A-ka-de-mos

The leader in online and hybrid bookstore solutions for colleges and universities

The Vision Behind Akademos

We believe that every student has a right to affordable educational materials. We also believe that in order to support your institution's educational mission and accommodate student preferences, colleges and universities should have new choices in delivering those materials. That's why we've created a full-service online solution that delivers huge savings on textbooks and other course materials while providing administrators and faculty with critical control over the entire process.

The History of Akademos

Akademos was founded in 1999 by a university professor that saw first-hand how the exorbitant costs and complexity of textbook distribution weakened classroom learning. Many students were unable to afford the books they needed, often coming unprepared to class without their required materials. Twenty years later, our vision of a full-service online bookstore and course materials platform has become the model for efficient, cost-effective purchasing and distribution of new, used, rental and digital course materials.

Core Values

We are a group of professional, thoughtful, hard working individuals working together to provide affordable course materials in the higher ed space. Our core mission is to help students succeed. Our core values are:

#GRITTY with a tenacious hunger for solving problems

#COMPASSIONATE people who truly care for others

#FORTHRIGHT&OPEN in communication with colleagues, clients, and leaders

Meet Our Leadership

Our highly experienced executive team is dedicated to driving positive outcomes for institutions and their students.

  • Raj Kaji

    Chief Executive Officer

    Raj Kaji was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Akademos in July 2018. Raj is responsible for leading and executing company strategy and building upon best-in-class customer support to more positively impact academic success and further lower costs for students. Among other roles, Raj previously served as a Vice President at Walden University where he was responsible for approximately 6,000 students and 225 employees.  He was also a strategy and finance professional for Laureate Education working in Europe and the United States.  He currently serves on the board of directors or advisory boards of several education and edtech related companies.

    Raj holds a BS from New York University and MBA from Harvard Business School

  • Ron Kwiatkowski

    Chief Financial Officer

    Ron Kwiatkowski, Chief Financial Officer, joined Akademos in 2021. Prior to Akademos, Ron's previous roles include CFO/COO of Ingage, a SaaS company that builds interactive sales presentation software. He was also a Portfolio CFO for five new ventures, leading the valuation, due diligence, and sale of four of those ventures. He specializes in applying financial and operational expertise to drive scalable growth and raised more than $100M in equity and debt financing.

  • Geoffrey Katz

    Executive VP, Equitable Access

    Geoffrey Katz, Executive Vice President, Equitable Access, joined the company in 2001 and has worked in numerous capacities including overseeing all product and program management, inventory planning and management, modeling, fulfillment and customer service at the company. Geoffrey transitioned to his current role to drive greater value for our growing number of equitable access partners. Since joining the company, he has become proficient with the technologies that power the Akademos platform and has been an integral part of its ongoing development. Geoffrey took a leading role in the launch and development of the Textbookx.com Marketplace and has overseen its growth to millions of books and hundreds of thousands of sellers. Geoffrey helps ensure that Akademos remains an industry leader and an innovator.

    Geoffrey holds a BA degree from Cornell University.

  • Dаniеl Rubin

    Vice President, Technology

    Dаniеl Rubin, Vice President, Technology joined Akademos in 2002 and is responsible for overseeing the technology development and management of the programming team. Dаniеl architects, plans and manages both the front-end and back-end of our technology platform, including the institutional program and national marketplace.

    Dаniеl studied Computer Science at Polytechnic Institute of New York University where he was awarded the institution’s Principal's Scholarship.

  • Renee Milstein

    VP, Operations & eCommerce

    Renee Milstein, Vice President of Operations and Ecommerce joined Akademos in 2022 and holds responsibility for Learner Experience, Client Success, Supply Chain and Logistics, and Student communications and engagement. Renee brings over 20 years of Operational leadership experience to her role, having spent her career leading organizations through process improvements, scaling complex supply chain operations, and building world class customer experiences. Prior roles include Director of US Operations at WW (formerly Weight Watchers International) and VP, Operations at Health Monitor Network. Before developing her passion for Operations, Renee worked as a language teacher at the middle school and college levels.

    Renee holds a BA in French and an MPS in Education from Manhattanville College.

  • Chris Boyster

    Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing

    Chris joined Akademos at the end of 2018, and oversees sales, business development, and our marketing and demand gen strategy. He has led sales at several technology companies, most recently at CampusLogic, where he led the company from 3, to over 500 customers in 4 years. He is passionate about the mission behind higher ed, building and developing leaders, and making a difference in the community.

    Chris holds a BS in Marketing and a MBA from the University of Phoenix.

  • Clay Salit

    Vice President, Product Management

    Clay Salit, Executive Director, Product Management, joined Akademos in 2021 and oversees the product team responsible for guiding product innovation, vision, and strategic direction at the company. He has spent his career successfully launching, modernizing, and migrating dependable and award-winning products in highly competitive markets and has over a decade of experience in learning technology.

    Clay holds a BS in History from SUNY Brockport