Meet Donald DiFrisco

Many executives with the titles of Chief Executive Officer and president of their companies, who have also earned both a Bachelor's and Master's degrees, may see little or no need to continue their education. AIU alumnus Donald DiFrisco, who is President, CEO and owner of International Surveillance Technology, saw things differently. "At the time I was the Chief Financial Officer for a company in Chicago. I had already earned a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and a Master's in Finance. I wanted to make a transition from financial management to executive management, so I did a thorough self-analysis of my skills. I decided that I needed to broaden my knowledge and update my skills in order to make that transition."

As a self-motivated, busy CFO who frequently traveled internationally, the flexibility of online learning appealed to Donald. After looking into universities that offer online degree programs, Donald chose AIU Online "because I think it has a superior online format and offers more accelerated degree programs than other online universities. I would rather work harder, but for a shorter period of time than vice versa. It turned out to be a good fit for me. The learning outcome for me was just as good as it was when I attended a traditional university, yet it was more enjoyable."

Donald earned an MBA with two concentrations through AIU Online, one concentration in Marketing and one concentration in Management. His new degree immediately paid off for him when a recruiter contacted him to interview for a position as a CEO. "Just before completing my second Master's degree, I interviewed with the Chairman of the Board, who is much older and more experienced than I am, at what is now International Surveillance Technology. He had my résumé on his desk during the interview and asked, 'Looking at your broad spectrum of education, what do you do best? Are you a better salesman or a better accountant?' I answered, 'The thing that I do best is build great teams.' And he looked at me, looked back at my résumé, then back at me and said, 'You know, I have run big companies for most of my life and that is the best response to that interview question that I have ever heard.' To make a long story short, I became the CEO and president of that company. I attribute that to the additional degree I earned through AIU Online."

In the two years that Donald presided over IST, he obviously must have built great teams. IST made the INC Fortune 500 list and he orchestrated a management buyout of the company that made him the owner of the company! Donald feels the knowledge and skills he learned through AIU Online may have helped him accomplish that. "As a CFO, I could communicate and perform well in financial matters, but I had some shortcomings in the areas of technology, sales and marketing. As a CEO overseeing all the departments, I need to be more of general manager and ask the specialists the right questions in order to understand their departments and make adjustments. The knowledge and skills I acquired through my two additional degrees have helped me do that. They have proven so valuable I am considering enrolling in a third Master's degree program through AIU Online."

Donald's current position at the top of his company may mean he cannot go any higher in title, but for Donald there is still room for advancement. "At IST we manufacture and sell sensitive, classified surveillance solutions for the global law enforcement community and special military operations groups. It is a dynamic, growing market and there is room for expansion through new technologies, mergers and acquisitions. We can expand by changing the format of our organization to meet changing market demands."

Donald has some words of advice for current and potential AIU Online students. "If you are already enrolled, stick with it – you will never regret it after you earn your degree. If you are considering enrolling, I highly recommend AIU Online, especially if you are a working adult or in the military. In fact, the Vice President of information systems in my company had an Associate's degree and I insisted that he earn a Bachelor's degree. I not only recommended he earn his degree through AIU Online, but also had my company pay for his tuition after he enrolled. That should tell you how much I value a degree earned through AIU Online!"

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