Jonathan Tanner is the CMO of Nightingale College, a Brigham Young University graduate, and a gifted entrepreneur who values ethics over income. In this episode of By Subject, Jonathan Tanner takes us through his “path less traveled by” and how he found himself breaking ground in the education system with Nightingale College. Listen to what Jonathan has to say about incorporating ethics into the economy, how to gain a greater business awareness, and the value of brand recognition.
Jonathan Tanner is the Executive Vice President and Chief Opportunity and Access Officer of the Nightingale College in Salt Lake City, Utah. For the last 13 years, he has been elevating business, education and health systems. He started out providing marketing and communications strategies for Nightingale Education Group and its three divisions: College, Innovations, and Solutions. Since then, he has taken on a larger role overseeing revenue generation and new area/program development opportunities. He provides strategic oversight for the Admissions, Marketing, Communications, Grants, Business Dev, and Partnerships departments. His contributions have proven invaluable to Nightingale College as they continue to make waves in the education industry.
Born in Glendale, Arizona and raised in Utah for most of his childhood, Jonathan found himself right in the middle of the pack among his fellow peers. He graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in science/biology, only to realize that it didn’t quite fit his personality. It took Tanner some time to fit in as he bounced back and forth between wanting to go to dental school, working at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and starting his own life insurance company before he realized his talent in internet marketing. After launching a very successful parkour game app, Tanner wanted to leave a more meaningful impact on society rather than finding ways to consume others’ time looking at a screen. He decided to get his MBA at BYU to better understand the weight that needed to be carried as a leader in the business world, and during that time he saw a need.
Jonathan noticed an aggravated need for nurses in society that was not being met by universities in the United States. Simply put, most universities do not have the required amount of resources to provide for everyone who applies, thus creating a pocket of “rejects” with no place to learn. At the same time, the healthcare system was promising its customers service, but could not meet the demand. The vision of Nightingale College was to relieve this need and create a positive change in the heavily regulated education system.
Jonathan’s impact on the education system, as well as the healthcare system, has continued to grow. Through his efforts to create a unified marketing system, a successful distance education model, and a valuable brand for Nightingale, he strives to leave this college better than when he found them.
Watch the full conversation here:
