to recognize
that not everyone comes from the same background, not everyone
comes from the same circumstances, and that we have to
stop looking at the resume as the end all be
all for talent.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
We have to look at the human and the human.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Capital side of every single individual. And it's not necessarily
what they've done, but what they can do with your
investment into them.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Well, Vicky, that's well said, and my message and takeaway
is pay it forward, folks. There's nothing wrong with it. It's
pretty easy to do and I really appreciate that. Let's
give the website for everybody just one more time, Viki.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
Yes, please go to ged dot com or if you're
interested in looking at the GED app. There is a
GED and Me official app out on the office.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Sore.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Well, I know this is going to surprise you, but
I'd like to end with a compliment your passion and
your hard work, your tenacity, but your love for what
you do in education really comes through our conversation and
I think a lot of our listeners are going to
do that takeaway and I think you're going to touch
a lot of lives by being a part of this series.
So we appreciate your valuable time. Please give my best
to your team. Thanks for what you're doing and continued success.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
Well, thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Our community partner, M and T Bank supports CEOs. You
should know is part of their ongoing commitment to building
strong communities, and that starts by backing the businesses within them.
As a Bank for communities, M and T believes in
dedicating time, talent, and resources to help local businesses thrive
because when businesses succeed, our communities exceed
M and T Bank prison CEOs. You should know power
by iHeartMedia. Let's me Vicky Green.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
She is the CEO of GED Testing Service, which is
a company that offers anyone to get their GED through
online services. Before we talk more about Vicky's company and
their specific offerings, I first asked her to talk a
little bit about herself, where she's from, and her origin story.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
I grew up.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
In Minnesota, So for those who don't know Minnesota, there's
Minneapolis and Saint Paul. I grew up on the Saint
Paul's side. I attended a Catholic grade school. I went
on to high school and then went to Saint Mary's
University in Winona, Minnesota.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
All right, we're here to talk about GED services, but
before we do that, I always like to give context
to everybody because I know you've been with the organization
for twelve years and you also making us. You made
an ascension in the company, which I do want to
talk about as well, because I think that's always a
cool angle for people. Learning at a different level and
then becoming a head of the company is really interesting stuff.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
But before that, when you were coming up of school,
what did you want to do?
Speaker 3 (01:01):
So I went to school to be a broadcaster.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
I thought that I would go into sports broadcasting, and
then when you get into the job market, you recognize
that sports broadcasting is more difficult To land a job,
you have to move around, and landed in a role
in project management and technology. And again, back when I
started in technology, there were very many women, and so
I found it interesting, intriguing and was surrounded by some
(01:25):
really smart leaders. And then morphed into outside of technology
into process management, product and operations and worked at Deluxe
Corporation and operations for several years, and then found myself
recruited over to ged to run operations at TED, which
(01:47):
is a company owned by the largest education company Pearson.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So I don't know if that's a big paradigm shift
in your life to do one thing and then go
to that. But can you tell me about your thinking
about why you made the change and then why you
joined the company.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yes, I you know.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Deluxe was one of those companies where you're surrounded by
men and women who have been with the organization for years.
In fact, my team at Deluxe, I think the average
tenure was over twenty five years of service, and so
you're surrounded by people who love what they do working
with financial services, helping banks really navigate, making sure that
(02:22):
people feel warm and welcome when they go into a
financial institution. And I loved that work. But for me,
you know, as a mom of three kids, I also
recognized that I want to do something that was really
focused on impacting lives. And you know, looking back, I
don't even think I really recognized what impacting lives meant.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
And so when the head of HR at.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Pearson called me about the opportunity at GED, I thought
to myself, wow, you know what a shift from financial
services into education, And instantly, you know, fell in love
with the mission of GED and the people and really
what the intent was to do. And again vis was
prior to me really understanding what any of this meant.
(03:07):
So I started TOED to run operations, which meant, you know,
creating a technology department, a marketing organization, putting operational structure
in place around the GED test, which back then was
on paper, and then transitioning that into a computer based test.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
So before we get into mission and all the cool
things that you do at GED, can you expand on
that a little bit more Because I mentioned your ascension,
you did one job very well and then you moved
up to CEO. How long did you do that for?
What was your game plan? About ascension? And then talk
about being CEO? Because it's always neat to see people
try something different in an organization as they ascend up.
(03:44):
Some want to be in charge of a company, some don't.
You obviously did. I want to find out why, but
talk about the first job and then moving over to CEO.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Yeah, you know, it's it's a beautiful question because I
think sometimes as leaders, we don't necessarily know exactly where
we want to go, but we know that we want
to do more. And for me, when I got into
the heart of GED and recognize how much work still
had to be done for me, I think it motivates
you to continue to look for ways to enhance lives.
(04:15):
And so when I started at GED, it was really
around creating a structure, creating discipline, creating processes, creating all
of this, I would say, operational soundness of the organization.
And so for me, that ascension came with Okay, great,
we have structure, we have processes, we have all these
beautiful things in place to run an organization. Now I
(04:35):
want to get out to the market. I want to
start changing the face of the ged learner. I want
to start talking about who the ged learner is, the
heart and soul of the ged learner. I want to
start talking to employers around why they should be hiring
every single ged learner. And so for me, it morphed
into what was the right thing to do for the
organization to make us really sound and then it morphed
(04:58):
into how do I take it to the next level
and start talking and being the voice behind the ge learner.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
And that's a good segue because I know there's a
lot of people that are like mine, like you, because
I am first of all. Sometimes you don't know your path,
and yet you get on this path and it takes
you a screwy way that you never expected, but it's
it's full of wonderful surprises. And then you know the
ascension of CEO. And once again, I know a lot
of people, you know might get intimidated or scared about
(05:25):
running a company.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
And I'm curious if that's something that.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
You wanted to do, that you know that was on
your bucket list, that I'd like to be in charge
of a company, especially one that's treating me well and
I'm being treated well, can you talk about that move up?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Yeah? Absolutely.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
You know, when you again you look back at your life,
you start recognizing the reasons why you want to move ahead.
And I have been so fortunate to be surrounded by
incredible leaders, leaders that have invested in me, people that
have given me really good feedback, strong feedback, have given
me guidance, and they've also been role models for me.
(06:03):
And so when I look at that, I've had the
ability to really take from all of those leaders and
saying this is the type of leader that I want
to be. And again, it's a daily struggle. Of course,
it's scary, of course it's risky. Of course it enters
all of our mind. Am I going to do what
I'm supposed to do? Am I going to fail? Am
I going to succeed? And for me, the key is
(06:25):
every day waking up saying this is what I'm going
to do, this is how I'm going to do it,
and then surrounding myself with a really powerful team. And again,
the team that is at GED is like no other team.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
That I've had. And so you surround.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
Yourself with people that are better than you and things
that you can't do and they are stronger in you know,
government relations and communications or.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Marketing or technology.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
And so for me, the success comes with yes, I,
you know, am in charge of GED, but it's the success,
the success of this is behind the team and all
of the the leaders and.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
The team members that we have.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Well, Vicky, this is not going to surprise you, but
I in this series. I did another interview the other day.
It's a big company, a really big company, and the
gentleman I spoke with is pretty smart. He said exactly
the same thing that you did them. He surrounds himself
with people that are smarter than him, the good people,
the kind people, the carrying and giving people. But he
also had the same quality that you do that I
(07:24):
can tell you have when it comes to GED. You
have passion, and I imagine those are things that we're
trying to get the message across to maybe some of
our future entrepreneurs that if you have passion and you
surround yourself with good people and you're kind, you're probably
going to win in life.
Speaker 4 (07:39):
You know, we never talked about kindness in leadership. You know,
I think there's this perception that you have to be
the hammer behind rules and regulations and you have to
you know, set the pace. And for me, again as
a mom, as an athlete, as someone that recognized is
how important it is to love what you do and
(08:01):
to also be surrounded by people that you love working with.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Kindness has to sit at the heart of leadership.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
And for me, that doesn't mean that we don't have
tough decision It doesn't mean that there's some days that.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Are really, really tough.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
But there's never a reason that we shouldn't be hind
of one another and there's never a reason as to
why we shouldn't show compassion and empathy to everyone that
we work with on a daily basis.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Well, very well said. So we've teased this enough. I've
doddled enough. Let's talk about mission statement for gd What
is that.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Yeah, it's actually very simple.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
It's we need to reach the forty million adults out
there who do not have a high school diploma. And
our mission is how do we get and capture the
hearts and minds of every learner and recognize that learners
are coming at education from lots of different angles. Some
people had a really good k through twelfth start, some
(08:51):
people struggled, some people didn't have maybe families that valued education,
and so our mission is how do we reach every
one of those learners, help them get at their high
school equivalency and then on a path to successful job
and career.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Very good.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
In just a few moments, I'm going to talk about
your programs, your capabilities, and all the things that people
are probably curious about as they're googling you right now.
But with that said, for our listeners that haven't been
introduced to GED before, if you were to give a
thirty thousand foot view about exactly what you do do.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
What would that be.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
So what we do is think about all the adults
out there who don't have high school diploma. What we
do is we work with the states, and we work
with learners, and we work with employers to help those
learners and those adults without high school diploma earn their GED.
And when you think about the GED, think about it
(09:40):
as a high school diploma equivalency. So it's broken into
four subjects.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
You have math, science, Social.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Studies, and then ROLA which is reading, language and arts.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
And our goal is that every learner out there.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
We have seven hundred thousand learners every year that sign
up for their GED anyone that's listening, go to ge
dot com, sign up for an account, and then we
will help you with studying materials, with access to tests,
to access to tutoring, everything that you need to earn your.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
GED credential before we get into some of once again
those programs, capability, how to sign up and all the
different things, and also working through your employer to do so,
which is a really cool angle that I want.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
To chat about.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
It's about you know what this is as far as
data is concerned, because I know when we met you
in the green room, you really came up with some
staggering stats. And I know with education it can get
a little mucky and a little bit overwhelming about how
many people don't have their GED, and it's I'm in
awe of these statistics. So just in general terms, maybe
(10:41):
in the United States, can you tell us where we're
at right now when it comes to either people that
don't have their GED or people that are trying to
get their GED.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
Yes, so we know right now today that there are
over forty million adults in the US that do not
have a high school diploma. We also know that the
average AIDS to a GED learner is we know the
number one reason that a GED learner does not go
on to earn their high school diploma or their GED
is fear of failure, which should not be a surprise
(11:11):
because when you think about the K through twelve system,
if you don't necessarily fit into what the K through
twelve system wants you to do, or maybe you're struggling
with anxiety or depression, or maybe you've had some bullying,
maybe you've had some other life circumstances. Unfortunately, we've seen
death and families, We've seen.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Individuals who have to drop out to get jobs.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
There's lots of reasons for individual learners to not earn
the high school diploma. And the bottom line is that
we are here to help support those GED learners, help
them believe in themselves and see their potential through our
eyes and their eyes.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
So, VICKI, if you could indulge me and our listeners
of this great conversation from soup to nuts. Is somebody
super interested in signing up and the cost and how
long everything takes and what it's involved.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Can you tell us about how that works?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (11:58):
Absolutely so. Anyone that's go to ged dot com. It's
the best way to learn about the GD program.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
We also have.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
A GED app it's called GED and Me that can
be downloaded if you have an Apple a smartphone. But
GED dot com is really the central home to everything GED.
So it will ask you to make an account, understand
who you are. So we want to know where you live,
we want to know your aide, we want to know
the last grade that you completed, and then we want
(12:27):
to know about your dreams and aspirations. What is it
that you want to do and where do you want
to go. And then there's opportunities for every learner to
take a practice exam which will really gives indication.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Of where you're at your journey. And it's not to
say are you ready or you're not ready.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
It's really to say, here's where you're at, and maybe
you're ready to go to take the test, and we
would recommend that you go take the tests again it's
broken into four subjects or maybe the practice exam is
going to say, you know what, you may have to
do a little bit of studying and we're going to
identify exaus exactly the areas that you need to study
by subject for you.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
And so really think.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
About GED as a hub for everything GED and then
also recognizing that we're in your corner to help you
whatever you need in your journey of earning your credential.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
So I imagine that it's different because you have different
vocations and classes that you can take. With that said,
are there is it just one cost? Are there different costs?
And how long does the whole process take?
Speaker 3 (13:27):
So there are So.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
There's just one cost of the GED test, and so
depending on what state you're in, it will tell you
based upon the state that you identify, what the cost is.
And each test is broken into each subject. So again
roughly you can kind of think it's less than or
around forty dollars I'll say, kind of estimate. Some states
might be a little less, some might be a little
bit more, but forty dollars per exam, and then they're
(13:50):
study materials, and the studying materials can really range and
costs and price. So our practice exam is on average,
I think six P ninety nine around seven dollars. But
the process, it really depends.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
And it varies on lots of factors.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
What we know about GED learners and many learners might
have children, maybe juggling a job or two jobs.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
In many circumstances.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
And so what we say is the average time from
starting to completing can be.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Around ninety days.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
We've had some people that started and are done in
a week, and we've had some people that it takes years.
And again, what we're here to say is that it
doesn't matter how long it takes you, is that we're
here to support you, to give you the resources that
you need, and ultimately we want to help you earn
your GED not only for yourself, but your family and
for generations to come. And we also recognize that this
(14:42):
is the gateway into a career path and then into
some type of education or career up scilling down the road.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
And I know that you have online testing now? Is
everything online or can anybody go in person if they
wanted to?
Speaker 1 (14:55):
How does it all work that way?
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (14:58):
So the GED this is I think I think this
is the power behind how we can help so many
learners is that the GED is supported by seventy thousand
adult educators. And think about adult educators as someone who's
literally in your corner helping you understand what materials they
can give to you to help study. They can show
(15:20):
you different paths of how to study, you can sit
in a classroom and many of these adult ed centers.
Let's say you really need just a refresher in math,
our adult educators that we work with can offer math
classes in person. There's also ways that you can do
some things online. So I think the bottom line is
where you live, what state you're in, what zip code
(15:42):
you're in. We can help guide you as to where
the resources are surrounded around you, and then we can
help you at GED as well help you with what
you need.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
If I could segue maybe to storytime and put a
pin in that just for a second, because I imagine
you have so many wonderful stories that have been passed
up to you of how you've changed people's lives, especially
when it comes to education. So I'm sure there's just
bunches of that. Maybe we'll try and pick one on
in just a second. But what that said in your
industry right now? I don't want to make any assumptions,
But what kind of challenges do you and your team
(16:11):
have right now?
Speaker 4 (16:12):
Yeah, you know challenges. Every day we face challenges. There's
challenges around funding. We love to be in a physician
where more learners have access to funding to pay for
a test in their states. I think the other challenge
is perception. I think there's a perception around who is
the GED learner. And what I would tell you is
(16:34):
that the GED learner is someone who has tremendous grit
and determination and persistence. And the challenge that I have
in many cases is that people have this thought behind that.
And what I can tell you is that there's nothing
more inaccurate.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
The GED learner is motivated.
Speaker 4 (16:55):
They want to go on and they want to have
a career. They want to have a family, they want
to have a house.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
They want what.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
Every one of us has, which is what we all
call the American dream. And I have not met a
learner in my twelve years of being here that doesn't
want that and doesn't want that for their children as well.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
So I realized that as CEO, you don't always have
boots on the ground when comes to the thousands and
thousands of people that take GED. But with that said,
I'm sure your team has shared some really wonderful stories
where it's changed lives. You've been there for twelve years,
so I'm sure you just heard bunches and bunches of
great stories. But is there one that sticks out that.
He said, you know what, that's why we get up
every day because we change lives today.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
Is there one story that maybe you could share with us?
Speaker 4 (17:36):
You know there are you know the I am one
of the really fortunate leaders. In fact, someone just said
to me, you're part of the five percent, and I
didn't understand what that meant, but he said, you're one
of the people that are in the five percent category
of loving what you do every day. And I love
what I get to do every morning. I wake up
so grateful for the opportunity to be on the path
(17:59):
of someone changing someone's live And nothing prepares you for that,
nothing prepares you.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
For that ability to wake up and say, wow, even.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
In your worst day, we're changing lives of millions and
hundreds of thousands learners. But there is a story that
has stuck with me. And I had the pleasure of
actually talking to this learner, and this learner lives in Minnesota,
and her story really stuck with me because it was
on the heels of COVID.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
And this learner.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
Really suffered from deep, dark depression and it hit her
in the seventh and eighth grade, and her school really
tried to work with her and tried to give her
some guidance and help, and she went to counselors and
her family was helping, and you know, everyone is doing
the right thing. And when she entered high school, she
just recognized she could no longer stay engaged, that just
(18:47):
being in the classroom was too difficult, and she dropped
out of high school. And when she did that, she
became a couch surfer, as she would call herself.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Someone she wasn't.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
She wasn't really wanting to be at home, and I
think the home was just a difficult situation for her.
So she went from one friend's house and when she
out welcome, you know, she was there too long. She
decided to go to the next friend's house, and she
called herself a cupsurper. And then she decided that she
needed to go on government assistance.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
And so she was on with.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
One of our large employers, you Care in Minnesota, and
you Care offered to pay for their Medicaid recipients. And
she received an email one day and it says, we
will pay for your GED. And it was the second
that she saw that subject line in her email that
she went immediately and signed up for GEDI works. She
(19:44):
took her GED exam, she passed all four and in
fact two I believe two of them maybe three she
passed with honors. And the next semester she enrolled in
a local college to become a psychologist to help people
that looked and went through life circumstances of herself. And
the reason that that story resonates so much with me
(20:05):
is when you talk to a.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
Learner, you hear these stories? Do you hear the pain
in her voice?
Speaker 4 (20:11):
And even though I didn't get to see her face,
I could just feel the pain in her eyes and
the circumstances that she was dealing with and going through.
And to look at what the GED did for her
was everything to me. And it really and capit encapsulated
everything as to why I do what I do, and
(20:31):
why everyone at GED does what they do, and why
there's still so much work yet to be done.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Well think, I sure appreciate you sharing that, and you
know it's changing lives, and you know we all do
our jobs, but way you can change your lives when
it comes to education and that specific story, it's just
wonderful and very heartwarming, So thank you for that. I
did want to also kind of circle back because I
talked about employers. I know that's something that you mentioned
that you're encouraging employers to be a part of GED
(20:58):
and hand that down to their so that you know,
if you don't have a GED, you can be a
part of this. Can you expound on that just a
little bit for.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Us, Yes, we GED.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
What we decided years ago was that we needed to
have employers at the center and the heart of everything
around the GED organization. And we started GED works about
six seven years ago. And this is where any employer
that wants to pay for their current employees or to
(21:27):
hire employees without their high school diploma, they would fund that.
And so what that means is that one of our employers,
as I talked about uk, KFC, Taco Bell, we have
one hundred and thirty employers out there. What that looks
like is after you identify with working with one of
our employers, we assign you an advisor and that advisor
(21:48):
will work with you one on one through the duration
of your entire GED journey. So we'll get to know
you again. We'll understand who you are, where you want
to go. We'll understand are you working full time part time?
Speaker 3 (22:00):
So that we can set you up on a path
to success.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
We don't want to assign study materials that if you're
working fifty sixty hours a week, we don't want to
give you ten twenty hours of study. So we'll break
it down to say, you know, let's focus on maybe
thirty minutes a day of studying. But really, the employer
is funding the cost of the tests, the cost of
the studying materials, and the cost of tutoring on behalf
of their employees. And again, what I'll tell you is
(22:24):
that I've talked to hundreds of employees that have gone
through GED works and there's two things that every employee
always says is Number one, the advisor helped me get
through some of my toughest days.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
They helped me get.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Through my studying and they were the reason that I
earned my GED. And the second is that the way
that they look at their employer is really really different
from maybe how they started. For them to know that
their employer invested in them and their belief in them
as an employer to earn their GED means everything. And
(22:57):
what you see is that now they start talking about
that employer to their family, to their friends, to the
market to the public.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
We've seen TikTok.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
Videos of people that said, my employer pays for me
to get my GED, and so it just becomes viral.
And so my message to every employer out there is
that if you're looking for employees that have grit, determination
and who will be dedicated to you, please look up
GED works and go to gd dot com and look
(23:27):
up ged works.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Well, that's good stuff.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
And you know when I take away from that story,
for a lot of people, there could be ten million
reasons about why you want to get your GED, but
one of them is ownership of having a GED, but
also the respect that comes with having your diploma and
your GED in that situation, and that's a big deal
to a lot of people. I mean, I've known people
throughout my life that have done very well that didn't
(23:50):
get their GED, but they went back and they got it.
Just for the sense of ownership and respect. To come
to the point that you're talking about, especially when it
comes to employers program, I'm glad that you do that.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
Well, let's do this.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
I could talk to you forever about what you do
and your team and all the cool things, but I
want to kind of get some final thoughts from you
and for our listeners about ged and just kind of
recapping everything we talked about.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
So the floor is hears VICKI go ahead.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
So one of the things that I talk about, first
of all, thank you, Thank you for having me and
for being part of this.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Anytime that I get.
Speaker 4 (24:22):
An opportunity to talk about the gen Learner, I'll take it.
But one thing that you'll hear me talk a lot
in the public and when I'm meeting with folks and
even on my podcast, is that it just takes one person,
one person to believe in you, one person to see
something in yourself that maybe you don't see, one person
that can maybe push you on the days that you
(24:44):
don't want to be pushed. And for me, when I
was growing up and going into college, I struggled in
high school and in academics, and when it was time
to go to college, my grades weren't necessarily what I
would wanted them to be. And I had one person
at Saint Mary's University in Winoa, Ken PELGRENI who saw
(25:05):
something in me that I didn't see in myself. And
so what I would say to every listener everyone else
there is be the one person that invests in our learners.
Be the one leader that's at a company that's looking
to do the right thing on behalf of learners. Be
the one educator that really pushes someone to see something
that they don't see in themselves.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
And just be the one human that's.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
Willing to be kind, to give back, and to recognize
that not everyone comes from the same background, not everyone
comes from the same circumstances, and that we have to
stop looking at the resume as the end all be
all for talent.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
We have to look at the human and the human.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Capital side of every single individual. And it's not necessarily
what they've done, but what they can do with your
investment into them.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Well, Vicky, that's well said, and my message and takeaway
is pay it forward, folks. There's nothing wrong with it. It's
pretty easy to do and I really appreciate that. Let's
give the website for everybody just one more time, Viki.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
Yes, please go to ged dot com or if you're
interested in looking at the GED app. There is a
GED and Me official app out on the office.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Sore.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Well, I know this is going to surprise you, but
I'd like to end with a compliment your passion and
your hard work, your tenacity, but your love for what
you do in education really comes through our conversation and
I think a lot of our listeners are going to
do that takeaway and I think you're going to touch
a lot of lives by being a part of this series.
So we appreciate your valuable time. Please give my best
to your team. Thanks for what you're doing and continued success.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
Well, thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
Our community partner, M and T Bank supports CEOs. You
should know is part of their ongoing commitment to building
strong communities, and that starts by backing the businesses within them.
As a Bank for communities, M and T believes in
dedicating time, talent, and resources to help local businesses thrive
because when businesses succeed, our communities exceed
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com