Independence Career Online High School

Richard Goldman, Ph.D. – Chairman of the Board

Dr. Richard Goldman has held an array of leadership positions during his 46-year career in education as teacher, professor, dean, board chair, and founder of various innovative schools.

As Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Nova Southeastern University, Dr. Goldman provided leadership in developing various undergraduate and graduate distance education programs for the nation’s top superintendents and educational leaders. He was also instrumental in Nova Southeastern University obtaining accreditation as the nation’s first distance education program in the United States.

Dr. Goldman and his family have founded a series of innovative schools including Another Generation Preschools, the University of Miami Online High School (an online college-preparatory high school), Virtual Sage (an online curriculum publishing company), and The Sagemont School. Under his leadership in April 2007, the University of Miami Online High School and Virtual Sage were acquired by The Washington Post Company (Kaplan University). The Sagemont School, a college preparatory school for pre-k to grade 12 students located in Weston, Florida, is a leader in the delivery of education through a blended learning environment.

Dr. Goldman earned his Ph.D. in Education from the University of Pittsburgh.

Howard Liebman, Ph.D. – Cofounder & Superintendent of Schools

A visionary in the field of innovative online education, Dr. Howard A. Liebman is a nationally recognized educator and entrepreneur with experience in founding and leading successful public and private education-related enterprises. In May 2004, he co-founded the University of Miami Online High School as CEO an d facilitated its rapid growth. Under his leadership, the University of Miami Online High School, along with the Virtual Sage curriculum publishing company, was acquired by The Washington Post Company in April 2007.

In addition, during the past year Dr. Liebman served as a consultant for and facilitated the launch of the University of Miami Online Global Academy, college-preparatory online school for grades 8-12.

Prior to co-founding the University of Miami Online High School, Dr. Liebman served 11 years in public and private education as a principal, assistant principal and teacher. He holds a Ph.D. in Education from Barry University, a master’s degree in Social Work from Florida International University, and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Florida.

Steve Webley

Mr. Webley is the founder, majority stockholder and CEO of Advanced Systems Technology, Incorporated (AST), which is the parent company of Smart Horizons. Incorporated in 1984, AST is a privately held defense contracting company with its corporate offices located in Lawton, Oklahoma. AST’s 400+ employees are based in over 20 sites in 13 states. AST’s core businesses are systems and software engineering services in the development and maintenance of military combat effectiveness models and simulations, training devices, and simulators.

Prior to AST, Mr. Webley held several positions in TELOS Federal Systems from 1977 to 1983. His last two years with TELOS was as the Business Development Manager responsible for marketing major Life Cycle Software Engineering Center contracting efforts. Mr. Webley served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1977, and received a direct commission as a Field Artillery Officer while serving in the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam.

Mr. Webley earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Cameron University.

Brent Goldman, Ed.D.

Dr. Brent Goldman is a nationally recognized educator and entrepreneur with experience in building and growing various educational companies.

In 1996, he co-founded the Sagemont School, a K-12 college-preparatory private school. He helped grow the school’s enrollment from approximately 20 students in its first year to over 800 students this year. Additionally, in 2004, Dr. Goldman co-founded both the University of Miami Online High School and Virtual Sage, both of which were acquired by The Washington Post Company under his leadership in 2007.

Dr. Goldman earned both an M.S. and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, and a B.A. in Government from The College of William and Mary. He was a winner of the South Florida Business Journal’s Up and Comer Award in August 2000, and was named a “Heavy Hitter” in Education in 2005.