About Us

A Commitment to a Better Educated Workforce

With a combined 50+ years in the training and higher education space, the founders of ClearDegree, Dale Leatherwood and Todd Eicher – know first-hand the needs and frustrations of adult learners and their employers. Dale and Todd created ClearDegree with one simple mission in mind, providing unbiased, transparent guidance for people seeking an online degree and an educated workforce.

Dale’s experience includes leadership in online learning, higher education marketing and consulting with colleges and universities across the country. Todd has over 20 years of experience with one of the largest providers of financial and marketing services in the higher education space. Their work has connected literally hundreds of thousands of students and potential students with educational opportunities. They have used those experiences – both good and bad – to develop ClearDegree.

Dale and Todd realized that students, particularly adult students, have been lost and forgotten in the evolution of higher ed over the last couple of decades. Rising costs, the explosion of online learning, the emphasis on marketing over quality and outcomes, and the lack of focus on employer ROI are all issues impacting the success of adult students seeking a degree.

At the same time the number of options available to students due to online learning programs is greater than ever. Students can finally find a program that checks off all the boxes, even the boxes they didn’t know existed! With choice comes confusion, and with confusion comes an opportunity for a big mistake when making their 2nd largest investment after a home.

Dale and Todd saw hundreds of thousands of people were relying on sites devoted to schools, lead generators and other sources that were focused on everyone BUT the student. They couldn’t stand seeing yet another working professional locked into a $75,000 bachelors degree based on a single conversation (or even just a few emails), and so ClearDegree was born.

The ClearDegree team is committed to providing the best guidance for higher education and creating a more educated workforce.