Peter Ruppert '86
December 14, 2011
Peter Ruppert is the founder and CEO of American Education Group(AEG). Launched in 2007 with the acquisition of a single school in Oakland, NJ, AEG now operates 26 schools in the PK-12 space across five states. AEG believes the future of education will be heavily tied to the customization, specialization, and individualization of academic programs based upon the individual needs of students. Our vision is to build the leading private school company in the U.S. by acquiring innovative school models and then replicating those models in new markets. The company is headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI and is backed by three equity investors – Winona Capital Management, Glencoe Capital, and the Laird Norton Co.
Ruppert started his career as a sales rep for Procter and Gamble calling on grocery stores in the city of Chicago. He left P&G to attend Harvard Business School and then spent five years in the consulting arena where he eventually co-founded his own consulting firm. He entered the education business when he was hired as president of National Heritage Academies in May, 1997. During his eight years as president of NHA, Ruppert led the expansion of the company from four schools to 51 schools across five states. Revenues at NHA increased from $5 million to over $215 million during his tenure. Prior to launching AEG, Ruppert was CEO of a specialty hospital chain headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI.
Ruppert, who was an economics major, earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. Ruppert grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Jessica, met at DePauw. They have four children, three sons and a daughter, and reside in East Grand Rapids, Michigan.