Troy Underwood

Current

Campus Curriculum Manager at Kaplan University

Past

Senior Manager, Product Development at Kaplan Professional Schools
Senior Manager, Print Production at Kaplan Financial
Senior Copyeditor at R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co., Inc. (coris)

Production Assistant at Institute of Gas Technology

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1 more...

Education

Chicago Theological Seminary
Governors State University
Morehouse College

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Recommended

8 people have recommended Troy

Connections

198 connections

Industry

Education Management

Websites

My Company

Troy Underwood’s Summary

Over 15 years of accomplishments managing educational products with relevant experience in creating best practices and standards for print and online workflows. Proficient in the creation, implementation, and integration of product development strategies that are reliable and sustainable. Frequent user of project and portfolio management tools utilizing project life-cycle management, bug and defect tracking, and electronic workflow software.

Owner of print and online production workflows and producer of product development strategies across multiple divisions and departments.

Proven leader in implementing processes and reducing operational deficiencies with measurable results.

A willingness to learn and implement new technology strategies for both print and digital media.

Ability to provide level-headed decision making when managing multiple projects and priorities.

Strength in mentoring individuals and high-performance teams to achieve company goals.

Troy Underwood’s Specialties:

Project Management ▪ Process Analysis and Redesign ▪ Print and Digital Publishing Methodologies ▪ Process Implementation and Improvement ▪ Outsourcing/Offshore Management ▪ Supply Chain Management ▪ Content/Digital Asset Management

Troy Underwood’s Experience

Campus Curriculum Manager

Kaplan University

(Public Company; WPO; Education Management industry)

April 2009 — Present (4 months)

Manage curriculum alignment for online and ground campuses, as well as implement strategies around quality control issues.
Senior Manager, Product Development

Kaplan Professional Schools

(Public Company; WPO; Education Management industry)

May 2008 — April 2009 (1 year)

Partner with six school leadership teams using product development initiatives offering classroom and distance education to students earning their state or national certifications. Lead well-organized and transparent product development processes to direct product management decisions. Support front- and back-end enterprise technology solutions for school enrollment systems and website platforms.

Established monthly product development conferences with individual school leadership, editorial, and production teams addressing on-going product development needs, new initiatives, and state and national education strategies.

Increased online course build through offshore operations 121% in 3 months.

Combined print buying and inventory management roles into a single supply chain strategy to reduce cost and increase revenue.

Coordinated with online platform technology teams on enhancements needed to improve student experience and meet both regulatory and market needs.
Senior Manager, Print Production

Kaplan Financial

(Public Company; WPO; Education Management industry)

May 1998 — April 2008 (10 years)

Managed the conversion process of disk-based course materials to e-learning courses using taxonomies and SGML, HTML and XML languages, as well as the migration of print textbooks from PageMaker and FrameMaker to InDesign.

Streamlined textbook production cycle 70% from 14 weeks to 4 weeks using current technology standards such as Adobe’s InDesign, InCopy, and Acrobat workflows for 250 – 800 page averages.

Reduced per page production costs from $11.00 to $6.00 per page through resource planning, negotiation, and outsourcing.

Partnered with internal technology team to create online to print XML transforms reducing outsourcing needs by 20%.

Defined and implemented publishing workflow processes across functional areas to reduce cycle time and increase productivity.

Managed the conversion of more than 250 print products from several Kaplan acquisitions and five business lines to Kaplan platforms and formats in 2 years.
Senior Copyeditor

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co., Inc. (coris)

(Publishing industry)

1992 — 1998 (6 years)

Writer, editor, and copyeditor for a variety technical, government, and industry-leading publications and catalogs such as Black and Decker, Anixter, NAPA, and the government GSA catalogs. As the senior editor, ensured that all products met established editorial and brand standards.
Production Assistant

Institute of Gas Technology

(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Research industry)

1992 — 1994 (2 years)

The Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) is an independent, not-for-profit energy research center serving the major providers and users of natural gas -- electric utility companies, engineering and construction firms, equipment manufacturers and large energy users. Founded in 1941 and located in Des Plaines, Illinois, IGT, with a staff of 150, conducts a wide range of research and education initiatives, from laboratory investigations on energy utilization and environmental protection, to full-scale, pilot-plant implementations as well as comprehensive education programs on gas technology.