Patric Greer, CFO of Edkey, Top 10 Admired Leaders of 2022

Patric Greer
CFO
Edkey


Patric Greer, CFO of Edkey

"Discover minute & large details”

Edkey, Inc. delivers high-quality educational services to help empower fulfillment of their individual missions. Edkey's CFO, Patric Greer, says their services boost individual and family life.

Patric's ability to concurrently understand the large picture and the smallest details has allowed him to contribute to the company's growth and development. Patric says that his desire to roll up his sleeves and take part in the lowest activity lets him see the organization from different points of view and determine how to use them in the organization.

Patric asserts that he has an open-door policy and is happy to meet with any new entrepreneurs seeking to launch a charter school and assist them with all aspects of the business. This includes accounting, operations, information technology systems, food service, and transportation. My background is fairly diverse, and I have expertise in bond financing, building, and the establishment of new institutions, "adds Patric.

Patric's leadership teachings emphasize analyzing the circumstances before reacting, which encourages teamwork, he explains. He says that the destination, not the journey, is crucial and adds that this has allowed the absorption of fiscally unfeasible projects that have given growth and stability. Patric also believes that criticism has an influence, depending on how it's offered, and he is willing to reflect and continue to grow as a leader.

Patric says we have MFA, web-based accounting, and budgeting. We employ technology to collect student enrollment data, accounts payable invoices, and credit card transactions for the accounting system. Time-on-task tracking and real-time instruction are available online. Future education will contain more technology, but grade schools will still need in-person instruction since younger students need more than technology can supply. Accounting, finance, student information systems, accounts payable, and credit card processing will all use AI in the future, says Patric.

We compete in both face-to-face and virtual education. We are working in every facet of the company to become one of the premier online educational providers. We provide education in multiple formats based on community needs.

Our system includes basic schools, founding Fathers schools, STEAM, performing arts, deaf, and emotionally disabled private placement. We prioritize instruction above numbers, says Patric. This allows us to build 50-student to 900-student schools around community needs, and this helps us stand out and develop.

During COVID, the closing of schools to in-person instruction posed issues for children, parents, and staff. We could pivot faster than districts using the company's online instruction paradigm. With this pivot and additional modalities of education, our online school grew from 1,200 to 4,000 in three months. Although we couldn't meet all parties' needs, we could meet the majority.

Patric explains that the company expanded through mergers and school construction. To assist more communities, we've constructed our own schools using Bond financing. In the past 18 years, we've issued around $180 million in bonds and expanded from 50,000 to 800,000 square feet. The time from concept to the issuance of our most recent bond transaction was, sixty days, less than half that of most bond deal.

We've gone from 50-100 PCs to over 5,000 in the last 10 years. We've transitioned from operating software on local servers to delivering practically everything (instructional content, student information systems, accounting and budgeting, facilities management software) in the cloud, which allows us to be in our schools more often. Patric states that “This has also helped us alter direction fast.”

Multiple corporate expansions and mergers contribute to stability. We added various schools. This includes at-risk, deaf, performing arts, STEAM, and STEM schools, as well as children with emotional impairments. We have expanded through designing schools that meet the needs of the community rather than by pursuing our own vision. According to Patric, they are the most diverse charter schools in the nation.

Using artificial intelligence, we are aiming to develop software that will accelerate accounting, including the processing of transactions, says Patric. In addition, we are enhancing the breadth and depth of our student learning and management systems so that we can deliver an extraordinary learning environment to a broader range of students according to their unique needs and talents.

One of the most remarkable things about Edkey is that it empowers Prinicpals and Managers to harness the unique skills and abilities of their employees to grow the business in a variety of new directions. For us, it's not about finding people who think like we do, but rather those who have the ability and desire to help others. One of the reasons I've remained at Edkey for so long is the sense of community I get from working here, says Patric. IE


Company

Edkey

Management

Patric Greer
CFO
Edkey

Description

Edkey, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit that provides educational and operational support for 26 public charter schools and programs, consisting of approximately 11,000 students, operating exclusively in the State of Arizona. Our schools are considered the most unique group of public charter schools in the nation, with each individual school operating under its own mission and programming. School populations vary in size from 50 to 1,200 students and are classified in ranges consisting of large urban to small urban, large rural to small rural.


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