From Learning to Earning: How to Transform Education Into Revenue

Bill Sheehan

Bill serves as Global Head, Association Strategy for D2L, whose mission is to transform the way the world learns and delivers personalized, flexible, and modern learning experiences for associations and their members. With more than 30 years of senior executive management experience in trade associations and association services companies, Bill brings a wealth of expertise across various disciplines including operations, membership, communications, education, events, and non-dues revenue generation.

Throughout his career, Bill has held executive director and senior executive roles in several trade associations, including the National Confectioners Association, National Association of Landscape Professionals, and Electronic Retailing Association. Additionally, he has served in senior executive positions for several large association services companies, including Multiview, Naylor, and SmithBucklin.

Bill specializes in creating and executing programs designed to boost brand awareness, strengthen connections between associations and their members, and unlocking new revenue streams. With a deep understanding of association operations, he leverages his unique knowledge and strategic insights to drive non-dues revenue opportunities through innovative offerings and sponsorship models, all while enhancing member engagement and the overall value proposition of associations.

An active member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Bill currently serves as Chairman of ASAE’s Industry Partner Alliance and serves on ASAE’s Power of Association Oversight Committee.

Jeff Cobb

Jeff Cobb is a co-founder and managing director of Tagoras (https://www.tagoras.com), co-host of the weekly Leading Learning Podcast (https://www.leadinglearning.com), and author of multiple books, including Leading the Learning Revolution: The Expert’s Guide to Capitalizing on the Exploding Lifelong Education Market. 

As a strategic advisor and entrepreneur with more than two decades of experience in the global market for lifelong learning he has helped hundreds of organizations in the learning business maximize the reach, revenue, and impact of their offerings. 

Jeff serves on the board of directors of the Family Firm Institute and recently completed two 3-year terms on the governing board of NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement, to which he was specifically appointed as an education thought leader. Jeff speaks and writes regularly on the future of learning and the transformative power of lifelong learning for individuals and businesses in the global economy of the 21st century.