Steve Probst

About Steve Probst

Executive and management consultant with deep experience in higher education, bridging…

Experience

1. Senior Vice President for Customer Success and Data Integrity

   Gray Decision Intelligence

   Nov 2012 — Present · MA, US

   Gray DI is a data analytics and software firm focused on higher education. We help colleges and universities develop data-informed academic program strategies that yield good outcomes for students, institutions, and their constituencies. At Gray, I manage client engagements that include:• Helping institutions choose new programs or focus their curriculum and other investments on programs most likely to attract students and help them get good jobs; in other words, identifying programs to start, stop, sustain, fix, or grow• Understanding and improving curricular efficiency, by documenting instructional costs and the underlying drivers in ways that faculty and administrators can understand, and in developing approaches for using that information in routine course scheduling, faculty hiring, and similar decisions• Identifying the best geographic markets for new campuses or on-line initiatives, considering market-specific student demand, competitive intensity, and job opportunities• Understanding the competitive environment, including competitor pricing, market presence, market positioning, accreditation, and curricula• Developing overall institution strategy, including defining the best student/customer segments to target, defining the value proposition, identifying the best forms of value capture, protecting the institution from intense competition, and establishing the most appropriate metrics for incentivizing and managing the organizationThis work makes extensive use of Gray DI’s proprietary databases and analytic tools for analyzing student demand, employer demand, competition, and instructional economics. These tools enable Gray to help institutions analyze programs and markets more comprehensively, faster, and at lower cost than institutions can do without these tools.

Education

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  BS, Civil Engineering

  1977 — 1981

• Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

  MBA (with distinction), Completed concentrations in Finance, Marketing, Strategy, Operations, Transportation, Org. Behavior

  1982 — 1984

Skills

• Automotive
• Business Strategy
• Financial Analysis
• Business Process Improvement
• Analytics
• Performance Improvement
• Management Consulting
• Strategic Planning
• Supply Chain Management
• Transportation
• Change Management
• Operations Management
• Logistics
• Team Building
• Pricing
• Process Improvement
• Supply Chain
• Inventory Management
• Analysis
• Competitive Analysis
• Business Planning
• Marketing Strategy
• Optimization
• Forecasting
• Customer Service
• Market Research
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Customer Satisfaction
• Business Management
• Budgeting
• Customer Relations
• Strategy Development
• Team Leadership
• Business Analysis
• Data Analysis
• Supply Chain Optimization
• Problem Solving
• Budgets
• Strategy
• Training