Pinnacle Education's Executive Team
Pinnacle Education is dedicated to engaging students through the creation of customized learning plans, supporting student academic and personal growth, and delivering a high quality instructional experience. Our company executives and employees bring with them a vast amount of experience in a variety of backgrounds, from education to engineering. This diverse team works together to offer the best educational experience possible to the student.
Dr. Michael Matwick - CEO
Curt Feldtkeller - President
F.C. Brigham - CIODr. Mike Matwick, Founder and CEO
Dr. Mike Matwick is founder and chief executive officer of Pinnacle Education, an online charter school that since its founding has helped more than 35,000 students with their high school education.
Matwick has guided the charter school since the first group of 300 students began taking classes in August 1995. During that time, he has overseen the increase in the number of Pinnacle Education's campuses, the dramatic rise in the student population and the increasing demand for Pinnacle's online classes.
Pinnacle began with two campuses, one in Tempe and another in Mesa, but now the online charter school has six campuses, including one in Yuma and another in Casa Grande. The number of students who take classes with Pinnacle each year has steadily risen over the years, and now more than 10,000 enrolled in at least one course with Pinnacle in 2007. At any given time during the year, more than 4,000 students are taking classes with Pinnacle.
Matwick's career in education began in 1980, following his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in social studies, with interests in sociology and anthropology.
At that time, he received a full scholarship for a master's program at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania to become a reading specialist, as part of a federal effort to create more math, science and reading teachers. As part of his master's program, he taught reading to children in a small coal mining town outside Pittsburgh.
"That was my first exposure to what became known as "at risk" children because it wasn't even a topic of discussion at that time," Matwick says. "The lasting impression I took away was that the biggest challenge kids faced wasn't learning, but having to do it in a school that demanded one thing and living lives that demanded something else. Some of these kids were trying to survive under very difficult circumstances, and when that's going on school is always going to be second."
After receiving his Master's in 1981, Matwick moved to Tempe, Arizona to teach reading and to coach basketball at Marcos de Niza High School. After six years teaching reading, Matwick switched to teaching social studies.
"I was surprised that at such a good school, in a great community that there were still kids with the same issues that kept the kids in that coal mining town from succeeding in school," he says. "There was nothing they could want for in terms of the facilities and programs, and yet there were hundreds of kids not doing anything educationally. But there wasn't really anything being done to address the needs of these kids who didn't fit the mold of a traditional high school."
After five years teaching social studies, Matwick jumped at the chance to become the Marcos' dropout prevention coordinator. After extensive research into how other high schools dealt with at-risk students - during which he visited more than 50 schools -- Matwick designed a pilot program for Marcos that incorporated the best elements of all the programs he examined. The Peak Performance Center combined computer-assisting instruction with classes in dealing with social issues, and cooperative education that put the students in jobs in the community. The center was successful by all measures and when Arizona granted charter schools in 1995, Matwick decided to expand the program and bring it to all students in Arizona. Pinnacle Education, then known as the Arizona Career Academy, was the first school charter school in Arizona.
In the midst of getting Pinnacle Education off the ground, Matwick continued to expand his knowledge of teaching and education. In 1994, he received his master's degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University, and two years later was awarded his doctorate in educational leadership from the same college.
In 1996, Matwick worked to get Pinnacle accredited by the North Central Association, a significant accreditation that ensured that credits students earned would be accepted at their traditional high schools and by colleges. During the intervening years, Matwick has guided Pinnacle Education as it has added campuses, hired more instructors, grown the student body and expanded its online program.
"We aren't trying to compete for the kid who thrives in the traditional high school environment," he says.
"We are looking to help the kids on the edge who need a different experience, who want something that the typical school can't give them. I want every kid to have a chance to have a great life."
Curt Feldtkeller, President
Curt Feldtkeller has been a board member with Pinnacle Education since April 26, 2004, but has a much longer history working directly with Dr. Matwick. In 1992, Mr. Feldtkeller was the Regional Sales Manager for Jostens Learning Corporation, and was involved with Dr. Matwick in the creation of the Peak Performance Center at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, Arizona. In its second year of operation, the PPC became a national demonstration site for Jostens Learning, hosting over 300 visiting educators per year for on-site visits related to program design and implementation. Mr. Feldtkeller was promoted to National Director of Sales for Alternative Education, ultimately replicating the alternative school implementation model 287 times in a three year period.
Mr. Feldtkeller subsequently worked as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Invest Learning. More recently, Mr. Feldtkeller held key executive positions with Insight, EDS, and most recently Siemens, where he had responsibility for selection, development, training, and performance of an international sales, marketing and support group.
F.C. Brigham, Chief Innovations Officer
F.C. Brigham is the Chief Innovation Officer of Pinnacle Education. As the CIO, Mr. Brigham oversees Pinnacle’s Information Technology, eCommerce, Marketing, and Registration/Enrollment departments. He also is responsible for ensuring the highest quality internal and external customer experience within Pinnacle Education.
Before he became CIO at Pinnacle, Mr. Brigham worked at BrannonGroup Business Advisors as a Senior Consultant and Insight Enterprises Inc. as the SVP of Information Technology North America, where he also served as a member of the executive planning committee and held various leadership positions in marketing, ecommerce as well as IT. His previous positions gave him extensive experience with strategic planning, direct marketing, call center operation, electronic commerce and information technology within the high-tech industry in the support of several Fortune 500 companies. He also spent several years integrating business systems with e-commerce platforms and has successfully participated in multiple international acquisitions and integrations. While Mr. Brigham has spent several years in the corporate business world, he began looking for an opportunity to make a difference and searched for a company that aligned with both his personal and professional goals. He found that connection at Pinnacle Education.
Mr. Brigham was born in Montclair, New Jersey, and grew up in Ft. Collins, Colorado. He moved to Arizona in late 1992 where he currently lives with his family.
Carin C. Wolph, Vice President of Finance
Carin C. Wolph is the VP of Finance for Pinnacle Education. As Vice President, Ms. Wolph is responsible for all accounting and finance functions. In this role, she oversees financial reporting, internal control compliance, external reporting, tax, budgets and financing.She joined Pinnacle in 2009 after 15 years at Insight Enterprises, Inc. where she held leadership positions as a Director in accounting, internal audit and operations, as well as serving on executive leadership committees. This experience included oversight of accounting departments including financial reporting, payroll, internal audit and operations. Additionally, she has extensive project management experience in which she coordinated projects in system design, implementation and roll-out during integrations due to Insights expansion via acquisitions.
Prior to Insight, Ms. Wolph was with the public accounting firm of Ernst & Young. She earned her B.S. degree in Accounting from Arizona State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is actively involved in community events supporting the YMCA and local schools as well as serving on the Finance Committee for St. John Bosco Interparish School. She currently lives in Phoenix with her family.
