Berklee Online CEO Debbie Cavalier Recognized for Extraordinary Leadership
Berklee Online CEO and co-founder Debbie Cavalier, center, is pictured holding the Julius M. Nolte Award for Extraordinary Leadership—UPCEA’s most prestigious honor, given for “unusual and extraordinary contributions to the cause of continuing education”—flanked by UPCEA Deputy CEO Amy Heitzman, left, and UPCEA Board President Kim Siegenthaler, right, at a ceremony in Denver, Colorado on March 25, 2025.
Image courtesy of Julia Zhogina Photography
Debbie Cavalier, the CEO and cofounder of Berklee Online, has been recognized with the rare Julius M. Nolte Award(Opens in a new window) for Extraordinary Leadership from UPCEA(Opens in a new window), the online and professional education association. Since 2002, Cavalier’s leadership has helped Berklee Online become the world’s leading online music college, providing opportunities for students around the globe. She accepted her award on March 25 at the annual UPCEA conference in Denver.
“UPCEA has been an invaluable partner to Berklee Online throughout our journey,” says Cavalier. “In our early days, they were my go-to resource for connecting with other online administrators and finding essential support. That history with UPCEA makes this special award from them particularly meaningful.”
Throughout her tenure at Berklee Online, Cavalier has been at the forefront of several major milestones that have expanded the reach of music education. Under her leadership, Berklee Online launched its first online degree programs, making Berklee’s renowned curriculum accessible to students at a fraction of the cost of on-campus tuition. In her acceptance speech, Cavalier dedicated the award to Roger H. Brown, Berklee’s president from 2004 to 2021.
“Roger recognized something in me and entrusted me with the leadership of Berklee Online,” says Cavalier. “At the time, I was an untested CEO, but Roger gave me the opportunity to lead and mentored me week after week during that crucial first year. This experience taught me a powerful leadership lesson: sometimes, a spark of belief in someone means more than experience itself.”
In addition to her role as CEO, Cavalier continues to teach Music Theory 101 at Berklee Online, a rarity among leaders at her level. She is also the bandleader of her Grammy Award–winning children’s music project, Debbie and Friends(Opens in a new window).
About Berklee Online
Founded in 2002, Berklee Online is the premier innovator and largest provider of worldwide music education, offering more than 75,000 students from 164 countries the renowned curriculum of Berklee College of Music, at a fraction of the cost. With more than 18,000 annual enrollments in credit-based courses, certificates, bachelor’s, and master’s degree programs, and 3.1 million enrollments in massive open online courses, Berklee Online offers students expert music instruction to emerge with the skills necessary to exceed the demands of the music industry.
