Professional Development Group II

What Professional Development Group II does

Professional Development Group (legal entity Professional Development Group III LLC, dba PDG) is a privately-held US conference and professional development organization serving higher education financial services professionals. It produces three annual in-person conferences — the Bursars & Student Financial Services Conference, the Student Loans & Account Receivables Collections Conference, and the P-Cards & Payments on Campus Conference — attended by bursars, student account administrators, P-Card program managers, loan administrators, and treasury/cashiers from colleges and universities. The Student Loans conference is positioned as the longest-running event of its kind in the higher education segment. PDG also maintains year-round peer engagement through two Google Groups and operates Higher Education Training Services (HETS), a wholly-owned subsidiary offering seven-plus online professional certificates spanning Bursars, Collections, P-Cards, Leadership, Treasury Expertise, Cashiering, and Social Media, plus a PDG Meetings subsidiary providing meeting planning services.

Name

Professional Development Group II

Legal name

Professional Development Group III LLC

Website

https://prodev.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Professional Development Group is a US-based conference and professional development company running three annual in-person conferences and online certificate programs for higher education financial services professionals including bursars, student loan administrators, and P-Card managers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Development Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Professional development conferences
• Higher education financial services
• Bursar training events
• Student loan collections training
• Online certificate programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Conference Registration Fees: Revenue is generated through conference registration fees charged to higher education professionals attending events. Registration covers access to all sessions, conference materials, networking meals, and the private reception. Separate pricing exists for early bird and standard registration periods.
2. Conference Sponsorships and Vendor Exhibits: Third-party vendors and service providers in the higher education finance technology and services space pay to sponsor and exhibit at PDG conferences. Sponsorship tiers include Diamond, Platinum, and Gold levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Professional Development Group II organizes and hosts annual in-person conferences for higher education financial services professionals covering P-Cards & Payments, Bursars & Student Financial Services, and Student Loans & Account Receivables Collections. It also operates the HETS subsidiary, which delivers online certificate programs aimed at the same higher education financial services audience.

Product overview

Professional Development Group operates as a conference and professional development organization for higher education, offering three annual in-person conferences focused on P-Cards & Payments, Bursars & Student Financial Services, and Student Loans & Account Receivables Collections. The company also provides online certificate programs through its subsidiary Higher Education Training Services (HETS), including Bursars Professional Certificate, Collections Professional Certificate, Leadership Professional Certificate, P-Cards Professional Certificate, Social Media Professional Certificate, Treasury Expertise Certificate, Cashiering Professional Certificate, and Bursars Lite Professional Certificate. PDG also maintains Google Groups for peer networking among higher education professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Higher Education Training Services (HETS): Online training programs and professional certificates for student financial service professionals including Bursars Professional Certificate, Collections Professional Certificate, Leadership Certificate, P-Cards Professional Certificate, Treasury Expertise Certificate, and Social Media Certificate

Products and services

• P-Cards & Payments Conference Annual conference for higher education financial services professionals focused on purchasing cards, payment operations, and related topics, with registration and sponsorship offerings for institutions and vendor partners.
• Bursars & Student Financial Services Conference Annual conference for bursars and student financial services professionals at higher education institutions, focused on operational best practices, regulatory updates, and peer benchmarking.
• Student Loans & Account Receivables Collections Conference Annual conference for higher education student loan officers and accounts receivable collections staff, addressing loan servicing, collections, and related compliance topics.
• HETS Online Certificate Programs Online certificate programs delivered through the HETS subsidiary, providing higher education financial services professionals with structured training across topics aligned with the company's conference portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 in-person sessions per conference covering regulatory updates, operational effectiveness, and best practices

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VisacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Visa is the Diamond Sponsor of the 2026 P-Cards & Payments on Campus Conference. Visa provides government and education payment solutions. A representative from the U.S. Department of Education OIG also co-presents a session on internal and external threats facing post-secondary institutions as part of the Visa-sponsored agenda. Visa sponsorship covers multiple meals, receptions, and sessions.
• ECSIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ECSI is a technology-based solution provider for colleges and universities in student loan servicing and campus-based payments. ECSI serves as a Diamond Sponsor for PDG's Student Loans & Account Receivables Collections Conference and as a regular session presenter, providing industry expertise on private loan programs, campus-based loan compliance, and student financial support. ECSI speakers include Regional Sales Executive Lori Hartung, Client Relationship Coordinator Chris Stompanato, and Regional Sales Executive Chris Wyckoff.
• TouchnetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Touchnet (a Global Payments company) is a Gold Sponsor of the 2025 Bursars & Student Financial Services Conference. Touchnet provides payment processing, ecommerce, and security solutions for higher education institutions. Senior Solutions Engineer Russell Bomberger presents sessions on integrated student account technology and empowering business offices to support student success.
• Nelnet Campus CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Nelnet Campus Commerce (now part of Nelnet) is a Gold Sponsor of PDG's Student Loans conference. The company provides campus commerce and payment solutions to educational institutions.
• MeadowcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Meadow is a student financial engagement platform that improves enrollment, payment, and retention outcomes for higher education institutions. Spencer Blackwell (Partnerships) and Co-Founder/COO Amy Jenkins present at PDG conferences on improving student receivables and strategic payment optimization. Meadow is a Gold Sponsor.
• TFC TuitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025TFC Tuition is a Gold Sponsor of the Student Loans conference. CEO Sean Steinmarc and Director of Business Development Glenn Karaban present on institutional loan compliance, campus-based loan program management, and legislative impacts. Sean Steinmarc also serves as Chair of the Institutional Loan Task Force and Legislative Co-Chair at COHEAO.
• Transact CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Transact Campus is the Diamond Sponsor of the 2025 Bursars & Student Financial Services Conference. Transact provides integrated payment campus solutions including student billing, payment processing, and financial services technology. Senior Growth Account Executive Linda Wilson presents sessions on treasury transformation and integrated payments. Wayne State University received the Transact 2025 Student Experience Distinction Award for their Student Account Dashboard.
• PaymentuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Paymentus is a Platinum Sponsor of the 2025 Bursars & SFS Conference. Paymentus provides digital payment solutions for higher education institutions. Senior Account Executive Scott Campbell presents sessions on payment automation, AI-powered student engagement, and modernizing campus payment operations.
• FlywirecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Flywire is a Platinum Sponsor of the 2025 Bursars & SFS Conference. Flywire provides international and domestic payment solutions for higher education. Account Executive Brian Carchedi moderates legislative impact sessions and presents on payment and collection needs for US higher education clients.
• National Credit Management (NCM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025NCM is a Gold Sponsor of the Student Loans conference and a presenter on collections compliance, identity theft protection, and safeguarding regulations. Vice President Karen Reddick serves on the COHEAO Board as Legislative Chair and presents regularly at PDG conferences on compliance in higher education.
• Reliant Capital SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Reliant Capital Solutions is a Gold Sponsor of the Student Loans & Account Receivables Collections Conference. The company provides accounts receivable management and collection services for educational institutions.
• ConServe ARMminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ConServe ARM is a Gold Sponsor for both the Student Loans and Bursars conferences, providing accounts receivable management services to higher education institutions.
• IPS (Intuition)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025IPS (Intuition) is a Gold Sponsor of the 2025 Bursars & SFS Conference. The company provides publishing and learning solutions for the financial services industry.
• StoneXminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025StoneX is a Gold Sponsor of the 2025 Bursars & SFS Conference. StoneX provides payments and financial services solutions.
• CIBCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025CIBC is a Gold Sponsor of the 2025 Bursars & SFS Conference.
• COHEAO (Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOHEAO is a coalition of higher education assistance organizations. PDG collaborates with COHEAO for Washington regulatory update sessions at its conferences. Multiple COHEAO board members (Lori Hartung as President, Maria Livolsi as Immediate Past President, Karen Reddick as Legislative Chair, Sean Steinmarc as Loan Task Force Chair, and Joe Weglarz as Treasurer) regularly present at PDG conferences, driving significant attendance from the COHEAO member network.
• Higher Education Training Services (HETS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher Education Training Services (HETS) is a Professional Development Group III LLC company (the same parent entity as PDG). HETS provides online training programs and professional certificates for student financial service professionals including the Bursars Professional Certificate, Collections Professional Certificate, P-Cards Professional Certificate, Treasury Expertise Certificate, Cashiering Professional Certificate, Leadership Professional Certificate, and Social Media Professional Certificate. PDG links to HETS certificate programs from its conference pages.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• NACUBO (National Association of College and University Business Officers): The largest US professional association serving college and university business officers, running its own annual conference and ongoing professional development programming for the same higher-education financial services audience PDG serves.
• NASFAA (National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators): National membership association for student financial aid administrators that hosts a major annual conference plus policy/training events, directly addressing the same student financial services ecosystem that PDG's Bursars and Student Loans conferences serve.
• EACUBO (Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers): Regional association of HE business officers that runs an annual conference targeting bursars, controllers, and fiscal administrators—essentially the same persona as PDG's Bursars & Student Financial Services audience.
• SACUBO (Southern Association of College and University Business Officers): Regional counterpart to EACUBO/WACUBO serving southern US higher-ed business officers with an annual conference and peer networking, overlapping directly with PDG's US higher-ed financial services conference programming.
• WACUBO (Western Association of College and University Business Officers): Western regional association of college and university business officers hosting annual conferences and professional development for the same bursar/financial-services persona PDG targets.
• COHEAO (Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations): Coalition focused on campus-based loan programs and HE assistance issues; partners with PDG on Washington regulatory update sessions but also independently organizes networking and policy events for the same HE financial services community.
• ACUA (Association of College and University Auditors): Professional association for HE internal auditors that delivers an annual conference and ongoing training, addressing an adjacent (and partly overlapping) higher-education financial operations audience to PDG.

Broad incumbents

• Ellucian: Largest higher-education software vendor, running the annual Ellucian Live conference that brings together HE business, financial, and IT leaders—serving the same institutional buyers as PDG but as part of a much broader SIS/ERP portfolio.

Emerging players

• Modern Campus: Higher-education technology vendor with a student engagement and payments platform that competes for the same institutional customers PDG serves, increasingly hosting its own HE practitioner events and webinars that overlap PDG's topic space.

Others

• TouchNet (a Global Payments company): Higher-education payment processing vendor and current Gold sponsor of PDG's Bursars conference; while not a direct competitor, TouchNet runs its own HE customer forums and product training that address overlapping topics such as payment automation, campus commerce, and integrated student accounts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PDGprodev
• Facebookfacebook.com/prodevgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Professional Development Group II