Board of Directors & Senior Advisors

Asmau Ahmed has served as a member of our Board of Directors since July 2021. Ms. Ahmed has served on the board of directors at blackcomputeHER since July 2018, a non-profit organization that supports computing and technology education for black women and girls. Previously, Ms. Ahmed served as a Managing Director at Alphabet from July 2021 to April 2024. From September 2018 to July 2021, Ms. Ahmed served as an SVP/Managing Director – Business Executive at Bank of America. From September 2016 to August 2018, Ms. Ahmed served as a digital product executive at Capital One where she oversaw enterprise digital product and strategy for customer-facing products and experiences. From January 2012 to December 2017, Ms. Ahmed was a founder, chief executive officer, and board member at Plum Perfect, a visual search and advertising technology company. From September 2006 to November 2012, Ms. Ahmed served as a management consultant at Deloitte. Ms. Ahmed holds a B.S. with Honors in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

William Bradley served as a member of the board of directors from August 2004 to December 2015. Effective January 1, 2016, Former Senator Bradley is serving the Company as a senior advisor to the chairman with respect to political matters and matters relating to the Company’s business generally.

Former Senator Bradley is a Managing Director of Allen & Company LLC, an investment bank, which he joined in November 2000. From April 2001 to June 2004, Former Senator Bradley also served as chief outside advisor to the nonprofit practice of McKinsey & Company. Former Senator Bradley served in the U.S. Senate from 1979 to 1997, representing the state of New Jersey, and previously was a professional basketball player with the New York Knicks from 1967 to 1977. Former Senator Bradley served on the boards of directors of Starbucks Coffee Company, Seagate Technology and Willis Group Holdings.

Former Senator Bradley holds a B.A. in American History from Princeton University and an M.A. in American History from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

Stuart M. Huizinga has served as a member of our Board of Directors since April 2015. Mr. Huizinga currently serves as the chief financial officer of Apollo Neuroscience, Inc. From August 2018 to February 2020, Mr. Huizinga served as chief financial officer of ACME Technologies, Inc.

Mr. Huizinga served as chief financial officer of Sun Basket, Inc. in 2017. From 2000 to 2016, Mr. Huizinga served as senior vice president and chief financial officer at eHealth, Inc. From 1984 to 2000, Mr. Huizinga served at various positions including partner at Arthur Andersen LLP in the firm’s audit business unit, where he also served as a worldwide expert within the firm’s technology practice, primarily in the software and Internet sectors. He is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in the State of California.

Mr. Huizinga holds a B.S. in Business Administration from San Jose State University.

David (Dave) J. Pauldine has served as a member of our Board of Directors since October 2014. Mr. Pauldine was the president of DeVry University from July 2006 to June 2014 and executive vice president of DeVry Education Group Inc., now Adtalem Global Education, Inc., from October 2005 to June 2014.

Prior to that, from 1989 to 2005, Mr. Pauldine served at Education Management Corporation, where his last position was executive vice president and president of The Art Institutes system of schools. From 1979 to 1989, Mr. Pauldine held various operational and management positions at DeVry. Mr. Pauldine serves on the board of the Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples, Florida. Mr. Pauldine also provides services for Pauldine Enterprises, LLC as a professional speaker and consultant. He previously served as a member of the board of The Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, now Career Education Colleges and Universities, from 2007 to 2013, including as vice chair from 2011 to 2012 and as board chair from June 2012 to June 2013. He also served as a board member for the American Red Cross, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, Communities in Schools, Sarasota University, and ASPIRA.

Mr. Pauldine holds a B.A. in Communication Arts from The University of Dayton and an M.A. in Leadership from McGregor School, Antioch University.

Gregory (Greg) Sands served as a member of the board of directors from July 1999 to October 2020. Effective October 30, 2020, Mr. Sands is serving the Company as a senior advisor to the chairman with respect to institutional matters and matters relating to the Company’s business generally.

Mr. Sands is the founder and, since January 2012, has served as a managing partner of Costanoa Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. From September 1998 through December 2011, Mr. Sands served as a managing director at Sutter Hill Ventures, a venture capital firm. Previously, Mr. Sands held various operational roles at Netscape Communications Corporation and was a management consultant with Mercer Management Consulting. Mr. Sands also serves on the boards of directors of several privately-held companies.

Mr. Sands holds a B.A. in Government from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Andrew (Andy) Sheehan has served as a member of our Board of Directors since February 2017. Since 2014, Mr. Sheehan has served as the Managing Partner of Tippet Venture Partners, LLC, a venture capital firm. Mr. Sheehan was a partner of Sutter Hill Ventures, a venture capital firm, from 2007 to February 2021.

Mr. Sheehan has served on the board of directors of Yext, Inc., a publicly held technology company, since May 2008. Mr. Sheehan also serves on the board of directors of a number of privately-held companies in the technology industry.

Mr. Sheehan holds a B.A. in English from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School.

James (Jim) Simons has served as a member of our Board of Directors since July 1999 and our Lead Independent Director since July 2021. Mr. Simons is a managing director of Split Rock Partners, a venture capital firm, which he founded in June 2004.

Prior to founding Split Rock Partners, Mr. Simons served as general partner of St. Paul Venture Capital, a venture capital firm, from November 1996 to June 2004. Previously, Mr. Simons was a partner at Marquette Venture Partners and held banking positions at Trammell Crow Company and First Boston Corporation. Mr. Simons also serves on the boards of directors of several privately-held companies.

Mr. Simons holds a B.A. in Economics and History from Stanford University and an M.S. in Management from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University.

Hillary Smith has served as a member of our Board of Directors since April 2021. Ms. Smith has served as a member of the board of directors of Yext, Inc. (NYSE: YEXT) since October 2020, where she serves as a member of the audit committee; as a member of the board of directors of Elevate Services, Inc., a private company that offers consulting, technology, and services to law departments and law firms, since November 2018, where she serves as the chair of the compensation committee and a member of the audit committee; and on the board of directors at the National Center for Lesbian Rights since September 2019. Ms. Smith has served as an operating partner at Craft Ventures since September 2019 and also serves as a consultant to various technology companies. Previously, Ms. Smith served as general counsel at a number of public and private technologies companies most recently Square, Inc., from December 2016 to March 2018. From July 2015 to October 2016, Ms. Smith served as general counsel and corporate secretary for Zenefits, and from May 2010 to June 2015, she served as general counsel to SuccessFactors, Inc. Ms. Smith served as SVP, general counsel and corporate secretary for DoubleClick from March 2000 to September 2005, and general counsel for Right Media and associate general counsel for Yahoo! Inc. from January 2007 to May 2010.

Ms. Smith holds a B.A. in History from Montana State University-Bozeman and a J.D. from Cornell Law School. Ms. Smith brings to the Board her public board experience, legal and regulatory expertise, executive experience, and knowledge in digital marketing.

Mr. Valenti founded QuinStreet and has served as our Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our Board of Directors since July 1999 and as our Chairperson since March 2004. Prior to QuinStreet, Mr. Valenti served as a partner at Rosewood Capital, a venture capital firm; as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company; in various management roles at Procter & Gamble; and as a decorated nuclear submarine officer and qualified submarine warfare specialist (gold dolphins) for the U.S. Navy. Mr. Valenti is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, where he graduated with highest honors and was named the Georgia Tech Outstanding Senior; the U.S. Navy postgraduate nuclear engineering program; and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business with an M.B.A., where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. As a seasoned executive and Chief Executive Officer of QuinStreet since 1999, Mr. Valenti brings in-depth knowledge of QuinStreet’s industry, competition, operations, and strategy that is important to the Board’s oversight of long-term strategy, enterprise risk management, compensation, and corporate governance practices for the Company.