Brian Boubek

Brian Boubek is an entrepreneur and global education leader who has built his career helping today’s student to become globally competitive. In 1997, after a life-changing study abroad experience in Dijon, France, he founded CEA Global Education (CEA). Mr. Boubek felt that his time in France was so empowering and insightful that he wanted to provide the same opportunity to every student.

According to Mr. Boubek, "CEA's success is built on our ability to design and implement innovative, high-quality academic programs that meet the needs of today’s university student. In the current higher education environment, global competency is no longer a luxury. CEA is meeting that challenge by providing the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the global economy."

Since its beginning as a study abroad provider, Mr. Boubek has led CEA as the company grew to become one of the largest for-profit international education companies in the U.S with operations in 14 countries and 175 employees worldwide. In 2009, CEA will enroll over 4,000 U.S. university students in 100 academic programs. CEA offers short-term, semester, and year-long study abroad programs and courses for U.S. high school and college students.

In 2005, Mr. Boubek created the CEA GlobalCampus Network. Located in Europe, Asia and Latin America (with more campuses in development), CEA Global Campuses are learning centers that focus on global competency skills and development. The curriculum, active teaching methodology and faculty are completely overseen and managed by CEA with accreditation oversight from the University of New Haven (UNH) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Through Mr. Boubek’s initiatives, over 60% of CEA’s students are taught in CEA Global Campuses. Students are also enrolled in CEA’s forty-two global university partners.

Mr. Boubek's vision is to expand CEA’s programs and services into online and classroom programs for working professionals and adult learners, corporations seeking global competence for their workforces, and elementary school children.

Under Mr. Boubek’s leadership, CEA has earned an impressive list of awards including: two years running on the Inc. 500 list as one of the nation’s fasting growing private companies; the Arizona Corporate Excellence Award (ACE) as the 13th fastest growing organization in Arizona; the BizAZ Hot Growth Award as of the top 10 fastest growing companies in Arizona; and the Small Business Association (SBA) Exporter of the Year award. In addition, Mr. Boubek and CEA have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Arizona Republic, BizAZ, Phoenix Business Journal, Arizona Business Gazette, Inside Higher Ed, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Prior to founding CEA, Mr. Boubek worked at Andersen Consulting and Arthur Andersen at their Chicago headquarters as a financial consultant and marketing advisor. He was engaged on several Fortune 500 accounts including Nestle and Kraft Foods. Mr. Boubek also helped to found Sonoran Bank N.A. as a start-up investor and founding Treasurer. Sonoran Bank specializes in commercial banking services for multicultural small to medium-sized businesses.

In recognition of his exceptional leadership and accomplishment in entrepreneurship at CEA, Mr. Boubek was named as a Karl Eller Entrepreneurial Fellow from the University of Arizona and the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program.

Mr. Boubek earned a Bachelors of Science in Commerce (BSC) degree in both Marketing and Finance from DePaul University. He has studied the French language at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France. In addition, Mr. Boubek is a graduate of the “Birthing of Giants” Executive Education program hosted by the MIT Enterprise Forum, Inc. Magazine and the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), where he is an active member.

A resident of Phoenix, Arizona, Mr. Boubek is married to Christine and has one daughter, Briella. Mr. Boubek enjoys hiking, mountain biking, worldwide travel, new-business start-ups and anything related to food and wine.

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