Company
Rob Price, CEO
Rob comes to School of Rock with extensive experience building brands in the consumer, franchise and retail sectors. Prior to School of Rock, Rob served as President of Edible Arrangements, which integrates an online business and 1,300 franchised stores worldwide. Before that, he was SVP, Chief Marketing Officer at CVS Health.
He has also held executive roles at Wawa Food Markets and H-E-B Grocery. In addition to serving as a director of Walker & Company, Rob is a member of the Alumni Board at Harvard Business School, where he earned his MBA. He graduated with a B.S. in Applied Economics from Cornell University, was a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and was a Henry Crown Fellow and Richard Braddock Scholar at the Aspen Institute.
Tony Padulo, Chief Development Officer
Tony leads School of Rock's franchise sales and real estate efforts in the US and Internationally, and brings a wealth of experience expanding franchise companies' footprints.
Prior to joining School of Rock, Tony served as Executive Vice President of Global Development for BrightStar Care, the premier in-home care provider of medical and non-medical services. Before that he served executive roles at Goddard Systems, Inc., the largest childcare franchisor in the United States, and AAMCO Transmissions Inc., one of the leading companies in the automotive aftermarket industry, and Dunkin' Donuts.
Elliot Baldini, Senior Vice President of Marketing
Elliot is a lifelong musician with a passion for performance. Before joining School of Rock, Elliot served leadership roles at a variety of companies, including Guitar Center and Sears Holding Corporation. His background includes a specialty in eCommerce, analytics and brand development.
Elliot joined the School of Rock team in 2015 and is excited for the opportunity to contribute to the franchise’s ongoing success.
Justin Nihiser, Vice President of Franchise Operations
Justin grew up in Ohio, dreaming of the day when he'd be able to make music a part of his job. He graduated Berklee College of Music in 2004 and joined the millions of other folks who were quickly migrating to sunbelt cities, eventually landing in Atlanta. While still finding his way in the south, Justin was tapped to open a School of Rock, and he's not looked back since. Justin has also written music that currently receives airtime on dozens of networks and hundreds of shows globally, including having his music used on the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics. Justin has been with School of Rock since 2007.
Stacey Ryan, Vice President of Company Operations
Stacey comes to School of Rock with over 12 years of work in Education and Franchising. After graduating Rutgers University, she started her career at Huntington Learning Centers bringing her passion for kids and education together. Stacey raised the bar at Huntington quickly growing her center to the top of the nation, and moving on to run the top region in the Northeast. After ten years at Huntington, Stacey went on to define quality, raise standards, and drive results at Goddard Preschools by implementing operations to support and grow the top and bottom line schools.
Although Stacey does not play an instrument she has always been very passionate about music. Her love for the Beatles started back in middle school when most kids were listening to New Kids on the Block. This excitement for music and childhood education made School of Rock an easy choice.
Sam Dresser, VP of Knowledge Management and Engagement
Sam has always had a passion for music as well as technology. While pursuing a music degree in Jazz Studies at DePaul University in Chicago, he also began to work at Apple in its retail stores. After completing his degree, he ended up spending almost ten years at Apple focusing on technical support, management, and training. His two passions have now found their home at School of Rock. He has been with School of Rock since 2013, and today he oversees training and learning programs at School of Rock.