Entrepreneur of Transformation
Founder of:
- Art Institute of Hollywood
- Premier Business Bank
- Fremont College
- Fashion Umbrella
- Fremont Private Investments
Dr. Sabrina Kay is a veteran CEO, investor and an experienced board member. She is an expert in organizational behavior and executive human capital development. She is also an innovative problem solver. Her unique ability to connect the dots between consumer trends, technology and lifestyle needs has placed her at the forefront of success in technology, finance, and education sectors. An active business leader, she has influenced more than 30 company, civic and charitable organizations as founder, CEO, board member, board chair, and commissioner.
Since immigrating from South Korea as a poor single mom who spoke no English, Dr. Kay is now a multi-sector serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits. Her background includes branding, marketing, mergers and acquisitions, human capital development, executive leadership curriculum design, and finance.
During her undergraduate studies in computer science, Dr. Kay was involved with the nation’s first fashion CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing) movement where she taught computer skills to fashion designers and pattern makers, which became Art Institute of Hollywood. In less than a decade, she grew the company to be one of the “Big Four” fashion colleges and sold it to a publicly traded company, Education Management Corporation (EDMC), where she served as CEO of Special Projects. Subsequently, EDMC was purchased by Goldman Sachs and she retired in her 30s. Then, she went back to school and earned three graduate degrees, each opening the door for a new innovative business venture.
Dr. Kay’s MBA project at USC illuminated the needs of small and mid-sized businesses for a multi-ethnic community bank. With her co-founder, she gathered a diverse board of directors as founding board members and started Premier Business Bank. She acquired multiple other community banks along the way and sold this network to First Foundation Bank in 2018.
While pursuing joint doctorate degrees at The Wharton School and Graduate School of Education at University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Kay’s attention turned to the desperate needs of inner-city youth for improved educational opportunities. She purchased Platt College as a laboratory for her doctorate dissertation. After an extensive research on human motivation and competencies, she implemented the new collaborative and project-based learning model she developed, Professional Action Learning®. From this, Dr. Kay founded an accredited and award-winning graduate-level institution, Fremont College. Soon after, she purchased a Dale Carnegie franchise and incorporated its management and communication concepts into Fremont College’s MBA program, thus improving the probability for inner-city youths’ success in the workplace by increasing their soft skills. Proud of the difference she made in her community, Dr. Kay gracefully exited Fremont College and Dale Carnegie after their sales to private equity firms in 2020.
Dr. Kay now focuses her time serving on the boards of public, private, civic and charitable companies. She has served as Chairman of After-School All-Stars Los Angeles since 2004 and a board member of Combined Properties, Galvanize, Yellowbrik, LA Sports and Entertainment Commission, International Medical Corps, and Petersen Automotive Museum. She enjoys the challenge of strategically tackling obstacles and celebrating accomplishments hand-in-hand with executive leadership. Dr. Kay’s expertise in business operations and financial acumen as well as her hands-on experience in organic and M&A growth makes her well-positioned to advise and support companies in a variety of verticals and specializations. Her understanding of cross-generation culture, diverse leadership and human capital pipeline development allows her to advise forward-thinking companies appropriately adjust their strategic focus to accelerate growth. Dr. Kay looks forward to continuing to provide meaningful business feedback, connections, and support as a trusted advisor and valued board member.
Involvements
Business Involvements
Board Involvements
Awards
Press
Videos
Education Award Tribute On Life and Career
From her early years in Korea to her growing years in the United States, a commitment to growth has been her drive. From creating the California Design College, Fremont College and many other ventures, her journey continues as she remains active in the community for various important causes.