The Quantic Team
Many of us helped drive Rosetta Stone from its startup roots to the largest, most innovative language learning company in the world. We’ve now assembled a team of high-performing pioneers to bring needed change to higher education.
Tom Adams
Chairman and Co-founderAn E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year National Winner, Tom is the former Chairman/CEO of Rosetta Stone and was previously on the board at Bridgewater Associates. He has an MBA from INSEAD and a B.A. in history from Bristol University.
Bill Fisher
CEOBill is the former CEO of the digital and adult learning companies of the EF Education First group, leading those teams from inception to more than 6,000 employees globally. Most recently, he was co-founder and CEO of an AIOps start-up. Bill holds a BA in Computer Science from Brown University.
Alexie Harper
Chief Academic Officer and Co-founderPreviously the director of R&D and a senior researcher at Rosetta Stone, and a travel writer and editor for Let’s Go Inc., Alexie holds an M.A. in Irish and Irish-American Studies from NYU and an A.B. in English Literature and Language from Harvard University.
Ori Ratner
CTO and Co-founderOri previously was a director of software development and the software architect at Rosetta Stone. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Virginia, with a research focus in computer graphics and multi-agent simulation.
Matt Schenck
Executive VPHaving architected and built the consumer division of Rosetta Stone, Matt ultimately led the global growth strategy as Executive Vice President. He has a B.A. in psychology from Williams College.
Academics
Mai Ajjour
Prior to Quantic, Mai worked in the humanitarian sector at the International Rescue Committee as a senior information and communication technology for programs officer (ICT4P). She holds a BS.c. from Al al-Bayt University in Computer Science.
Sara Alshareef
Prior to Quantic, Sara taught Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and International Business to undergrad, postgrad, and MBA students in the U.S., U.K., and the Middle East. She earned her Ph.D. from Royal Holloway University of London; she focuses on women in entrepreneurship and leadership positions.
Kristina Batiste
Before joining Quantic, Kristina was a content strategist and user experience researcher for the University of Southern California and taught in the Master of Management in Library and Information Science program at USC Marshall School of Business. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University and her Master of Information and Library Science from the University of British Columbia.
Jennifer Bonk
Prior to joining Quantic, Jen worked as an academic advisor for 10 years, most recently with Chicago Booth. She received her M.Ed in Counseling, Adult and Higher Education from Northern Illinois University and her B.S. Retail Management from Purdue University.
Eleonora Carr
Prior to joining Quantic, Eleonora worked in higher education for over 18 years. She has extensive experience in the fields of retail, manufacturing, leasing, banking, tax, and auditing. She is a licensed CPA in the State of New Jersey and has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in accounting and finance. She earned her Doctorate in Business Administration from Temple University’s Fox School of Business.
Magdalena Cutler
Prior to Quantic, Maggie was a professor of Managerial Economics at JWMI, CSUMB, and the College of William and Mary. She was the founder of two small businesses in the areas of assisted living and graduate online education. She holds a PhD in Economics and a MS in Information Management from Arizona State University.
Darshan Desai
Darshan brings to Quantic a wealth of experience in academia, industry consulting, technology, and academic program management. She has taught in the applied analytics program at Columbia University. She was a founding chair of the Business Data Science Department at Berkeley College, directing a degree program, with concentrations in Artificial Intelligence and Business Analytics. She holds an M.B.A. from Gujarat University, and a Ph.D. from Nirma University of Science and Technology, India. She has also earned an executive certificate in Business Analytics from Wharton, UPenn.
Michelle Dyer
Michelle is a professional writer, editor, and educator. She has experience in curriculum design, multimodal learning, and writing across various disciplines. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of New Mexico and a master’s degree in English Education from Arizona State University.
Jessica Harrell
Prior to Quantic, Jessica worked in higher education as a faculty developer and consultant. She also taught writing, rhetoric, and storytelling courses to both undergrad and graduate students. She holds an MA and Ph.D. in Rhetoric from Carnegie Mellon and a BA in English Writing from Belmont University.
Koh Herlong
Prior to joining Quantic, Koh spent 10 years in academia and 15+ years in the corporate world specializing in training, instructional design, and e-learning. She has an M.S. and PhD in Educational Technology from Walden University and Bachelors in Education from Virginia Tech.
Paul Lacourbe
Prior to Quantic, Paul taught Operations and Supply Chain Management to undergrad, postgrad, and MBA students in France and Hungary. He earned his Ph.D. from INSEAD.
Harsh Mishra
Prior to joining Quantic, Harsh worked globally for over 20+ years as professor in business & entrepreneurship at SUNY, University of Alabama, IIT and MDI. He had founded and led iSEED that conducted programs in entrepreneurship and mentored early-stage startups. He earned his Doctorate in Business Administration from Temple University’s Fox School of Business.
Lee Morrow
Lee joined Quantic after working in advocacy and politics on the local, state, and national levels for six years. His work focused on communications, speechwriting, and digital campaigning. Lee received an A.B. in Government from Harvard University, where he was active at the Harvard Institute of Politics and Kirkland House.
Skylar Neil
Before Quantic, Skylar worked as a manager at an independent bookstore and a freelance copy editor. She recently received her PhD in Archaeology from the University of Cambridge, and holds an M.A. in Classical Archaeology from Tufts University and a B.A. in Ancient Studies from UMBC.
Amos Olujide
Prior to joining Quantic, Amos worked as a scholar-practitioner in transnational higher education for 16 years. He has taught a wide range of advanced courses in strategy, applied management and business research methods to MBA, MSc, PhD and DBA students in the UK, Nigeria, Uganda, the UAE, and Canada. He holds an MBA and MSc in Strategy from the Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, UK and obtained his PhD in Management with finance specialization from Walden University, USA. His teaching and research interests are focused on strategy, innovation, analytics, financial decisions, and entrepreneurship.
John Riehl
Prior to joining Quantic, John served as an air force officer for 26 years, including two tours in Korea and a deployment to Saudi Arabia. He has a BS in Computer Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and master’s degrees from Wright State University, Air University, National Defense University, and the University of Denver.
Jennifer Rovira
Prior to Quantic, Jennifer’s career started in K-12 edtech and transitioned to corporate training. She held instructional design and management roles at Edmentum, Ernst & Young, and MLink Technologies. She has a BA in English from the University of North Texas and an MBA from the University of Dallas.
Michael Sahloul
Before Quantic, Michael was the president of the American Accounting Academy. He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration (Accounting) from Liberty University. His master’s degree is in Accounting and Financial Management with a CPA emphasis. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Accounting for sixteen years.
Natalie Sappleton
Natalie joined Quantic after working as an assistant professor in Management and Entrepreneurship at Manchester Metropolitan University. She received her doctorate from the same university, and her M.A. in Economics and Politics from the University of Glasgow.
Robert Steele
Prior to joining Quantic, Robert has over 10 years of academic departmental leadership experience in Computer Science and Software Engineering departments, and over 20 years of lecturing experience including at MS and PhD levels. This has included serving as a Chair of Discipline in a globally top 40-ranked research university. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Flinders University and a BS Honours in Computer Science from the University of Adelaide.
Emily Straker-Barak
Prior to joining Quantic, Emily spent a decade working in higher education, most recently in academic advising administration. She holds a B.A. in Design Management from Arizona State University and a M.A. in Student Affairs Administration from Michigan State University.
Sundar
Prior to joining Quantic, Sundar was a Finance Director for a publicly traded tech company and was responsible for the P&L of its largest Business Unit. He has extensive finance operational experience in Corporate Finance and M&A. He has also taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Economics and Finance. He holds multiple degrees from the University of New Orleans, including a Ph.D. in Financial Economics.
Ben Taylor
Prior to Quantic, Ben was an instructor of Academic English to international students in higher education. He also taught English in a military training program. He holds an M.A. in English with a concentration in Linguistics from George Mason University, and a B.S. in Communication Studies from Liberty University.
Pierce Williams
Before joining Quantic, Pierce was a research fellow in Cultural Studies at Carnegie Mellon University. He has taught Literature and Composition at the high school and undergraduate levels, as well as to professionals at the US Army War College. He is currently working towards his PhD in English at Carnegie Mellon.
Admissions
Amy Bell
In addition to curriculum development and delivery, Amy has over a decade of experience in the administration of educational programs and workforce development. Her diverse background includes law, economic development, higher education, and nonprofit work. She holds a BA in English from Hendrix College and a JD from the University of Arkansas.
Kristen Boyd
Kristen has a background in higher education, specifically in recruitment, admissions, and student life. She is passionate about helping students achieve their goals. Kristen received a BA in Public Relations, a Master of Social Work, and a Master of Divinity at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Lauren Brown
Lauren comes from a diverse background in the field of higher education. Prior to joining Quantic, she worked in graduate test preparation, business school admissions, and career advising. She holds a BA from Saint Louis University and MEd in Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago. Lauren’s passion for assisting students on their educational journey aligns with Quantic’s mission to democratize education.
Brandi Burkowsky
Brandi is a former Financial Analyst and Relationship Manager with Fortune 500 companies who has also enjoyed being an entrepreneur with a successful family business for more than 20 years. She holds an MBA in Finance and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Connecticut.
Lindsey Campion
Lindsey has a background in both teaching and consulting. She is passionate about education and the Quantic mission. Lindsey received a BA in English and BA in French from the University of Kansas. She also holds an MA in English from the University of Texas at Austin.
Michelle Caron
Michelle received a BS in Psychology from Rhode Island College and began her career working in behavioral healthcare. After receiving her MBA from Suffolk University, her career shifted to the information technology sector where she worked as a business analyst and software developer Most recently she serves as the head of IT for a start-up company in the women’s fashion industry.
Molly Coulter
Molly received a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Massachusetts and spent seven years working in event sales and marketing in Philadelphia. She then moved to Lao PDR where she was a teacher and worked in education and development for a variety of schools and organizations.
Katherine Francis
Prior to joining Quantic, Katherine worked as an English language curriculum teacher for young ESL learners and mentored post-masters students. She also has extensive experience in market research, project management, and strategic planning. Katherine holds a Masters of Health Administration and a BS in Business Administration from the University of Florida.
David Goodman-Smith
David spent his childhood in Hong Kong and the UK before earning his bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University in California. He has spent over a decade running a study abroad program in China. This included advising and placing international students in university programs throughout the country. David is driven by making education and travel as affordable and accessible as possible.
Gemi Gural
Gemi has a background in the technology industry working at AT&T for 20+ years, most recently with Hyperscalers and GSIs in the Go-To-Market space creating joint solution offers. She is passionate about continuous learning and received an MBA at Gonzaga University.
Cindy Hartin
Cindy previously worked with founders and owners at the Small Business Development Center at Angelo State University and she currently runs her own business in the health and wellness industry. Cindy holds a BBA in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and an MBA from Texas A&M University.
Kelly Henriques
Kelly has a diverse background in educational leadership, business, and coaching. She earned her BA in English from DePaul University and holds an MS in Secondary Education from Saint Joseph’s University.
Amy Hertz
Amy has a background in higher education. Most recently she worked as the registrar for Brevard College where she evaluated transcripts and maintained a student-centered focus. In addition, she has worked in admissions and student accounts. Amy received a BA in Psychology from Brevard College.
Siyab Khan
Before joining Quantic, Siyab was a Website & Marketing Specialist for the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He has also worked as an Admissions Counselor for 5 years with experience in helping a wide range of students. He received his BA in Communications from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.
Anna Kreigh
Before joining Quantic, Anna was an Accessibility Coordinator at a private college in Vermont where she ensured that all students had equal access to educational programs, services, and activities. She has also worked in the public school system and is passionate about inclusive education. Anna has a BS in Recreation Management and an MEd in Special Education, both from the University of Vermont.
Karen McCall
Karen is a writer, editor, and graphic designer who holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of North Florida. Informed by her time working in academic libraries and with a small publisher, she is passionate about promoting information literacy and helping authors share their stories with the world.
Alina Mervis
Alina has an international background in education and the arts, having studied and worked in both Europe and the US. Alina holds a BA degree from Bates College and an MA from Washington University in St Louis. She has taught and coached a wide variety of individuals, from high schoolers to undergraduates, to global professionals applying to MBA programs. Alina is passionate about making education active and affordable.
Jermaine Middleton
Jermaine has a passion for social impact, business, and adventure. Some of his most memorable experiences are leading teams of volunteers to different countries, and also climbing some of the highest mountains in the world. Jermaine received a BA in Business Administration from Kennesaw State University, and an MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from IE Business School in Spain.
Gavin Moore
With nearly a decade of experience in the credentialing and education sectors, Gavin is interested in the processes by which people learn and validate their skills. He holds a B.A. from Iowa State University where he focused on environmental ethics through programs in both Philosophy and Environmental Studies.
Sarah Price
Sarah holds a BS in Administration of Justice from Penn State University and an MEd in Secondary School Counseling from Shippensburg University. She has worked in the field of community mental health and, prior to joining Quantic, was a school counselor in a variety of private, public, and charter schools.
Anna Sirota
Anna is a fine art photographer and writer whose work is based in self-exploration, mental health awareness, and spirituality. She earned her BFA in Photography from Parsons School of Design and simultaneously earned a BA in Literary Studies from Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School.
Maureen Wysocki
Maureen has lived around the world and spent her career in higher education. In Colombia, she assisted students with scholarship applications. Maureen is passionate about making education more accessible. She earned a BA in Journalism and Spanish from Central Michigan University, and holds an MS in International Public Service from DePaul University.
Margaret Zhang
Margaret has extensive international and managerial experience in the edtech and chemical industries, and is currently working in the field of psychological counseling in Shanghai. She received her MBA from China Europe International Business School and a Masters of Science from Audencia Business School in France.
Operations
Arielle Brown
Prior to joining Quantic, Arielle worked as a university Enrollment Advisor for five years. She received her B.S. in Psychology from Howard University.
Alex Daly
Prior to Quantic, Alex was Director of Product Management at Amwell, where he oversaw a period of 50x growth. Prior to that, he led analytics teams responsible for algorithmic pricing and dynamic bidding for e-commerce and gaming companies. He graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Physics with a research focus on carbon nanotubes.
Jessica Dusik
Prior to Quantic, Jessica worked at Goodwin University as an admissions officer. She holds an MA in Elementary Education from UB and a Bachelors in Communications from UConn.
Grace Erdmann
Grace’s passion for education and cross-cultural endeavors has led her across the globe. Prior to joining Quantic, she has been a teacher, a camp director, and a program manager. Grace holds a B.A. in English from Georgetown University and an M.A. in Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures from the University of Virginia.
Katie Gallagher
Prior to Quantic, Katie worked as an applicant advisor at Goodwin University. She has also taught Mandarin Chinese at the high school level. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Language and Literature from Connecticut College.
Sarah Harder
Before joining Quantic, Sarah worked for 7 years at Rosetta Stone. She started in customer success before managing their B2B post-sales mass communications and their online support portal. She has a B.A. in Communications from Eastern Mennonite University.
Jade Horning
Prior to Quantic, Jade spent ten years in higher education, where she supported students through academic coaching, developed and mentored peer educators, and trained faculty and staff on student success software and best practices. She has a BA in philosophy from Hollins University and an MA in communication studies from the University of Northern Iowa.
Meaghan Isgett
Before joining Quantic, Meaghan worked at Coker University, most recently as the Director of Student Financial Services. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Virginia and her Master of Professional Studies in Human Resources and Employment Relations from Penn State University. She completed her Ph.D in Higher Education Administration at Coastal Carolina University.
Iris Jin
Prior to Quantic, Iris was a senior program manager at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and an associate research professor and deputy director at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, where she received her PhD in economics and M.A. in world history. She has a B.A. in international business from East China University of Technology.
Monae Johnson
Monae earned her BS in Family and Child Science from Florida State University. She has over eight years of experience in higher education in the areas of administrative operations, admissions, and enrollment.
Michelle Leung
Michelle has 20+ years of hands-on experience in general management, integrated marketing, sales management, business operations and product development with regional exposure spans the Asia Pacific. Before joining Quantic, Michelle worked for EF Education First for 10+ years, her last role was the Regional Vice President of Hult International Business School. Michelle was also an entrepreneur, Chief Creative Officer, author, and publisher.
Michael Machen
Prior to Quantic, Michael worked for a large international education company managing a wide range of legal, compliance and regulatory issues. He has BA and JD degrees from the University of Michigan and a LLM from Northwestern University.
Lisa Park
Prior to joining Quantic, Lisa gained over 15 years of experience in various roles in higher education, including the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and Student Services at the University of Baltimore and the Director of Graduate Admissions at Kennesaw State University. Lisa holds a B.S. in Biology from SUNY Geneseo and an M.S. in Applied Psychology from the University of Baltimore.
Kamesha Philips
Kamesha served as a middle school English teacher and worked primarily in differentiated learning with underserved populations for almost 10 years. After that, she worked as the Bootcamp Delivery Manager for a Detroit start-up that taught software development bootcamps. She holds a B.A. in English from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
Luke Sledge
Before joining Quantic, Luke was the head of HR across various industries, including at Viva Eve, a women’s healthcare group in New York City. He also led HR functions at Liquid Technology and managed HR operations for Delta and United Airlines at NY area airport lounges. Luke holds a JD from Albany Law School and a BA in English from Stony Brook University. He is passionate about leveraging HR technologies to enhance operational efficiency, developing a positive culture of success, and fostering inclusive workplaces.
Nick Stevens
Prior to joining Quantic, Nick taught high school AP US History and transitioned into the sports media world. He received his B.A in History and M.A.T in Secondary Education from James Madison University.
Anna Thompson
Prior to Quantic, Anna worked in academic advising and student success roles at both the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Carthage College. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and her M.S.Ed in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Hannah Watkins
Prior to Quantic, Hannah worked as an English teacher in online education with VIPKID and in the classroom at an international school in Thailand. She has extensive customer service experience in the catering and events industry. Hannah earned her B.S. in Business Administration from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Justin Wise
Prior to joining Quantic, Justin interned in the Public Affairs office at the National Endowment for the Arts. He received his B.A. in CLEG, an interdisciplinary major that combines Communications, Law, Economics, and Government, from American University.
Elizabeth Wu
Prior to joining Quantic, Liz has held several accounting roles related to general accounting, inventory management and external auditing. She has a Masters in Accounting from Florida International University and is a licensed CPA in the state of Florida.
Jason Wyner
Prior to Quantic, Jason worked in financial management and accounting for various companies and industries. He graduated with a double major from Florida State University.
Angela Xu
Angela is the former Chief Culture Officer and Head of HR of EF Education First China, leading EF China’s growth from a few to 6000+ employees. She also served as Head of Career Services of the MBA program at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. Angela has a BS from Shanghai Jiaotong University, an MBA from China Europe International Business School, an MA in Intercultural Communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Change from Hult/Ashridge Intl. Business School. She is a certified Gallup Strength Coach and China National Counsellor.
John Yates
Prior to Quantic, John worked as a data center technician where he was the link between the customers and the data center staff. He also worked at the ground level pulling and terminating different low voltage cabling. He received his Associate’s degree from the College of Southern Maryland where he majored in Information Systems.
Engineering
Nate Brustein
Before Quantic, Nate worked as an engineer at Rosetta Stone, as a New York City pedicab driver, taught English in China, and did economic research in the Senate. Nate has a B.A. in economics and political philosophy from NYU.
Brent Dearth
Brent previously worked on simulation-based medical training at B-Line Medical and language learning systems at Rosetta Stone. Brent’s current passion is highly interactive interfaces and bleeding-edge JavaScript, as well as DevOps and process pipeline duties.
Matt Langston
Matt received his M.S. in Computer Science from Mississippi State University. Prior to Quantic, he managed Android development for the Mississippi Department of Employment Security’s job board. His current passions lie in mobile development, JavaScript, and UX.
Rob Lineweaver
Coming from a family of educators, Rob started his career advancing technology in public education. After earning an M.S. degree in Computer Science from James Madison University, he became a software engineer at Rosetta Stone, building a platform for language learning products. Now at Quantic, he continues to create innovative, reliable software that drives learning.
Isaac Mast
Before joining the Quantic team, Isaac studied at Eastern Mennonite University where he received a B.S. in computer science and studied subjects ranging from business administration to Middle Eastern religions and cultures.
Colby Melvin
Prior to Quantic, Colby worked as an engineer at Communiqué, a multi-platform communication software service. Colby received his B.S. in Computer Science from UNC Wilmington.
Heath Pack
Prior to Quantic, Heath worked as a software engineer at Shogun and ADP. Heath received his B.S. in Computer Science from Christopher Newport University. Heath’s current interests include FinTech and building tools that make writing code easier and more enjoyable.
Brandon Shenk
Prior to joining Quantic, Brandon worked as an engineer at ConvergentAI, designing and developing applications for various swarm intelligence products. His current passions revolve around creating simple, intuitive interfaces for complex tools.
Matt Shultz
Prior to Quantic, Matt worked as a NOC engineer at InCare Technologies developing applications and processes to enhance employee efficiency. Matt studied web development at Udacity where he received a Nanodegree.
Ryan Smith
Prior to Quantic, Ryan developed educational and administrative software for universities looking to take their degree programs online. Before that, he served a great deal of coffee as a barista and led music at church while teaching himself web development skills on the side. Ryan earned his B.A. in Theatre from Northwestern University and attended Dev Bootcamp.
Adam Wilner
Before joining Quantic, Adam worked at several startups in the Boston area doing Full-Stack and DevOps Engineering. He graduated from The University of Maryland with a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy.
Business Development
Karim Chrobog
Karim leads business development at Quantic. He’s an award-winning filmmaker and documentary maker. Prior, he was a partner at the Foxhall Group and senior policy analyst at Time Warner. Karim holds a BSFS from Georgetown University and MBAs from ESADE, FGV, and Georgetown.
Marketing
Rachel Fletcher
Rachel is a brand strategist and marketer with an extensive background in digital media. Prior to joining Quantic, she worked at LA-based ad agency RPA, where her clients included Southwest Airlines and Honda. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania.
Kelsey Duggan
Kelsey previously worked in social media marketing for the TODAY Show, vineyard vines and the University of Massachusetts. She holds an M.A. in Broadcast Journalism and Public Affairs from American University and a B.A. in Communication and Mass Media from Fairfield University.
Pooja Karnane
Pooja comes from a data-driven background, most recently in the publishing industry leading analytics at Penguin Random House and Ziff Media Group. Prior to that, she was involved with research at the International Monetary Fund related to the effect of technology and automation on the labor force. Pooja received her B.S. in Economics-Finance from Bentley University.
Lauren Bendinelli
Lauren is a brand strategist focused on bringing emerging brands to life through social media, holistic content, influencer marketing, and experiential events. She has an agency background and startup experience and earned her B.A. in Business from Western Colorado University.
Advisors
Michael Horn
Michael is an advisor for Quantic. He is a co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute and co-author of Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools. Michael holds a B.A. in history from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Pawel Swiatek
Pawel is a board advisor at Quantic. His experience includes ten years as an investment and management professional at Bridgewater Associates, as well as consulting work with McKinsey & Company. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an A.B. in Chemistry from Harvard University.
Quantic also works with many additional content creators and reviewers, including professors and respected practitioners who are experts in their fields.