Who We Are
The Team
STARTED & EDTECH WEEK
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To date, Ash's EdTech programs have enabled 2,000+ companies around the globe in partnership with organizations such as Google, Kaplan, Intel, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California and New York University. He continues to support founders solving problems for educators, administrators and learners in Pre-K12, HigherEd, Future of Work, and Adult learning as CEO of StartEd and Producer of EDTECH WEEK.
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For over 25 years, Jonathan D. Harber has been a pioneer in education innovation. As an entrepreneur, CEO, board member, consultant, and professor, he has worked to advance the field. Harber was the CEO and co-founder of Schoolnet, Inc., a company that helped school systems use data to increase academic achievement. Schoolnet was acquired by Pearson in 2011 where Jonathan served as CEO of Pearson K12 Technology. Harber teaches Edtech Entrepreneurship at NYU Steinhardt and sits as a director on several boards.
Deena Minwalla
Managing Director | CALIFORNIA
Deena is Director of Product, Education. Prior to KQED, she was Co-Founder and CEO of HEARD, a school communication platform focused on strengthening school communities and increasing family engagement. She's got a strong product background and a long history working in EdTech for companies including Pearson, Leapfrog, Nearpod, and AltSchool. She also ran an edTech accelerator called co.lab. Specialties: Media Literacy, Media Making, Civic Engagement, Family Engagement, Educational Gaming, Product Expertise
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Ted Brodheim
Managing Director | New York
Ted is President of Altamira Advisors, Global CIO Advisor for Education at Zoom Video Communications, and Strategic Advisor for GoCoach.
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Award winning Senior Executive with extensive global leadership experience in Finance, Education, Government, and Retail. Oversee technology strategy in large complex organizations as well as startups. Lead and implement business and technology transformation. Nationally recognized as innovative leader with outstanding reputation for collaborating and inspiring effective action across all levels to maximize business performance.
Howard Medow
Entrepreneur | New York
Howard served as Vice President of National Sales at Modis Inc. a division of The Adecco Group. Howard has been in the IT staffing industry for over 30 years. He began his career in sales and achieved much success providing resources across industries ranging from telecommunications to insurance, to banking, brokerage and finance. He is currently a member of the Board of the Pace University School of Computer Science and Information Technology
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His career spanned over a decade at Cap Gemini Sogeti, where he rose to N.E. Regional V.P. responsible for the growth and management of the firm’s largest and most profitable operation. He joined Zeitech, Inc. as a partner in 1990. Over the next 6 years, Howard was instrumental in helping build, manage and transition the small startup firm from under a $1 million a year in revenues, to $70 million annually. Anticipating a profound shift in the buying habits and attitude of major clients, Howard established the Corporate Alliance Group. The CAG is a forum where senior procurement and HR executives, representing companies such as JPMorgan Chase, Verizon, Prudential, Merrill Lynch and American Express discuss trends, best practices, and common issues. Zeitech was acquired by Modis, Inc., in 1996. Since that time, Howard has used his expertise and relationships to help establish Modis as a leader in the Information Technology staffing & services industry, both nationally and internationally. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team of Modis, Howard was instrumental in setting the direction of this $1.2 billion division of the Adecco Group. In addition, he actively developed and maintained “C” level with some of Modis' most prestigious clients, including AWS, Bank of America, CitiGroup, Credit-Suisse, HSBC, JPMorganChase, MUFG-Bank of Tokyo, Schwab, TDAmeritrade, TIAA, T-Mobile, USBank and Wells Fargo. He also serves on the board of Strikeforce Technologies, a technology company specializing in data security, identity authentication, anti-key logging, and crypto currencies. He earned a Bachelors degree from Lehman College, C.U.N.Y
Mark Vineis
managing director | Education CEO | Founder
Mark is the President and CEO at ProLiteracy Worldwide and Founder of Mondo. He is an experienced founder that successfully built, scaled and exited Mondo a highly respected, progressive and recognizable ELA brand in K-12 education.
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Mark Vineis is an experienced founder that successfully built, scaled and exited Mondo Education, a literacy publisher of print/digital tools and professional learning services. Mondo is a progressive and highly respected ELA brand in K-12 education. His career began in New York City, teaching elementary ELL students in the South Bronx. As CEO in both start-up and scaled growth stages, he developed strong general management, product-technology development skills and expertise supporting the sales team’s consultative approach to nurturing district partnerships. Mark is a mission-driven, edu-preneur exploring the EdTech landscape for his next venture and currently advising EdTech clients with strategy, product-technology and business development. He is dedicated to rethinking how we educate students and how technology can help educators and students reach their highest potential.
Trisha Callela
Managing Director | California
Dr. Trisha Callella is a leader in creative technology integration for transformative learning, design and development of EdTech products, competency-based learning and certifications, and strategic alignment of vision, goals, and human-centered KPIs. Experiences and expertise converge within learning, design, and development woven across the edtech, publishing, nonprofit, research, pk-12, higher ed, adult learning (L&D), and learning-related sectors. As a futurist, she is advising and working with educational organizations on strategic shifts from web2 --> web3 and edtech companies on strategic mapping, iterative design, and product development.
Alex Rappaport
Managing Director | New York
Alex is an entrepreneur, advisor and investor focused on education and social enterprise. As co-founder and CEO of Flocabulary, Alex built a widely-adopted digital learning platform that reaches millions of students. In 2019, he led Flocabulary's successful acquisition by Nearpod
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Named one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business, Alex is a regular speaker on education and entrepreneurship. He has shared the Flocabulary story around the world and is a mentor and advisor to entrepreneurs at all stages of growth. Alex serves on the boards of American Student Assistance, an organization that helps kids discover learning and career opportunities, and Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School, a middle school in Brooklyn, NY. Alex studied music at Tufts University and lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.
Jeremy Snepar
Managing Director | New York
Jeremy is the CEO and founder of the New York Code + Design Academy. Jeremy focuses on making technology and programming education accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. He was the executive vice president of the New York Film Academy before founding the academy. Accomplished entrepreneur and C-Suite executive with a proven track record launching, scaling and exiting startups; building and managing large and complex teams; guiding companies through raising capital and M&A, and a speaker, writer and contributor across high-profile industry, educational, and philanthropic events.
Cynthia Harrington
Managing Director | Texas
Cynthia is a serial entrepreneur with successful companies in education technology and investment management behind her. She is a chartered financial analyst, behavioral finance consultant, and award-winning journalist. Harrington developed and taught TEAM (You)’s financial literacy curriculum from 2003-2008. Her work in applying research into behavioral economics, paired with a lifelong passion for improving habits is now realized in the innovative classroom management tool that is Team(You).
Alan Todd
Managing Director | Pennsylvania
Alan is a distinguished entrepreneur and educator, known for his significant contributions to the ed-tech industry and higher education. As a Wharton entrepreneur-in-residence & an Inc. Magazine/Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the High Technology, he has advised numerous education technology startups. He founded KnowledgeSoft, KnowledgePlanet, and CorpU, each a leader in its field and acquired by major corporations.
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He is co-founder and trustee of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, the first nonprofit university created in Pennsylvania in over a century, Todd has also served as a trustee for Dickinson College and the PA State Higher Education Commission, appointed by the governor to enhance access and affordability of higher education.