Marjorie M. Scardino is chief executive of Pearson, the international media group whose primary business operations include Pearson Education (incorporating businesses such as Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, Addison Wesley and educational testing, data and software operations); The Financial Times Group; the Spanish media group Recoletos and Penguin Group. Pearson also owns a 50% stake in The Economist Group.

Sheryl Abshire
District Administrative Coordinator of Technology, Calcasieu Parish Public Schools, LA

Sheryl Abshire is the District Administrative Coordinator of Technology in the Calcasieu Parish School System in Lake Charles, Louisiana. As a leader in technology integration, she has served as the catalyst to initiate the integration of technology into all curriculum areas throughout her school district, the state, and internationally. She has served as a consultant/grant writer and reader for ISTE, eSchool News, Compaq Computer, National Foundation for the Improvement of Education, Apple Computer, the American Online Foundation, Educational Resources, and others. She is the vice chair of the NEA Membership Advisory Committee, Chairman of the Louisiana Department of Education Committee to Advance Technology Standards, Chairman of the Louisiana Technology Advisory Commission, and Chair-Elect for the Executive Committee for the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). She was recently named a national semi-finalist for Ed Tech Leader of the Year by Technology and Learning magazine.

Thomas Adams
Director, Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division, California Department of Education

Thomas "Tom" Adams is the executive director of the Curriculum Frameworks Instructional Resources Division. He is Superintendent O'Connell's designee to the Executive Secretary of the Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission (better known as the Curriculum Commission) and in May 2003 the Commission appointed him as its Executive Director. He oversees the department staff who work with the Commission in the areas of curriculum frameworks and instructional resources. In addition, he is in charge of CDE Press, the publications operation of the department, and the Clearinghouse for Specialized Media and Technology, the unit responsible for the production of Braille and large-print resources and other specialized media.

Berj Akian
President, ClassLink Technologies

Berj Akian founded ClassLink Technologies in 1998. What began as an endeavor to assist a local school in creating a leading edge technology environment today serves over 100 schools and over 150,000 students and teachers in five states. He graduated cum laude from Baruch College, NY.

Bobbie Baird
Director of Strategic Alliances, Educational & Productivity Solutions, Texas Instruments

For more than 15 years, Bobbie Baird has been establishing successful business relationships for Texas Instruments; first as part of the TI Corporate group responsible for establishing an international procurement office in Mexico, and then moving to the Educational & Productivity Solutions (E&PS) Group in 1992. In 2000 as Director of Strategic Business Alliances, Bobbie was tasked to establish a formal alliance program that focused on building relationships with companies that share a common vision of positively impacting education through appropriate use of TI technology combined with their complementary products or services. Over the last year, she has worked on E&PS Business Strategy, and, recently assumed responsibility for Customer Enrichment Programs, which include Content and Professional Development, Web Strategy, and Customer Service.

James Barcelona
Senior Vice President, Strategies and Business Development, Proquest Information & Learning

James Barcelona is responsible for managing and negotiating the identifying, closing and integrations of acquisitions, as well as key strategic alliances for ProQuest Information and Learning. Prior to joining ProQuest, Barcelona was general counsel for more than eight years at Information Dimensions Inc. (IDI). Prior to IDI, he worked as a programmer/analyst and a middle school science teacher. Barcelona is a licensed attorney in both Michigan and Ohio; and holds licensure to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a member of the Michigan Bar Association, Ohio Bar Association, American Bar Association, and American Corporate Counsel Association.

Marcy Baughman
Marcy Baughman, Director, Academic Research, Pearson Education

Marcy Baughman is the Director of Academic Research for Pearson Education School Group, where her primary responsibilities include designing scientific research studies to evaluate the effectiveness of K - 12 educational products and collaborating with independent researchers to implement the studies. Her major research interests are determining best practices for evaluation of educational products and fidelity of implementation, most recently becoming co-chair of a publisher research working group within SIIA. Prior to joining Pearson Education, Baughman worked as an educational statistics and measurement consultant at the University of Pittsburgh. She has earned a M.A. in Research Methodology in the College of Education at the University of Pittsburgh and has recently completed her coursework for a Ph.D.

Karen Billings
Vice President, Education Division, SIIA

Karen Billings has over 30 years of experience in the education technology industry with positions in management, development, marketing, sales, and classroom teaching. At SIIA she drives the association's work with its 140 member companies for whom educational publishing is a primary business. Prior to SIIA, Billings, was Vice President, Major Business Initiatives for bigchalk Inc, where she drove relationships with major industry partners to respond to new business opportunities and Vice President and General Manager of its MediaSeek Division. She worked at Microsoft Corporation, managing K-12 Strategic Relations and at Claris Corporation, where she ran the Worldwide K-12 and Higher Education Marketing Programs. She served as Director of Sales at Logo Computer Systems, Inc. and as an Executive Editor in the School Division at Houghton-Mifflin Company.

Charles Blaschke
President, Education TURNKEY Systems, Inc.

As president of Education TURNKEY Systems, Charles Blaschke, has provided consulting services to school districts, state education agencies, and several hundred software and other technology vendors over the last 35 years. Charles was co-author of the first Title I Policy Manual developed for USED in the late 1970s and directed the first national evaluation of the implementation of PL 94-142 (now IDEA) in the late 1970s. TURNKEY is recognized as a leading national authority on its analysis of Federal legislation and regulations, and interpretation/implications for publishers and district officials of new legislation, including the No Child Left Behind act. Charles authors monthly syndicated columns for publications of American Association of Publishers and the National School Supply and Equipment Association which recently named Charles as the NSSEA "Niche Market and Funding Expert."

Kurt Bergquist
Principal, Exeter Capital

Prior to joining Exeter in 1996, Mr. Bergquist was an Associate at Easton Capital, a technology venture capital company. He is a director of K Media, FactsOnFile and Natural History. Mr. Bergquist received a BA from the University of Minnesota, a JD from Tulane University Law School and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

John Campbell
Senior Vice President, K-12 Strategy & Development, ProQuest Information & Learning

John Campbell has experience as VP of Software for a hardware manufacturer (Commodore International, the maker of the VIC-20, C-64, and Amiga), General Manager of a software start-up (Insight), Director of Technology for a division of a large media company (Tribune Education), COO of a small reading company with a technology component (Breakthrough to Literacy), business unit head at one of the education industry leaders (McGraw-Hill), and now Senior VP of K-12 Strategy and Development at one of the knowledge solutions leaders in ProQuest. He started a company from scratch and has been on both sides of the acquisition table. John also serves on the Education Board for SIIA.

Charlie Carraway
Director, Instructional Materials & Library Media Services, Florida Department of Education

Charlie Carraway recently became the Director of the Office of Instructional Materials and Library Media Services, Florida Department of Education. She worked in that office for the last five years and served as the Instructional Materials Program Specialist. She worked to implement the Instructional Materials Online Bid Process and was the primary liaison to publishers for policies and procedures for the 2004-2005 Florida Instructional materials adoption process. Charlie Carraway has a B.S and M.S. in English Education and taught high school English for 18 years.

Frank Catalano
SVP Marketing, Pearson Assessments & Testing

Frank Catalano joined Pearson Education's U.S. Assessments & Testing Group as senior vice president of marketing in fall 2004 and has marketing responsibility for Pearson Educational Measurement, Pearson Knowledge Technologies, Pearson NCS and Pearson Assessments. Previously, Frank was principal of Catalano Consulting for a dozen years and held long-term interim marketing executive assignments for MetaMetrics, Boxer Learning, iCopyright and McGraw-Hill, as well as advising many technology-related companies in education, computing and publishing. He is the author of two books on marketing, has published hundreds of essays and is frequently quoted on trends by national and local news media.

Dick Casabonne
Principal and Senior Consultant for MarketingWorks, Inc.

Richard Casabonne is Principal and Senior Consultant for MarketingWorks, Inc., a full-service consulting firm. In his over 35 years in education and trade publishing, he has served as CEO at TestU; President, Education and Training Group at LeapFrog Enterprises; and Senior Vice President of Planning and Business Development for Harcourt, Inc. Casabonne has also held senior management positions at Grolier, Inc., McGraw-Hill Educational Resources, Random House School Division, and consulted with myriad educational and trade publishers. He has consulted for Apple Computer's education initiatives for eight years. Casabonne has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and a master of education degree in instructional technology from Boston University. He currently sits on a number of boards of directors for public companies and trade associations.

Karen Cator
Director, Apple Education Leadership, Apple

Karen Cator directs Apple's leadership and advocacy efforts in education. In this role, she is responsible for Apple's strategic business development, teaching and learning solutions, professional development programs, and customer advocacy. Cator came to Apple in 1997 from the public education sector, most recently serving as Technology Director in Juneau, Alaska. She also served as Special Assistant for Telecommunications for the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska. She currently serves on the boards of the Software & Information Industry Association’s Education Division and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Cator is also a member of the advisory group for the Youth Technology Support Forum.

George Cigale
Chief Executive Officer, Tutor.com, Inc

George Cigale, CEO, has served as Tutor.com's Chairman and CEO since co-founding the Company in 1998. Mr. Cigale brings 15 years of experience in the tutoring and test-preparation markets, most recently as Vice President of The Princeton Review. Mr. Cigale has assembled an accomplished management team and Board of Directors who have guided the Company through a successful launch and rapid but calculated growth. Mr. Cigale has raised over $17MM in venture capital and secured strategic partnerships with top education companies. He serves on the Board of the Education Industry Association, and is an active member of the Americans for Libraries Council.

Sue Collins
Principal, CollinsConsults

Sue Collins has more than 30 years of experience in education and technology. She has been a science teacher, district coordinator, and Director of Instructional Services and Technology for the Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction. She was appointed to the Web-based Education Commission by President Clinton, named one of the top 30 movers and shakers in education by eSchoolNews, and wrote ”eLearning Frameworks for NCLB” for the U.S. DoED National Educational Technology Plan 2004. In the private sector, Sue has implemented strategic programs for Apple Computer, led the development of Compaq Computer’s K-12 and Higher Education initiatives, held senior-level positions with Jostens Learning Corporation and bigchalk.com, and served as Chief Education Officer at Apex Learning. Sue has also held industry board seats at ISTE and SIIA.

Ed Coughlin
Vice Senior Vice President, The Metiri Group

Ed Coughlin is Senior Vice President of the Metiri Group. He has over 20 years of experience in professional development related to technology at the local, state, and national levels, and has been active in the development of assessment tools for evaluating the impact of instructional technology in schools. Coughlin is the author and co-author of a number of publications dealing with evaluation of technology integration including the 7 Dimensions Model from the Milken Exchange and the enGauge Model from NCREL. He was also a co-author of the recent publication on 21st Century Skills from the North Central Regional Education Lab. Coughlin is the former director of the Area One Learning Technology Hub, an intermediate state technology support office serving more than 1,300 schools in the Chicago area.

Alvin Crawford
Vice President, Schoolnet, Inc.

Alvin brings strong entrepreneurship and Internet strategy and management skills to the SchoolNet team, with over four years of interactive advertising agency experience. Alvin has been with the company since it was founded in 1998 and has been instrumental in establishing a strong sales and marketing presence throughout the U.S. He has equipped his sales force with the resources and skills needed to reach out to the top 300 school districts in the country. Since earning his M.B.A. from Boston College in 1997, Alvin has worked with several Internet early adopters developing and implementing their Internet strategy. Prior to joining SchoolNet, Alvin helped increase brand recognition for an impressive roster of clients, including: Strategic Interactive Group, a Digitas Company, where he helped launch Kodak PhotoNet; Ogilvy Interactive, where he led strategy and implementation on several IBM Accounts, AHA! G Auto and American Movie Classics; and Zentropy Partners, where he managed the Internet strategy and marketing implementation for Express Scripts, Bristol-Myers Squibb, FBR.com, Focus One Media and Smith Kline Beecham.

Chris Curran
Managing Director, Berkery, Noyes & Co.

Before joining Eduventures, Curran was Vice President of business development at I.COMM, Inc., a software design and network integrator specializing in the education, government and healthcare markets. As part of his work for I.COMM, Curran ran SchoolFirst Foundation, a non-profit arm of the company that combines innovative educational technology applications into model systems that were donated to under-served schools. Curran began his professional career in politics, serving as the Chief of Staff to the minority leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he earlier held the title of Research and Policy Director.

Kevin Custer
ARC Capital Development

Kevin Custer offers over 17 years of experience in technology and telecommunications and is a recognized leader in launching and growing successful technology businesses in the online and enterprise markets. He has been the primary architect in the launching of five startups, four of which achieved over $10 million in revenues within their first 3 years. Kevin serves as a Principal in Arc Capital Development who invest in and operate emerging market companies. Previously he took a small Internet company, Brainium Technologies, public through a reverse-takeover of Canada¹s seventh-fastest growing public company. In his previous position at Infonautics, he led the creation of Electric Library, an Internet-based subscription service that grossed over $20 million in its first 30 months. Kevin also served as the chairman of both the e-business and the education section of the Software & Information Industry Association.

Jan and Bob Davidson
Founders, Davidson Institute for Talent Development Founders and former chief executives, Davidson & Associates

Jan's interest in educational applications for computers began in the late 1970s when she was working as a teacher in Los Angeles. Determined to help her students enhance their learning by using engaging computer programs, she worked with a computer programmer to design some simple educational games. In 1982, Jan founded the educational software publishing firm, Davidson & Associates, Inc. Her term as president of the company provided leadership and vision for hundreds of successful products, including the popular Math Blaster™ and Reading Blaster™ series. In 1989 Bob Davidson became chairman and CEO of the company and took the company public in 1993. Davidson & Associates published many award-winning products for schools and home. After selling their company in 1996, Bob and Jan decided to focus on philanthropic endeavors through their lifelong passion for helping young people become successful learners. In 1999, they founded the Davidson Institute for Talent Development to nurture and support profoundly gifted young people.

Ken Deemer
Founding Partner and Chairman, Los Angeles Social Venture Partners

Ken Deemer is a founding partner and Chairman of Los Angeles Social Venture Partners a community of social investors who contribute their time, money, and expertise to promote philanthropy in L.A., and to help nonprofits expand their capacity and effectiveness. He was also a co-founder and former Chairman and President of the Tech Coast Angels, one of the largest and most active angel investor groups in the country. Mr. Deemer is an active private investor and has over twenty years of venture capital experience as a General Partner of InterVen Partners, a firm that he co-founded in 1985. He has invested in and served on the boards of numerous early-stage companies in technology, manufacturing and specialty retailing. He also served for fourteen years on the board of Cymer, Inc. (Nasdaq CYMI). Earlier in his career, he was a co-founder of a direct marketing company, My Favorite Charities, marketing manager of a computer peripherals company and a systems engineer with Hughes Aircraft Company.

Helene Duvin
Director Business Operations, Educational Testing Service

Helene Duvin is currently the Director of Business Operations in the Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) division of ETS. Duvin coordinates with the marketing and sales departments for ESE products and services and oversees a variety of projects integral to the ESE business. In addition, Duvin has been directly involved in the transition and strategic positioning of the acquisition of The Pulliam Group. During her 18-year career at ETS, Helene has held a variety of business development, product planning, and marketing positions. Helene has over 12 years of experience in the higher education market both in the US and internationally working with large scale testing programs. Helene currently serves on the SIIA Education Board of Directors and the Education Divison Marketing Committee

David Engle
Principal, Squalicum High School

Dr. David Engle is Principal of Squalicum High School in the Bellingham School District in the statae of Washington. He has served as Inkwell Director of Operations (United States), principal of Interlake High School in the Bellevue Public Schools and Ballard High School in the Seattle Public Schools and as the regional coordinator for the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program from 1999-2004. David has lectured on appropriate uses of computer-based technologies in schools and developed international school-to-school partnerships. He holds a BA from the University of Washington, a master's degree in Computer Education from St. Martin's College, and an Ed. D. in Educational Leadership from Seattle Pacific University.

Julie Evans
Chief Executive Officer, NetDay

As CEO for the past four years, Julie Evans has re-established NetDay as a national leader within the education technology sector. The organization today continues to expand its impact through innovative programs such as NetDayCompass.org, NetDay Kids4College program, NetDay Community Initiatives, NetDay Cyber Security Kit for Schools and the newest initiative, NetDay Speak Up Day for students' views on education and technology. This focus on leadership and innovation earned NetDay an EdNet Pioneer Award in 2002. The Leader-to-Leader Institute (formerly the Drucker Foundation) has selected Julie for participation in the Frances Hesselbein Community Innovation Fellows Program for 2003. Prior to joining NetDay, Julie enjoyed a successful 18-year career in the technology industry as a sales and marketing executive with Unisys and two education technology startups. She serves on the Board of Directors of NetDay as well as a science education nonprofit based in Southern California, Project Tomorrow. Julie is the mother of three school age children and a graduate of Brown University.

Brett Fadeley
CEO, eSchool Solutions

Mr. Fadeley currently serves as the CEO and Chairman of eSchool Solutions, a leading provider of management solutions specifically designed for the preK-12 education community. Mr. Fadeley founded the first turnaround management organization in Orlando. He is a co-founder of Business CPR, LLC, a turnaround and workout management firm and Venture Orlando, an early stage venture capital company. He is a recognized expert in turnaround management, financial management and complex commercial negotiations. His professional experience includes serving as an interim Chairman, CEO, President, member of the Board of Directors and/or interim Chief Financial Officer at multiple business enterprises.

Rita Ferrandino
Principal, Arc Capital Development

Rita Ferrandino offers more than 20 years of experience building companies and delivering strong revenue in the higher education and K-12 markets. She was a Principal at KnowledgeQuest Education Group and has consulted for over a hundred company clients, including WebCT, Carnegie Learning, Education Publishing Services, and W.H. Freeman Publishers. She has also held roles at Thompson Publishing and Addison Wesley Longman Publishing, a Pearson Education company. Ferrandino is currently CEO for Teacher2Teacher, a professional development technology training media company, and contract CEO at Chicago Educational Publishing Company. She serves as a member of the AEP Government Relations Committee, is a senior fellow for the Center for Digital Government, and chairs the Get Out To Vote committee in Sarasota, FL.

Robert Fiance
CEO, Software Technology, Inc. (STI)

Robert Fiance has over fifteen years of senior management experience in the K-12 and post secondary education marketplace. He led the management acquisition of STI in 2002 and the acquisition of TestU in 2004, which brought STI into the growing assessment market. Prior to joining STI, he was CEO of TriVision, an educational technology company focused on solutions for the management of professional development and alternative education programs. Previously, he was Senior Vice President of Canter & Associates, where he launched and managed a new Distance Learning Masters Division in 1995, which has since grown to over $50M in annual revenues. Mr. Fiance found Sylvan Learning Systems to acquire Canter & Associates resulting in the $75 million acquisition in 1998.

Ron Fitzgerald
President, MathResources, Inc.

Ron Fitzgerald has served as MathResources President since co-founding the company in 1996. Ron has over 25 years experience in the sales and development of mathematics materials for the K-12 and Higher Education market. Since joining MathResources Ron has worked to position the company for rapid growth as computers move into the mainstream of education. He is on the Board of the Atlantic Association for Research in the Mathematical Sciences (AARMS) and served on the Board of the Canadian Mathematics Society for 10 years. Prior to joining MathResources Ron was the mathematics editor for both Wiley and Harcourt in Canada.

Dr. Geoff Fletcher
Editor-in-Chief, THE Journal and Executive Vice President, T.H.E. Institute

Dr. Geoffrey H. Fletcher is Editor-at-Large for T.H.E. Journal, Executive Director of T.H.E. Institute, and Editor-at-Large for Campus Technology. Prior to joining T.H.E., Dr. Fletcher was Assistant Commissioner at the Texas Education Agency (TEA) with responsibility for curriculum, assessment, technology, textbooks and professional development. He has served as the first technology coordinator for LaPorte, Texas schools, been a coordinator for gifted education, a coordinator for futures studies, and has served as the Executive Director of the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA). His higher education experience includes teaching at Miami University and serving as adjunct professor for three other universities. Dr. Fletcher started his career in education as a secondary English teacher in Ohio.

Bridget Foster
formerly CLRN and PLATO Learning

Bridget Foster has presented on the topic of electronic learning resource review at a variety of National and state conferences. She was a teacher for sixteen years and has worked with a variety of student populations including at-risk, migrant, and adults. She was a district mentor teacher in technology and curriculum integration and has also worked as a consultant in the area of technology integration staff development at the K-12, University, and corporate level. Prior to working in education she spent five years owning and operating a retail store.

Larry Fruth
Executive Director, SIF (School Interoperability Framework)

Larry is responsible for coordinating activities and monitoring working groups; setting up implementation showcase sites, conference activities and communicating with members and interested parties about SIF. Dr. Fruth has over 20 years of experience in teaching and learning as a classroom teacher, curriculum and professional development designer as well as state and federal policymaker. Most recently Dr. Fruth served as an Associate Director for Ohio SchoolNet, one of SIF's member organizations, and the Ohio Department of Education where his oversight role included institutional strategic planning and alignment, development of Academic Content Standards in Technology, representative to the State Education Technology Director's Association, development of eSchool Operating Standards, as well as pointing various PK-16 partnership initiatives.

Anita Givens
Senior Director, Textbook Administration, Texas Education Agency

Anita Givens has led the educational technology efforts in Texas for over ten years. She provides leadership for the integration, utilization, evaluation, and expansion of educational technologies throughout the state through the on-going implementation of the State Board of Education's Long-Range Plan for Technology. Anita is President of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), on the Board of Directors of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and an Education Advisor to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills,. She received the 2002 NCTET Community Builder Award and was named one of the 25 "Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers of Information Technology for 2002 by Government Technology Magazine and the Center for Digital Government.

Edmundo Gonzalez
Vice President, Software Technology Inc.

Edmundo Gonzalez is Vice President of Software Technology, Inc. (STI), a student data and information company with over 7,000 schools under contract, including two state-wide adoptions. He held numerous positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers Management Consulting Services, where he consulted to top management within electronic media and telecommunications companies. Most recently, he was Chief Operating Officer of TestU, a leader in the online assessment and test preparation markets. TestU was recently acquired by STI. Mr. Gonzalez holds a B.A. with honors in economics from Harvard University.

Page Gravely
Director, Global Education, Red Hat

Page Gravely is Director, Global Education for Red Hat, the world's most trusted provider of Linux and open soure technology. He leads Red Hat's strategy to empower all global academic institutions with Red Hat's Enterprise Linux and open source resources to meet their academic and technology needs. Mr. Gravely came to Red Hat in 2003 after 3 years with LearningStation, the ASP serving the K-12 market where he was Sales Director for the East Coast. His 15-year sales and marketing career includes LAN/WAN software, design and networking to telecommunications.

Tom Greaves
Chairman, Greaves Group

Thomas W. Greaves has over 30 years experience in the computer industry. From the co-founding of NetSchools over 10 years ago, he has been a visionary in the conceptualization, design, engineering and marketing of breakthrough technologies for schools. He is a nationally known speaker on the future of education and the role of new technologies. Among his most recent contributions have been new systems approaches for increasing student achievement through performance based contracting concepts and ASP delivered organizational development tools tailored for 1:1 implementations.

Christine Griftner
Strategic Marketing Consultant, LearningStation

Christine's career in education and technology spans over 20 years in industry & public education. Christine was a tenured classroom teacher and has industry experience with Sun Microsystems, Xerox, IBM and Apple Computer. Most recently she has consulted with educational companies and consulted with schools in developing site technology plans & grant applications. Christine also served on SIIA's Education board & co-chaired the Program & Information Committee.

Peter Grunwald
President, Grunwald Associates

Peter Grunwald has worked with electronic information services for schools and families since 1978. He is President of Grunwald Associates, a research and consulting firm in Bethesda, Md. Grunwald Associates has conducted the industry's most respected surveys on educator and family technology use since 1995. Grunwald Associates also works directly with clients, providing custom research helps with PR positioning and industry alliances. Before forming Grunwald Associates, Mr. Grunwald was Vice President of Issue Dynamics, Inc. (IDI) and Director of Sales and Field Marketing for GTE Education Services and an independent consultant in telecommunications services for eight years.

Jeanne Hayes
Industry Consultant, Hayes Connection and Founder, Quality Education Data, Inc

Jeanne Hayes has analyzed the education market since she started QED in 1981. A former educator, debate coach and federal funds program administrator, Jeanne has testified before the U.S. Congress and speaks at conferences nationwide about instructional technology and related issues in American education. A former database researcher, she looks at current demographic trends, technology drivers, and economic factors that are changing the K-12 market while advising companies on growth strategies and opportunities.

Donald Helfgott
CEO & Co-Founder, Inspiration Software, Inc.

Donald Helfgott has spent more than 25 years leading the creation and development of commercial software products. Prior to starting Inspiration Software, Inc. in 1982, his experience included managing and directing information technology and commercial software development projects for Nike and Automatic Data Processing. As Chief Executive Officer at Inspiration Software, Helfgott leads the long-term direction of the company. In addition, he acts as Chief Technology Officer, directly overseeing product research and development. Originally created by Helfgott as a tool for designing new software, the company's flagship product Inspiration® has become the premier visual learning tool used by students, grades 6-12, across the nation. Helfgott attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, where he majored in mathematics.

Kathy Hurley
Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Pearson School Companies

Kathy Hurley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, for Pearson School Companies, is a 30-year veteran of the education industry. Prior to joining Pearson, Hurley served as Vice President, Education for PLATO Learning. Hurley has also served as the Senior Vice President for NetSchools (prior to its acquisition by PLATO Learning), where her responsibilities included overseeing the Sales, Marketing and Business Development departments of the company. Hurley's tenure in the education industry also includes her time as Senior Vice President of Education Marketing for The Learning Company, and Senior Vice President of Skillsbank Corporation. In addition, Hurley held important positions with IBM, Mindscape, Grolier and DLM.

Michael Jay
President, Educational Systemics

Michael taught science in San Jose, CA, where he also worked in developing the first set of Technology in the Curriculum materials for the State of California. He left the classroom in 1986 to join Apple Computer's Classroom of Tomorrow (ACOT) research and development project, serve as Apple's Education Competitive Analyst and lead major curriculum-related marketing initiatives. Michael left Apple Computer to pursue the development of a technology of his design that dynamically indicates the relationship between curriculum, curriculum standards and instructional resources - for which he received patents in 1998. He continued the development of tools for children and educators as Director of Education Business Development at N2H2 and VP and GM of Brainium Technologies in the following years.

Lillian Kellogg
Vice President, Business Development, ENA

Lillian Kellogg has dedicated her career to education and technology and has more than 20 years of experience in working with school districts and libraries in the field of educational technology. Before joining ENA, Lillian served as Vice President of Strategic Relations for netTrekker, the trusted search engine for schools. Prior to netTrekker Lillian founded The Peak Group, an industry leading consultancy, that published industry analysis reports on emerging technologies in education such as virtual schools and wireless technologies. Lillian started her career as a high school teacher and has held national positions with education and library market leaders such as Encyclopedia Britannica.

William Kelly
CEO, Learning.com

Bill Kelly is co-founder and CEO of Learning.com, where he has successfully expanded ed tech market opportunities by helping states modify their textbook adoption processes to accommodate online materials and forged partnerships with textbook companies. Bill has worked in multimedia and online companies since 1993. In 1996 he was the co-founder and EVP of Sapient Health Network (SHN), a pioneer in developing online health-oriented communities for consumers, and later acquired by WebMD, Inc. After the acquisition, Bill worked as VP Commerce for WebMD, then spent a short time consulting with concept stage companies until co-founding Learning.com.

Jim Klein
Director, Information Services & Technology, Saugus Union School District

Jim Klein is the Director of Information Services and Technology at Saugus Union School District, a position he has held for nine years. With more than fifteen years of private and public sector experience, Klein has played a pivotal role in the development and design of SUSD's cutting-edge infrastructure, systems, and services. He recently led SUSD's five million dollar voice, data, and video renovation project, as well as a complete systems migration to Linux and open-source solutions. He is a recent recipient of Network World magazine's Renovator award (2005), and his various projects have been the topic of several recent articles in ed-tech and industry magazines. He holds professional certifications from Novell, Red Hat, and the Linux Professional Institute.

Pam Korporaal
Director, Integrated Technology Services and Assessment, Norwalk-La Mirada School District

awarding winning classroom educator and a pioneer in the integration of technology into education. She has been active both locally and nationally as a board member of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), a National Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE) Christa McAuliffe Institute for Educational Pioneering Fellow and served twice as the President of Computer Using Educators (CUE). She presently is the Director of Instructional Technology, Assessment and Evaluation for the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District, a large urban school district in the Los Angeles area.

Basha Krasnoff
Lead Researcher, Northwest Educational Technology Consortium

Basha Krasnoff is a research and evaluation associate at the Northwest Educational Technology Consortium (NETC)of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. She is responsible for maintaining and evolving the research base for Open Options, NETC's open source software project/resource and synthesizing field work and other research into tools for K-12 decision makers. Basha has been involved in the fields of education, research, program evaluation, and software industry analysis for 20 years.

Pete Kronowitt
Linux/OSS Strategic Planner, Intel Corporation

As Strategic Planner for PC Linux/OSS marketing at Intel Corporation, Peter Kronowitt sets direction for key roadmaps decisions, aligning product and technology development to improve mutual market introduction and acceleration. Peter has 20 years in the high-tech sector, with IBM, Xircom and ten years with Intel, leading global teams for market and platform roadmap development in the worldwide channel, directing software ecosystem relationships for new Intel platforms. He has been evangelizing Linux and Open Source within Intel and the industry since 2000, and regularly contributes to Intel's corporate Open Source strategy.

Midian Kurland
Vice President Technology and Development, Scholastic Education

Midian Kurland is a 25-year veteran of the educational technology industry with a career that has spanned from basic research at the Center for the Study of Reading and Bank Street College to cutting edge development projects as a scientist in the Apple Advanced Technology Group to senior-level executive positions with Computer Curriculum Corporation, Scholastic and various Internet start-up companies. Midian is currently VP Technology and Development for Scholastic Education. In this capacity he manages product development for all technology-based enterprise curriculum products.

Celinda Lake
President, Lake Snell Perry Mermin/Decision Research

Celinda Lake is a leading political strategist, serving as tactician and senior advisor to national party committees, dozens of incumbents and challengers at all levels of the electoral process. Lake and her firm are known for cutting edge research on issues including the economy, health care, the environment and education. Since its formation, LSPMA has become one of the most respected polling firms in the country, with its Battleground poll widely recognized as one of the leading national issue and election thermometers. The firm's work has moved the progressive agenda forward on a variety of issues. Lake's interviews and statistics have been quoted in the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal as well as a variety of magazines and Lake has appeared on numerous television and radio news programs. An experienced moderator, Lake has conducted focus group research throughout the United State. She is also credited with identifying key voter groups, including Reagan seniors, NASCAR dads, waitress moms, the marriage gap and generation D. Her earlier experience includes serving as political director of the Women's Campaign Fund, and as the Research Director at the Institute for Social Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Policy Analyst for the Subcommittee on Select Education.

Neil Lefkowitz
Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky LLP

Neil has represented participants in more than eighty mergers and acquisitions, including eight transactions in the technology and education industries. Neil has published several articles, including an article in the November 2003 edition of Mergers & Acquisitions on risk allocation in the sale of postsecondary education companies. Neil has also spoken on mergers and acquisitions and related topics to education industry participants. He is a partner in the law firm of Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky LLP, which has offices in Washington, D.C. and New York.

Eliot Levinson
President, BLEgroup

Eliot Levinson is the CEO of the BLE Group. Levinson founded the BLE Group in 1998. Levinson is known nationally for his work in technology planning and management for school districts. He co-authors "Tech from the Top," a monthly column that appears in Converge Magazine. Levinson has experience in education and technology as a teacher in California and Pennsylvania, a middle school principal in Massachusetts, and an assistant to the chancellor of schools in New York City. He has held research positions in educational change at the RAND Corporation and MIT's Sloan School of Management. Levinson holds master's degrees in Education and Anthropology and a Ph.D. in Organizational Studies from Stanford University. Levinson works as a strategic technology advisor to large school systems and consults with several firms in the education technology market.

Dan Meyer
Vice President, Product Development, Atomic Learning

Dan started his career as a high school business teacher and coach who soon caught the technology bug and moved into a Director of Technology for a consortium of nine rural Minnesota school districts. After 13 years in the education field, he went to work in the financial services industry as Director of Software Development for a Fortune 1000 company. Having missed the dynamics of the education field, Dan was delighted to join Atomic Learning, formed in 2000 by a group of technology educators with a mission to create useful and affordable online products focused on teaching people how to effectively use technology. Atomic Learning delivers a library of thousands of short, easy-to-view-and-understand tutorial movies that can be used as an integral part of a professional development program, a valuable curriculum supplement, and an anytime/anywhere software training resource.

Rich Mincer
Bureau Chief, Technology Services, Idaho Department of Education

Rich Mincer is the Bureau Chief for the Bureau of Technology Services within the Idaho State Department of Education. The bureau includes IT programming, Educational Technology, and Idaho Student Information Management System (ISIMS). Rich holds three degrees in educational administration and communications technology and has been an educational technology consultant for over 26 years, after spending a decade as a classroom instructor and school principal. He also spent several years in private industry as national program manager for Satellite Systems Corporation overseeing the installation of several national radio and television satellite networks as well as the NASA TDMA system. Rich is a member of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) and services as the National Chair for State Policy.

Alex Mlawsky
McGraw-Hill School Education Group

Alex Mlawsky has held leadership positions in the educational publishing industry throughout most of his professional career. During the last eighteen years, the focus of his efforts has been the digital production and delivery of educational content in print, CD-ROM, and online formats. During the last twelve years, Alex has held positions of increasing responsibility within The McGraw-Hill Companies and has helped develop relationships between the educational community and major content, application, delivery, and hardware providers. Alex is also a member of the SIIA Education Board of Directors and co-chair of the SIIA Ed Division Membership Committee.

Bob Murphy
Senior Research Social Scientist, SRI International

Dr. Robert Murphy is Senior Research Social Scientist within the Center for Technology and Learning at SRI International. His expertise is in research design and methodologies as well as the design and implementation of large-scale evaluations of educational reform initiatives. Dr. Murphy has acted as task leader on a U.S. DoED study ('A Review of the Evidence on the Effectiveness of Discrete Educational Technology') and worked at Northwestern University's Institute for Policy Research. He is currently working on the design and implementation of an evaluation of the Bill & Melinda Gates National School District and Network Grants Program.

Bruce Nelson
VP, Business Development, MarketingWorks, Inc.

Bruce Nelson has over 23 years of education and educational technology business experience, including executive roles at Riverdeep, IBM K-12, and Novell. He has done extensive doctoral studies in instructional design, received his Masters in Educational Psychology and has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Brigham Young University. As Principal and Senior Manager of KnowledgeQuest, a division of MarketingWorks, Inc., Bruce assists companies with research, strategic planning and business development. MarketingWorks, Inc. is a full-service educational strategy, marketing, sales and research firm serving the PreK-12, higher education, adult learning, and library markets.

Pam Nelson
Principal, Nelson Consulting

Pam Nelson has over 25 years of experience as a senior executive with K-12 education companies including Senior VP of Marketing for Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Senior VP of Marketing & Education Strategy for PowerSchool / Apple; VP of Marketing & Develolpment for The Learning Company, VP Publisher of Open Court Publishing; and VP of Marketing for Pearson Learning. She currently consults on with basal, supplemental, and educational technology companies on how to grow their business. Nelson is a past Board member of SIIA, and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Education Division of SIIA.

Dr. Denis Newman
Founder, Empirical Education Inc.

Denis Newman is a developmental psychologist who has conducted research and development at UC San Diego, Bank Street College of Education and BBN Corporation and is a past program chair for the American Educational Research Association's Curriculum and Learning Division. At BBN he led the efforts to design Internet technologies for schools. He has also held senior positions at software companies, Tegrity and Soliloquy Learning. In 2003, he founded Empirical Education Inc., which provides scientifically based research services to developers of instructional programs and to the school districts that implement them. The company was awarded a three year grant from the US Department of Education to improve the rigorous methodologies available for pilot testing new programs.

Lyla Oyakawa
Director, Terrapin Partners, LLC

Ms. Oyakawa is also Vice President of Business Development of Aldabra Acquisition Corporation, a blank check corporation formed by the founders of Terrapin Partners , a private investment firm, and President of Eat Great Food, LLC, a K-12 food service provider and portfolio company of Terrapin. Prior to joining Terrapin, Ms. Oyakawa served as the Director of Finance for the Aspen Education Group, a therapeutic K-12 education company, overseeing acquisitions and financing activities. Prior to Aspen, she was the Vice President of Operations of NameSafe, Inc., where she was responsible for all aspects of this privacy and security software development firm’s operations and strategic planning. She has also served as Assistant Vice President at Paribas, Inc.’s Healthcare Finance Group where she focused on leveraged, cash flow-based lending to middle-market healthcare companies.

John Porter
Deputy Superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland

John is an assistant superintendent for Montgomery County Public Schools, a 140,000 diverse student district located in suburban Maryland. Mr. Porter has played a key role in redefining and revitalizing the role of technology in Montgomery County Public Schools. John received his bachelor's degree from The Catholic University of America and a law degree at Ohio State University. An active member of the community, Mr. Porter has served as chairman of the boards of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber Workforce Corporation, and the Technology Workforce Task Force. He is also a member of the COSN board of directors and the INTEL and Center for Digital education advisory boards.

Lou Pugliese
Vice President, Marketing, Educational Testing Service

Lou Pugliese leads all of ETS's Elementary and Secondary Education product development and customer-facing activities including professional development, technology products and services and assessments. Pugliese was previously with Learning Diagnostics Inc., an education holding company and consulting organization serving fortune 500 organizations involved in global e-learning initiatives. From 1998 to 2000, Pugliese was chief executive officer of Blackboard, Inc., in Washington, D.C. He also held positions with Scholastic New Media, and Turner Broadcasting where he helped launch CNN's start-up venture in the education market through the creation of CNN Newsroom. He is a member of the SIIA Education Board, the Executive Board of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, the Commission on Adult Education and Training, and was appointed by Governor George W. Bush to serve on his state IT Steering Committee.

Don Rawitsch
Vice President of Development, Siboney Learning Group

Don Rawitsch has developed applications and managed programs in the educational technology field for the past 30 years with industry leaders MECC and Jostens Learning, and holds a Ph.D. in Education. Prior to working at Siboney Learning Group, he worked at CTB, where he was responsible for the planning of all CTB product line programs, including both assessment products and online delivery systems.

John Richards
President, Consulting Services for Education

John is a senior executive in education, technology and media with extensive experience in business development, strategic planning and launching award-winning products. John has been President of the JASON Foundation; GM of Turner Learning, the educational arm of Turner Broadcasting; Manager of the Educational Technology division of Bolt Beranek and Newman; and has been on the faculty of M.I.T and the University of Georgia. He combines educational credibility with product development and business savvy. He has a history of designing and publishing award-winning multi-disciplinary educational materials in mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies. At CS4Ed, John works closely with publishers, developers, and educational organizations to improve business-planning processes, to find funding to help schools purchase products and services, and to evaluate and refine products and services.

Steve Ritter
Cognitive Scientist, Carnegie Learning, Inc.

Steve Ritter has been working as a designer, developer and evaluator of intelligent tutoring systems for over 10 years. He is the author of numerous papers on subjects related to educational technology and was responsible for some of the earliest and most complete web-based intelligent tutoring systems. Dr. Ritter also developed the first tool to use natural language processing to understand and produce instruction for algebraic word problems. In 1998, he helped to found Carnegie Learning. Dr. Ritter is a co-author of an article given the highest rating in the What Works Clearinghouse. He earned his doctorate in cognitive psychology from Carnegie Mellon University. Steve serves as Co-chair of SIIA's Education Working Group on Industry Advocacy for Technology Value and Effectiveness

Linda Roberts
Industry Consultant

Linda G. Roberts directed the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology from its inception in September 1993 to January 2001, and served as the Secretary of Education's Senior Adviser on Technology. Roberts directed 3 landmark technology studies at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment that became the basis for Ed Tech Federal and State law and policy. Roberts continues to provide expertise and advice to companies, foundations and government agencies, serving as a member of the NSF National Visiting Committee for the Digital Libraries Program, Board Trustee of the Sesame Workshop and the Education Development Center, and Board Director for Carnegie Learning, ProQuest and Wireless Generation, and National Distinguished Educator for Apple Computer.

Peter Robertson
CIO, Cleveland, Ohio Public Schools

Peter Robertson is currently the CIO of the Cleveland, Ohio Public Schools. Robertson has reorganized the department and implemented major initiatives in the area of technology and accountability. Prior to working with Cleveland Schools, Peter worked for ten years at the McKinsey Corporation where he managed public and private sector consulting engagement in the areas of strategy and organizational change. He has also worked with Linda Darling Hammond on research in the area of professional development. Robertson holds a B.A degree from Harvard College and an MBA from Columbia University, where he is currently completing a Ph.D in Education.

John Ross
Senior Research & Development Specialist, AEL

Dr. Ross is an instructional designer and multimedia developer for products and services that help educators better understand technology integration and its role in school improvement planning and data-based decision making. He is the content expert for AEL's Principal Connections and the follow-up online Administrator's Guide to Technology Leadership. He worked with the CCSSO on the Web-based Data-Based Decision Making Tool: A Resource for Teachers. He also developed the Web-based version of the K-12 Total Cost of Ownership Calculator. He is a frequent presenter in the field of educational technology at state and national conferences and has served as a consultant and trainer for teachers, administrators, and policymakers. A classroom teacher for 10 years, Ross worked with several grant-funded projects prior to joining AEL.

Cynthia Sanner
Executive Director Technology, Thomson Higher Ed

Farimah Schuerman
Principal, Farimah Schuerman

Farimah Schuerman has successfully introduced innovative educational technology products to the higher education and K-12 markets for more than 20 years. A recognized leader in the industry, Ms. Schuerman works with companies that deliver education via all formats of media, including new and emerging technologies, and has done considerable work with companies that specialize in community building platforms for education. She has also worked with more than one dozen start-up ventures. Her areas of expertise include business development, sales and strategic marketing for e-learning and video-based learning companies. Recently, Ms. Schuerman has extended her scope to include clients in the pharmaceutical and fashion industries. She is an active member of the Teaching and Learning with Technology Group and serves on the editorial board of Learning Times.

Mark Schneiderman
Director Education Policy, Software & Information Industry Association

Mark Schneiderman represents SIIA's members before Congress, the Administration, state governments and other national stakeholders on education technology policies, including the government programs, funding and regulations that impact technology at all levels of education and training.

Becky Snyder
Vice President and Publisher, ABC-CLIO Schools Division

At ABC-CLIO, Ms. Snyder is responsibility for establishing the company's strategic direction and the daily operations of the school division. With 25 years of experience in the education industry, Ms. Snyder has been effective in establishing a growth strategy that has established ABC-CLIO as a premiere publisher of products for the secondary history market. She has been instrumental in producing a wide range of award-winning subscription-based web products. Prior to ABC-CLIO, Ms. Snyder conducted research on technology effectiveness and was a classroom teacher. She holds a master's degree in instructional design from University of California at Santa Barbara. A privately held company, ABC-CLIO headquarters are located in Santa Barbara, Calif. with branch offices in Denver, Colo., and Oxford, England.

Irene Spero
Vice President, Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)

Irene Spero serves as Vice President of CoSN and directs the Data-driven Decision Making Initiative. In addition, she is the Director, External Relations, at NetDay, an organization dedicated to expanding the technology opportunities of students. Prior to joining CoSN in 2003, Ms. Spero was the first executive director of SchoolTone Alliance, a global consortium of education technology and service provider companies. Ms. Spero served as Director of External Relations at the Web-based Education Commission where she was responsible for directing its outreach efforts, organizing its public hearings and managing its public relations and communications efforts. Prior to that, Ms Spero worked for 16 years as Executive Director for Federal and State Relations at the College Board.

Mark Stevens
Executive Director and General Manager, AOL@SCHOOL

Iwan Streichenberger
President, Edusoft

Iwan Streichenberger is president of Edusoft and a corporate vice president of Houghton Mifflin. Iwan joined Houghton Mifflin in 2001 as vice president of corporate development and technology initiatives. He has also served as corporate vice president of strategy and business development and as president of Houghton Mifflin Learning Technology. Prior to joining Houghton Mifflin, Iwan was COO at Flipside Europe, a division of Vivendi Universal Publishing, where he was responsible for the company’s operations in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Hungary. Iwan serves on the Education Board for SIIA.

Dr. Sue Talley
Visiting Professor, Pepperdine University

Dr. Sue Talley has nearly 25 years of experience working with technology in education. She has been a teacher and a teacher educator and has worked at Pepperdine since 1997. She has served on the board of directors for a number of educational technology professional associations, including Computer Using Educators in California. She also worked for Apple Computer for eight years. Her work in the nonprofit sector includes work with the National Center on Education and the Economy, an organization focused on learning standards and performance assessment and directing the Pepperdine University's Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology catalyst grant. Her research is focused on the use of online technology in teaching and learning, particularly developing online video cases to be used for professional development.

Charles Thornburgh
VP, Online Services, Kaplan K12 Learning Service

Mr. Thornburgh currently serves as VP of Online Services for Kaplan K12, where his responsibilities include stewardship of the company's vision for developing innovative technology products that deliver real results in classrooms across the nation. In over a decade in education and technology, Charles as served as teacher, trainer, product developer, and Chief Executive for a variety of educational organizations. Mr. Thornburgh founded three separate educational technology companies, and this experience in has given him a unique viewpoint on what it takes to translate the promise of educational technology into practice in real-world learning environments. He most recently sold TestTakers.com to Achieva.com, where he served as VP of Product Development and COO before helping to negotiate the sale of Achieva.com to Kaplan K12 Learning Services. Mr. Thornburgh currently serves on the SIIA Education Board of Directors.

Mark Tullis
Vice President, Business Development, Learning.com

Mark Tullis has been with Learning.com since it started five years ago. At Learning.com he is responsible for Business Development and Government Affairs, including issues related to state instructional materials adoptions. For the past fifteen years, Mark has worked in web-based publishing with Ancestry.com, electronic publishing with Open Market, in the context of Business Development and Government Relations. Mark received a Masters degree from The Fletcher School at Tufts and undergraduate degrees from BYU. Mark serves as Co-Chair of SIIA's Ed Tech Policy Committee and also as Co-Chair of SIIA's Working Group on Textbook Adoption Reform.

Ellen Wagner
Senior Director of Global Education Solutions, Macromedia, Inc.

As Senior Director of Global Education Solutions at Macromedia, Inc. Ellen helps sets the strategic direction of the company's global postsecondary education business. In this capacity she works with universities, colleges, governing boards, professional associations, ministries of education and non-government organizations all over the world. Before joining Macromedia, Wagner was Chief Learning Officer for Viviance AG new education, and Chief Learning Officer and Vice President of Consulting Services with Informania, Inc. Dr. Wagner's prior career as a tenured university professor and administrator featured positions as Associate Professor and Chair of the Educational Technology Program, Academic Affairs Coordinator of Instructional and Research Technologies and Director of Western Institute for Distance Education at the University of Northern Colorado. Wagner's work has featured technology-based learning and performance improvement designs and implementations in numerous industries. She is the co-author of the book Managing Web-Based Training, has published articles on topics dealing with learning and instructional design, distance learning and elearning, and has delivered hundreds of juried and invited presentations at international, national and regional

Pat Walkington
Education Consultant, The Greaves Group

Pat Walkington is recognized as a top player in the educational market by major school districts, state department technology leaders, educational technology companies, and publishers. Pat has over 20 years experience creating, leading and growing the educational divisions of technology companies including Commodore Business Machines, The Learning Company and Broderbund Software. She played a major role in establishing the Learning Company as a leader in developing high-quality software products for schools, and worked with the senior management team to take the company public. Pat also co-founded Making It Happen a national non-profit organization created to recognize outstanding educators in technology, and she has served on various industry and company boards. Pat now works with large and small companies to provide strategic direction in business planning, new business development, marketing, direct and channel sales, operations, strategic partnerships and product development. conferences.

Robin Warner
Partner, The van Tulleken Company

Robin Warner is a partner at The van Tulleken Company, which is a leading international advisor to corporate clients, media executives and entrepreneurs on mergers and acquisitions in the publishing and information industries. With offices in New York and London, its clients include the largest international publishing and media companies as well as many small and medium-sized private firms in the U.S., U.K. and Europe. In the education sector, the Company has completed 16 transactions in the past five years. In addition to her education work, Ms. Warner has successfully handled transactions in sectors including professional information, trade and scientific--several technology based.

Ken Wasch
President, Software & Information Industry Association

Wasch's involvement in SIIA is based on both personal and professional interests. His long-standing interest in computers and software, coupled with the industry's need for a central trade association, led him to establish the Software Publishers Association (SPA) in 1984 with an initial group of 25 software firms. Wasch has led the association from its infancy to its merger with the Information Industry Association in January 1999, resulting in the formation of SIIA.

Mona Westhaver
President and Co-Founder, Inspiration Software, Inc., and Co-Chair, SIIA Education Board of Directors

Mona Westhaver has over 20 years experience in software product development and corporate management. As President of Inspiration Software, Westhaver oversees the direction and daily functioning of the company and guides product management and marketing efforts. She is also a board member of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) Education Division, and the Software Association of Oregon (SAO). Westhaver is a graduate of Antioch University in Seattle, Washington, where she received a master of science degree in whole systems design with an emphasis in organizational development.

Bruce Wilcox
CEO, Project Inkwell

Bruce Wilcox, Chief Executive Officer, has an 18-year career in the development of instructional technology for elementary, secondary and adult learning settings. Prior to running Inkwell, Bruce was Vice President of eBusiness for Reed Elsevier's Harcourt Education Group, a leading publisher of K12 print-based instructional materials. Bruce's career spans early involvement in the development and sales of computer-based instructional programs for elementary and secondary education, diagnostic/prescriptive programs for adult learners in need of basic skills enhancement, startup and founder roles in education technology companies along with senior management roles at Simon & Schuster (now Pearson) and more recently with Harcourt Education Group.

Linda Winter
Founder and President, The Winter Group

Linda Winter established the Winter Group in 1978 as a Denver-based marketing communications, design and research firm, focused on the K-12, higher education, library and related markets. The Winter Group’s work is known both for its ability to drive response and its client-focused messaging, and does market research, marketing communications for clients in education publishing and education market organizations. Linda serves as facilitator for the SIIA/CoSN Feedback Forums at three major education technology conferences each year.

Willam Zaggle
CEO and Managing Partner, Excelsior Software

In 1986 Bill Zaggle co-founded Excelsior which has since established itself as the leading provider of assessment management software. In a prior role he was Vice President of Elite Software Development, Inc. of Bryan, Texas, leading the development and marketing of PC software for Mechanical Engineers worldwide. Bill built his first computer at age thirteen, and in 1980 graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with a minor in Electrical Engineering.

Sarah Zaner
Researcher/Developer, Center for Technology and Learning, SRI International

Sarah Zaner is leader of the Strategic Learning Consulting (SLC) practice at SRI International, helping to translate SRI expertise in learning research and technology into more innovative products for clients. Ms. Zaner has an extensive background in educational publishing, instructional design, and software development. During her tenure at Scholastic Inc., Ms. Zaner led development of READ 180, Scholastic's award-winning intervention product for struggling readers in grades 4 through 12. She was also instrumental in the development of Scholastic Red, which offers professional development courses for elementary and middle school educators. Ms. Zaner has also consulted for non-profits and universities, including extensive work with the Santa Cruz New Teacher Center (NTC), where she led the development and publication of the national rollout of NTC's curricula.