"Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world for the better." - Marian Wright Edelman
Aref Matin is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of 2U, where he leads all technology functions to create and support innovative online learning experiences for millions of people worldwide. An accomplished and multifaceted technology executive, Matin has over 25 years of experience managing technology modernizations and transformations across industries, including higher education. His expertise lies in building and managing high-performing, agile teams across the globe.
Prior to 2U, Matin served for over seven years as the Executive Vice President (EVP) and CTO of one of the world’s largest publishing companies, Wiley. He directed technology initiatives, managed the full product lifecycle of SaaS platforms supporting the business, delivered a roadmap for AI/GenAI and ML capabilities, and was responsible for learning and assessment platforms across the enterprise. Earlier in his career, Matin assumed several other progressive technology leadership roles at global education companies, including as EVP and CTO at Ascend Learning and EVP and CTO-Global Learning Technologies and eCollege at Pearson.
A recipient of the ORBIE CIO of the Year Award in 2022, Matin is a highly respected leader in the field who remains on the pulse of technology evolution and engineering tactics. He’s an experienced board member and advisor to a variety of boards, including BayPine Private Equity, My Child, Inc., Apigee, Mayfield CIO Forum, Trace3, Inc., Vation Ventures, and Pycom IoT.
Matin holds an MS and BS in Electrical Engineering from Northrop University. A lifelong learner, Matin has completed several professional development courses throughout his career, including Harvard Business School programs on Executive Business Analytics, AI, and Machine Learning.