Board of Directors
Barry Fingerhut
Mr. Fingerhut is the Chairman of Covenant Learning Solutions, LLC. In this capacity, he helps with shaping strategy, business relationships and customer acquisition for the company. In addition, Mr. Fingerhut has been the Chief Executive Officer and owner of Certification Partners, LLC, since fall 2010, moving to Scottdale, Arizona, from New York City to manage the company. Certification Partners is the creator of CIW (Certified Internet Web Professional), and ICT (Information and Communication Technology Essentials), vendor-neutral curriculum and high stakes certifications for building skills and careers, primarily within the emerging markets of Web Technologies.In 2017, he partnered with Charles Williams, to restructure Covenant Learning Solutions, LLC, a company specializing in education and career training. Prior to 2010, he had been involved in many phases of the investment business. He served as president of GeoCapital, LLC (a registered investment advisory firm), from 1981 to 2004, following two years at First Manhattan Co. and four years as a Limited, then General Partner at Weiss, Peck & Greer. GeoCapital, LLC was sold in 1997 to Affiliated Managers Group. Mr. Fingerhut has focused much of his career on public and private investing in small capitalization companies (defined primarily as under $1 billion in equity valuation), in the for-profit education and training, publishing, media, consumer services, hydrocarbon and financial services industries. In 1992, he co-founded Wheatley Partners, a Venture Capital partnership, specializing in investments in new technologies and services, serving both corporate and public institutions. Since 1992, Mr. Fingerhut has served on a number of public and private Boards of Directors, with current private corporate positions at Certification Partners, Covenant Learning LLC, Coalition Partners LLC, Wizmo, Inc., LivingPopups.com, and YourTango.com, among others, and a current public Director position at Carriage Services, Inc. He presently serves as Chairman of YourTango.com. In the non-profit sector, he has served as President and Board Member of F.E.G.S., the largest Health and Human Services Agency in New York City at the time. Through mid-2012, he served on the Board of Overseers at the Stern School of Business at New York University, and as a Board member of Achievement/First Corp., an extraordinary charter school operation with locations in New Haven and New York City. He currently serves on the Philanthropic Board at ASU Bio-design Institute, the Arizona Opera, and as a Trustee at the Desert Botanical Gardens. Mr. Fingerhut also holds a Business Methods Patent in the Home Mortgage industry and has authored seven novels. Mr. Fingerhut holds a B.S. degree with distinction from the University of Maryland (1967), and an M.B.A. in Finance/Investments with distinction from New York University (1969).
Erik Barrantes
Erik Barrantes is the President of Certification Partners, a leading vendor-neutral certification organization that owns the CIW Certifications and ICT Certificate brands. He joined Certification Partners in 2010 as an executive account manager and quickly advanced into a management role, overseeing the sales, marketing, and support departments. In 2022, he was appointed President. Originally from Alajuela, Costa Rica, Erik immigrated to the United States in 1987 as a child. Since then, he has dedicated his career to advancing the field of technology. His unwavering passion for the industry has led to deep, collaborative relationships with experts across various tech disciplines, technology companies, defense contractors, training providers, and both private and public educational institutions. Throughout his career, Mr. Barrantes has been a pioneer in the certification space, creating more than 22 certifications and introducing one of the world’s first Artificial Intelligence certifications. He is also one of the founders of the ICT Certificate brand, established to better prepare future leaders in both technology and business.
Todd Hopkins
Todd Hopkins has served as Project Manager, Product Development Manager, Director and Vice President during his 20 years with Certification Partners. Mr. Hopkins is responsible for all online, print, and application development; IT, and Certification development processes, as well as managing internal operations, maintaining the CIW and ICT curriculum libraries, and building courseware and online campuses for our partners such as WGU, University of Phoenix, and other educational institutions. Throughout his time with the organization, Mr. Hopkins has been vital in the creation, designing, developing and implementing of both print and online curriculum. His development led to integrate the WGU, Florida Orange County Public Schools student portals and CIW Online and provided a seamless experience for their students. He also led the team to integrate with the University of Phoenix as they adopted the CIW Foundations curriculum into their online programs. Both UoP and WGU use the CIW curriculum in their degree programs to provide better student management and completion of their degree programs. Mr. Hopkins has over 25 years' experience managing production teams in a variety of industries, effectively combining technologies, processes and intellectual property for the companies. Prior to joining Certification Partners, Mr. Hopkins worked as Operations Manager for a Southern California Authorized Hewlett Packard Dealer managing the sales, service and toner-cartridge production departments, as well as planning, selling, installing and maintaining customer networks. In addition to his duties with Certification Partners, Mr. Hopkins served for three years as Treasurer for “Parents Supporting Children & Their Music, Inc.” This organization supports all the band programs at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe Arizona. Todd received a Small Business Administration degree from Ricks College (now Brigham Young University - Idaho), and completed further courses in Business Administration and Computer Science at California State University, San Bernardino. Currently he is completing a degree in Applied Management at Brigham Young University - Idaho. He enjoys spending his free time with his family, volunteering through his church and performing community service for a variety of organizations.
Thomas Smith
Mr.Smith serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Covenant Learning Solutions, LLC. In this capacity, he oversees all financial and accounting matters for the company. Thomas is responsible for all financial functions, including accounting, financial reporting, treasury, corporate finance and investment relationships. He also oversees and manages all human resources activities. In 2017, Thomas worked closely with the Certification Partners CEO to reorganize and restructure staff, secure financing as well as create a sound budget/financial plan to promote sustained profits year after year. Starting in July 2008 and prior to being promoted to CFO, Thomas served as the Controller for Certification Partners. During this time with Certification Partners, Tom created the corporate policy handbook. He was also Responsible for overseeing the implementation of the current ERP system “NetSuite”. “NetSuite” is cloud based unified business management suite, encompassing ERP/Financials, CRM and ecommerce. Tom managed the accounting department staff in the US and EMEA office in Ireland. Certification Partners is the owner of CIW (Certified Internet Web Professional), and ICT (Information and Communication Technology Essentials), vendor-neutral curriculum and high stakes certifications for building skills and careers, primarily within the emerging markets of Web Technologies, (www.ciwcertified.com) / (www.ictcertified.com). Prior to joining Certification Partners, Thomas worked as the Information System Manager for Ecce Panis, Inc. An Artisan Bread Company sold in Bakery Sections of Supermarkets. During his time with Ecce Panis, Tom combined his accounting knowledge with his IT skills to develop business and system process to increase productivity. Earlier in his career, Thomas held accountant positions in both Public CPA firms and Private Companies. Thomas career spans more than 30 years of varied experience in accounting, financial management, business leadership and corporate strategy. Thomas holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from St Peter’s College in Jersey City N.J. and Diploma of Computer Programming from Chubb Institute.
Nancy Kuzma
Nancy Kuzma is a seasoned expert in certification development, instructional design, and IT management. She brings a unique blend of skills to creating high-quality, industry-relevant certification programs that equip today’s workforce with the technical and real-world skills needed to succeed. Nancy holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Education from Aquinas College, an M.S. in Training and Development from Ferris State University, and a Master’s Certification in Project Management from George Washington University. Her work supports lifelong learning and helps professionals—and the next generation—stay competitive in an ever-evolving, tech-driven job market.