OTA President Mike Richardson Comments on FTC Settlement

“Why did you join the company, why did you stay and why did you fight so long and hard?”

With such a question mark hanging over the company, these were perfectly valid questions from my closest business connections, friends and family. 

The answer was simple.  People, passion and purpose. 

I have been lucky enough to have a very diverse career interacting with thousands of companies, teams and leaders.  Never before have I encountered such a relentless commitment to what we do, how we do it and who we do it for. We fought to protect that, for our students and for future generations of students to come. 

The OTA story has always been a remarkable one and I joined the company to be a part of the next chapter of growth, innovation and student support.  All with the agility required, which is my specialty.  I wanted a capstone agility experience on my career.  I just didn’t realize how much of an agility test it would be!  It tested our agility, resilience and culture more deeply than ever before, all built on foundations of love. 

We passed the test, which most don’t!  We emerge stronger, better and more relentlessly committed than ever before.  While I would never have wished this upon anyone, I also wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

I am so glad I joined the company, so glad I stayed and so glad we fought so long and so hard.  Because the future is so very bright and so very exciting.  It will continue to be an even more remarkable story.  Hear more in the video above.