Mr. Jonathan Barnes
Principal, Halyard Capital

Mr. Barnes represents Halyard on the Boards of EducationDynamics, Engauge and WMI and previously served on the Board of TRANZACT, prior to Halyard's sale of that Company. Before joining the Fund, Mr. Barnes was an Analyst at Aragon Global Management, a long/short equity hedge fund affiliated with Tiger Management. Mr. Barnes began his career in Morgan Stanley's Media Corporate Finance Group and subsequently worked at Consolidated Press Holdings, a Sydney, Australia based private investment company. Mr. Barnes received an M.B.A with honors from Columbia Business School and an A.B., cum laude, from Harvard University.

Mr. Zoran Basich
Editor, VentureWire

Zoran Basich is the San Francisco editor for VentureWire, a Dow Jones publication covering the venture capital industry. He has written for the Wall Street Journal and for Venture Capital Dispatch, a Wall Street Journal blog. Previously he was the managing editor for the San Francisco Examiner.

Mr. Frank Bonsal III
Partner, New Markets Venture Partners

Frank joined New Markets Venture Partners as a Partner in 2007. He specializes in education and information technology investments. Frank is the lead partner and serves as Board Director for Questar Assessment, Inc.

Prior to New Markets, Frank was a Partner at Bonsal Capital, a private equity firm founded by NEA Co-Founder Frank Bonsal, Jr., and a Managing Partner of Education Capital, an education-centric boutique advisory firm. At Bonsal Capital, Frank managed the firm's education investments and worked in tandem with Bonsal Jr. in numerous direct and indirect investments across a multitude of sectors. Per his legacy duties to Bonsal Capital, Frank remains a Board Director at Moodlerooms, Inc. and shares board observer rights at Spectrum K12 School Solutions and Veran Medical Technologies. Prior to Bonsal Capital, Frank was a K-12 practitioner with over 15 years experience across seven states and three countries.

Frank serves as a Trustee of the Holderness School and is on the President's Advisory Council of Stevenson University. He serves on a variety of grant and education industry-related panels and committees, most notably the National Science Foundation (NSF)and the Education Division of the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA). He also served as Alumni Board President and Member of the Campaign Steering Committee for Vanderbilt University's Peabody College.

Frank graduated with Honors from the University of New Hampshire where he majored in English Teaching and received Master of Education and MBA degrees from Vanderbilt University. He is married with three children.

Mr. Bruce Boyd
Director of Technology, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, Stanford University

Bruce Boyd is Director of Technology at the Stanford Institute of Design, also known as the d.school. Bruce works closely with the Executive Director and teaching staff creating the optimal learning environment by establishing and promoting methods for sharing knowledge, tools, and processes through technology.

Over the last 20 years Bruce has led IT innovation in large law firms such as Cooley Godward, in venture capital at Mobius Venture Capital, and as an IT consultant and with start ups in Silicon Valley.

Mr. Peter Campbell
Partner, Generation Partners

Mr. Campbell joined Generation in 2000 and is focused on deal origination for the Firm and also executes investments in the Education, Media, and Marketing Services industries.

Mr. Campbell has 20 years of experience in finance, marketing and general management. He began his career as an analyst and lending officer at the Bank of New England before leaving to join the private equity industry in 1987 as an associate with Burr, Egan, Deleage with Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Campbell spent seven years in senior marketing and general management roles at Colgate-Palmolive.

Mr. Campbell is a graduate of Middlebury College with a Bachelor of Arts and received his MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.

Mr. Campbell currently serves on the Boards of MedVance Institute and Agility Recovery Solutions. He also serves as a trustee for the Echoing Green Foundation, which provides seed funding for non-profit entrepreneurs, and also serves as a trustee for Computers-for-Youth, which places refurbished computers donated by corporations into the homes of low-income students.

Dr. Milton Chen
Executive Director, The George Lucas Educational Foundation

Milton Chen is executive director of The George Lucas Educational Foundation. Prior to joining GLEF in 1998, Chen was the founding director of PBS's KQED Center for Education, in San Francisco, managing the channel’s television programming, Web content, and outreach services for schools and families.

He has been a director of research at Sesame Workshop, in New York, working on Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and 3-2-1 Contact, and an assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Chen chairs the advisory council for St. Vincent College’s Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and is a trustee of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, devoted to environmental stewardship. His work has been honored by recognition from the Congressional Black Caucus, and he has received the Sesame Workshop's Elmo Award and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Fred Rogers Award.

During 2007-08, he has joined a group of thirty-five Fulbright New Century Scholars working on innovation, access, and diversity issues in education, spending three months in the United Kingdom at University of Edinburgh.

Chen received a bachelor’s degree in social studies from Harvard University and a doctorate degree in communication research from Stanford University. Perhaps most importantly, on his fiftieth birthday, he was named a Jedi Master by George Lucas.

Mr. Christopher Curran
Managing Director, Berkery Noyes & Co.

Chris joined Berkery Noyes in 2004 from his prior role as Managing Director at Eduventures, Inc., a global leader in education strategic research consultancy, where he managed all business development functions, consulted on client growth strategies, and developed the company's consultative sales methodology. Chris brings a wide range of education, management, and consulting experience to Berkery Noyes, including past service as 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.

Chris Curran is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School, where he earned a JD degree. He holds an MA in Economics from Boston University, and earned a BA at St. Lawrence University.

Mr. Mark DeFusco
Managing Director, Berkery Noyes & Co.

Mark DeFusco joined Berkery Noyes in 2006 with long and varied experience in higher education management. He served as Chief Executive Officer/President at Vatterott Education Holdings, a private equity-held for-profit college with 20 campuses in nine Midwest states. In that role, Dr. DeFusco completed numerous acquisitions, launched L’Ecole Culinaire, and implemented significant technological and organizational improvements to support rapid growth.

Prior to that position, Dr. DeFusco served in several management positions with the Apollo Group and opened University of Phoenix’s first campus in the Northeast United States.

Dr. DeFusco serves on the boards of several educational organizations, and is a member of the executive board of the Education Industry Association. Mark DeFusco is a graduate of the University of Southern California (USC) where he earned both a PhD in Education and an MS in Counseling Psychology. He holds a BA from Villanova University.

Mr. Kevin Greaney
President and Chief Executive Officer, Children’s Progress

As President and CEO, Mr. Greaney oversees business development, capital raising, sales and marketing and overall management of Children's Progress, Inc. Mr. Greaney has been with the company since its inception in 1999, and was responsible for assembling the management and technology teams, establishing the Board of Directors and Board of Advisors and negotiating patented technology and licensing agreements with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Additionally, Mr. Greaney was responsible for the company’s strategic partnerships with Educational Records Bureau, Harcourt Assessment, Measured Progress, Pearson, and Sopris West.

Mr. Greaney started and managed several small businesses in the education field over the last 20 years. Prior to co-founding Children's Progress, Mr. Greaney served as Director at the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). He taught at-risk youth in East Harlem and the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. Mr. Greaney was pivotal in the implementation of the internationally acclaimed NFTE Young Entrepreneurs Program in multiple states. He is a member of the Manhattan CEO Software Roundtable, and the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO).

Mr. Greaney is a frequent lecturer on topics ranging from entrepreneurship, education, technology, and regulation. He has appeared on CSPAN and in publications including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. He has been a speaker at education and entrepreneurship conferences. Mr. Greaney is also a frequent guest lecturer at the MIT Enterprise Forum, Columbia University and Teachers College.

Mr. Greaney was a Robert A. Taft Fellow and a Price Fellow. He has been recognized with the Congressional Award Gold Medal for his achievements in public service. Mr. Greaney received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Manhattan College. Mr. Greaney lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.

Mr. Daniel Hamburger
President and Chief Executive Officer, DeVry, Inc.

DeVry Inc. is a publicly-held, global provider of educational services. As the parent organization of Advanced Academics, Apollo College, Becker Professional Review, Chamberlain College of Nursing, DeVry University, Fanor, Ross University, and Western Career College, DeVry’s institutions offer degree and non-degree programs in business, healthcare and technology. These programs serve students in secondary through postsecondary education as well as candidates seeking professional certifications.

Hamburger joined DeVry in 2002 as Executive Vice President, responsible for DeVry’s online operations and Becker Professional Review. He was named President and Chief Operating Officer in 2004, and Chief Executive Officer in 2006.

Prior to DeVry, Hamburger served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Indeliq (pronounced "in-DELL-ik"), now owned by Accenture Learning. In addition, his previous experience includes serving as Division President of WW Grainger's Internet Commerce group, growing revenues from $10 million to over $100 million in one year. Previously, Hamburger started the Internet Services Group for RR Donnelley’s Metromail division, and was responsible for its venture capital investments. He also served as a consultant with Bain & Company in London, Warsaw and Boston.

Hamburger serves on the Chicago Mayor’s Council of Technology Advisors, is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago and The Chicago Club and is also a member of CEOs Against Cancer and Young Presidents Organization.

Hamburger graduated in 1986 from the University of Michigan with bachelor's and master's degrees in Industrial Engineering. In 1990, he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Dr. Jennifer House
Founder and Principal, RedRock Reports

RedRock Reports is led by Dr. Jennifer House, Ph.D. A noted education market leader, Dr. House is a former school district administrator and educational technology innovator. In addition to tenure with the Cupertino, CA school district, she also held executive positions with Apple Computer, Classroom Connect, and other leading K-12 organizations. Under Dr. House’s direction, RedRock Reports has assembled a team of specialists with a broad range of professional experience and industry perspectives.

Mr. Bill Hughes
Director of Business Development and Innovation, Pearson

Bill Hughes is Director of Business Development and Innovation at Pearson. Previously, he led product development for the CourseCompass e-learning platform, managing its growth to over 1.5M users. Bill has been active in new venture creation for software-based businesses, and he has launched and led several internet-based and open source companies. Over the past 20 years he has held senior management, executive and consulting positions at Sapient, Mercer and the Cambridge Incubator. Bill earned his AB from Harvard and his MBA from the MIT Sloan School, where he was a Seley Scholar.

Mr. Scott Jaschik
Co-Founder & Editor, Inside Higher Ed

Scott leads the editorial operations of Inside Higher Ed, overseeing news content, opinion pieces, resources, and interactive features. Scott is a leading voice on higher education issues, quoted regularly in publications nationwide, and publishing articles on colleges in publications such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Salon, and elsewhere. He has been a judge or screener for the National Magazine Awards, the Online Journalism Awards, the Folio Editorial Excellence Awards, and the Education Writers Association Awards. Scott is a mentor in the community college fellowship program of the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media. From 1999-2003, Scott was editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Previously at The Chronicle, he held numerous other positions and his reporting work was honored by Investigative Reporters and Editors and The Washington Monthly. Scott grew up in Rochester, N.Y., and graduated from Cornell University in 1985. He lives in Washington.

Dr. Paul Kim
Chief Technology Officer, Stanford University School of Education

Dr. Kim has been leading various academic technology initiatives and teaching graduate courses related to digital innovations in education since 2001. He is currently one of leading researchers for Programmable Open Mobile Internet, an NSF project to develop and evaluate a ubiquitous wireless mobile computing model creating a completely programmable open mobile Internet for K-20 students to engage in creative and inspiring discoveries and explorations in various formal and informal learning scenarios. He is also working with numerous international organizations in developing mobile empowerment solutions for extremely underserved communities in developing countries. In addition, he advises investment bankers and technology ventures focused on e-learning, knowledge management, and mobile communication solutions. He has a Ph.D. degree in Educational Technology and previously served as Chairman of the Board for Intercultural Institute of California, Executive Director of Information Technology for University of Phoenix, and Vice President & CIO for Vatterott College.

Mr. Christopher Liedel
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, National Geographic Society

Christopher A. Liedel is executive vice president and chief financial officer for the National Geographic Society. In this position he is responsible for financial administration and reporting, overseeing more than $1 billion in investments, as well as information services, systems and technology, distribution and facilities management, manufacturing, distribution, photographic processing and operating infrastructure.

Prior to becoming chief financial officer in 1997, Liedel served as the National Geographic Society's vice president for strategic planning. From 1991 to 1996 he held several positions at Ringier America, Chicago, ending as senior vice president of operations. Liedel was also general manager of America Signature Technologies in Atlanta from 1988 to 1991.

He is chair of the National Philanthropic Trust and chairs the investment committee, overseeing $700 million in investments. He serves as member of the nominating committee of the United States Golf Association. He chairs the Glimpse board and is a member of the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research, Destination Cinema, Foundational Questions in Physics, Institute for Gravitation and Cosmology and NOVICA.

Liedel earned a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and a master's degree in decision science from Georgia State University and is a Wharton Fellow from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Elizabeth B. Meers
Partner, Hogan & Hartson

Elizabeth Meers is the firm’s education Practice Group Director. Her practice focuses on the representation of educational institutions and other organizations, particularly in matters relating directly or indirectly to federal grants and contracts.

Elizabeth has represented colleges and universities, academic medical centers, school districts, independent schools, and other educational organizations in matters relating to sponsored research, student financial aid, compensatory and special education programs, and other federal grants and contracts. She has litigated against federal agencies as well as counseled clients on compliance with civil rights, privacy, and other federal regulatory requirements. She has represented clients in matters affecting eligibility for federal funding, accreditation, state education licensure, governance, and faculty tenure. She has assisted clients in structuring and obtaining regulatory approvals for new educational initiatives such as distance learning and international ventures. She has worked as education regulatory counsel on numerous transactions involving educational institutions. Elizabeth has also worked with clients in addressing the legal implications of the special mission of religious-affiliated higher education institutions.

In addition to her role as outside counsel, Elizabeth was seconded to an academic medical center on a half-time basis during 1997 and 1998. She served as Interim Executive Director of the National Association of College and University Attorneys from September 2000 through January 2001.

During law school, Elizabeth served as an articles editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. After law school, she served as a law clerk to The Honorable John M. Ferren of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and joined Hogan & Hartson in 1982.

Mr. Shirish Nadkarni
Co-Founder & CEO, Livemocha

Shirish Nadkarni is a successful entrepreneur who is passionate about building great consumer services. As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TeamOn Systems, Nadkarni led a team that built a unique consumer wireless e-mail platform that is in use today by millions of BlackBerry users. TeamOn Systems was acquired by RIM in 2002 for its innovative work which formed the basis for RIM's highly successful launch into the consumer space as the BlackBerry Internet E-mail service. Prior to RIM and TeamOn Systems, Nadkarni was a senior executive at MSN where he successfully drove the product and business strategy that catapulted MSN.com from ninth place to among the Web's top three portal sites. While at MSN, he personally orchestrated the acquisition of Hotmail and partnership with Inktomi Corporation to jump start Microsoft's entry into the two largest internet application categories - E-mail and Search respectively. Nadkarni holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BSE from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Besides work, Nadkarni loves to hold pancake breakfasts and barbeques for his co-workers and is known to have a wicked top spin in ping-pong.

Mr. Adam Newman
Director, Berkery Noyes & Co.

Adam Newman joined Berkery Noyes in 2008 as a Director. Prior to joining the firm, Adam served as Managing Vice President at Eduventures, Inc. a leading strategic market research and consulting firm supporting K-12 and postsecondary education businesses, investors, and colleges and universities. Adam ran the firm's Industry Solutions division which worked with executives to develop and drive corporate and growth strategy initiatives. In addition, Adam and his team also provided M&A due diligence support to strategic and financial investors in the education space, offering recommendations and advice on acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and divestitures. As a long-time Eduventures executive, he also helped direct and implement overall corporate strategy for the firm to support its rapid growth.

Prior to Eduventures, Adam served as a senior manager at the Corporate Executive Board, working closely with corporate strategy executives at Global 2000 companies. Adam began his professional career as a K-12 educator at schools in Boston, MA and New Orleans, LA.

Mr. A. Craig Powell
President and Chief Executive Officer, ConnectEDU

Craig Powell, 30, is the entrepreneurial force and visionary behind ConnectEdu, the nation’s largest "going to college to career" web solution. His passion for ensuring that all families have access to the expertise they need to maximize their educational potential, investments and experiences led Craig to found ConnectEdu. This sense of mission was born from the lack of guidance he received growing up in a working-class family in rural Missouri, in contrast to the attention he gained once he attended a private East Coast high school.

As an undergraduate at Brown University, Craig founded and operated IvyTutors, a tutoring and study-skills company, grounded in the theories of generational mentoring. While operating IvyTutors, he developed a deep understanding for the emotional and financial struggles that families face in the education planning process, regardless of socioeconomic background. Craig’s IvyTutors’ experience convinced him that technology was the only way to meet all students’ individual needs by democratizing access to crucial expertise.

In addition to ConnectEdu and IvyTutors, Craig worked at Nautic Partners, a $2B Private Equity fund. Craig is a graduate from Brown University with a degree in economics.

Dr. Thomas Sawner
President and Chief Executive Officer, Educational Options

Dr. Tom Sawner is the CEO of Educational Options, Inc. (EdOptions), an accredited, Web-based provider of high school and adult education curriculum and the parent company of Blue Ridge International Academy, the nation’s first triple-accredited virtual school. Through its range of quality educational products, EdOptions meets the needs of students and teachers across the nation and around the world with unparalleled customer service and innovative approaches to the toughest learning challenges. In 2006, EdOptions was selected by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as the national "Small Business of the Year."

Dr. Sawner is also the founder of River Oak Associates, which provides organizational improvement, leadership development, and executive coaching, focusing on the link between an organization’s culture and its performance. A frequent keynote speaker, his past engagements include the Young Presidents’ Organization, National Institutes of Health, Federal Training Officers Council, Alaska Railroad, and Northrop Grumman. He has also spoken at national conferences, such as the Federal Quality Symposium, the National Organizational Excellence Conference, the National Dropout Prevention Conference, the National Character and Leadership Symposium, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Summit.

In 2003, Dr. Sawner and his wife, the Honorable Bettina S. Callaway, established a not-for-profit foundation, the Educational Opportunity and Research Foundation. Over the past 5 years, the foundation has provided schools more than $700,000 in matching scholarships, training, and support services.

Prior to retirement from the Air Force, Dr. Sawner was Director of the Air National Guard Center for Excellence. There, he built the business practice for a full range of consultant services for the Air National Guard, including leadership development, executive coaching, quality improvement, and performance planning. In 1995, under his guidance, the Air National Guard Quality Center was selected for the "21st Century Organizational Excellence Award," the first public sector organization to receive this honor.

Dr. Sawner has over 20 years of operational experience as an Air Force fighter pilot and Air Staff Officer. In 1986, he was awarded the Anthony C. Shine Award as the Most Outstanding Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He brings this same determination and focus to EdOptions and River Oak Associates.

Dr. Sawner graduated from Webster Groves High School, Mo. and attended the Air Force Academy, graduating with double majors in economics and management, Dr. Sawner also holds a Master of Aeronautical Science and a Master of Business Administration. He received his Doctorate from the George Washington University Executive Leadership Program in Human Resource Development.

Mr. Nicholas Smith
President, Aplia

Nicholas Smith brings to Aplia over 20 years of experience in education and instructional technology. Nicholas joined Aplia in 2001, and has since helped to build or lead a number of key teams, including content production, customer support, and sales. Before joining Aplia, Nicholas developed and produced online courses for Pensare, Inc., a web-based professional training and development company. Prior experiences include establishing and managing employee computer training programs throughout Europe and the United States for SRI Consulting; providing consulting services for the Alliance for Lifelong Learning, an online educational partnership of Oxford, Stanford, and Yale; and helping to found and grow the middle-school program at Keys School in Palo Alto, CA.

Nicholas holds a master's degree from Brandeis University.

Ms. Maree F. Sneed
Partner, Hogan & Hartson

Maree Sneed’s practice involves advising school districts, educational associations, and private companies in the education sector on a wide range of state and federal legal issues, including those involving the U.S. Constitution, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX, and the Magnet School Assistance Project.

Maree has been involved in litigating on behalf of school districts in both state and federal courts and recently was counsel of record in two Supreme Court cases, Schaffer v. Weast and PICS v. Seattle School District No. 1. She also has counseled school districts on the development of policies and plans for English Language Learner students and racial and sexual harassment. She has assisted school districts in developing court-ordered and voluntary student assignment plans, and magnet plans and policies, including those that comply with the requirements of the federal Magnet Schools Assistance Project.

Maree is on the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and serves as a board member and secretary of the National School Boards Foundation. Before attending law school, she taught at the high school level. She was also a secondary school principal, assistant principal, and supervisor of gifted and alternative programs in the Montgomery County Public Schools.

Ms. Lorraine Sostoswki
Partner, Hogan & Hartson

Lorraine Sostowski represents private and public companies, as well as nonprofit organizations, in connection with domestic and international corporate finance, securities and other transactional matters, including the establishment of joint ventures involving technology transfer and development. Her recent experience includes several private placements of preferred stock, acquisitions and dispositions of businesses, long-term consulting and strategic alliance arrangements, and corporate counseling, including matters relating to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Lorraine practiced at the firm’s Paris office from 1993 to 1995, where she concentrated on international finance and transactional matters as well as technology-related transactions. Prior to her affiliation with Hogan & Hartson, from 1984 to 1992, Lorraine was a partner at two law firms where she concentrated on mergers and acquisitions, in particular leveraged buy-out transactions, and related commercial lending and public and private securities matters. During that time she was involved in approximately 30 transactions ranging in size from $1 million to $1 billion. Prior to 1984, she practiced in Boston, Massachusetts, where she was involved in a variety of corporate transactional and technology-related matters.

Lorraine is a co-author of The Art of M&A, a guidebook to mergers, acquisitions and buyouts, published by Dow-Jones Irwin.

Dr. Mitchell L. Stevens
Associate Professor of Education, Stanford University School of Education

A sociologist of education, Dr. Stevens studies how the organization of colleges and universities affects how societies conceive of individual merit, scholarly accomplishment, and knowledge generally. He is the author of the award-winning _Creating a Class: College Admissions and the Education of Elites_ (Harvard University Press, 2007) as well as multiple reviews of K-12 and higher education systems in the U.S. Stevens also is an expert in the politics of educational quantification and measurement. He currently is pursuing a large-scale project on how U.S. universities are managing globalization. He has lectured on these topics at universities and research institutes worldwide.

Mr. Jason Stoffer
Senior Associate, Maveron

Jason Stoffer joined Maveron as a Senior Associate in August 2007. Prior to Maveron, Stoffer was the Senior Director of Strategic Operations for Career Education Corp., where he co-founded and led admissions and marketing for IADT Online, a for-profit design school offering associate's and bachelor's degrees. At Career Education, he also spearheaded broad initiatives to develop new digital marketing strategies, increase sales force effectiveness and restructure the company's call center operations. Previously, Stoffer served as an associate at Spinnaker Ventures, an expansion stage venture capital fund, focused on investments in information technology, communications and business services. Stoffer holds a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.