She Snoops for Scoops: The Personal Side of the EdNET Community

Hey there – happy Friday, everyone! The Snoop had business in Las Vegas this week - all business, I am afraid, but nice to meet up with some friends and meet some new ones, too. I am looking forward to the weekend and hope you are as well, but first, here come your scoops….

While in Vegas, I saw Kathy Hurley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Pearson, who reported she and consultant Deb DeVries had been in town for the weekend for the Miss America Pageant –how fun! Actually, they were there to follow the happenings and root for the beautiful and talented daughter of their former boss and colleague, Rob Kilgarriff, Sr. Vice President, Sales and Marketing for GlobalScholar. As reported earlier, Rob’s daughter Brooke is Miss Minnesota 2009, and I understand she represented her state very well at the pageant this weekend. Kathy and Deb were not only lending their support to Brooke but fulfilling one of their bucket list wishes – to be at the pageant. Kathy reports that they also enjoyed seeing the former Miss Americas and that it motivated them to realize youth can last forever! Check in with Kathy (kathy.hurley@pearson.com ) and Deb (deb@debdevries.com) for all of the details and say hello too to the proud dad at rob@globalscholar.com.

Thomas Squeo, recently Vice President, Strategic Development for Roundbox Global, will next week assume the new position of Chief Information Officer for Measured Progress. In this capacity he will be reporting to the President and assume responsibility for the IS and IT departments. You may know Thomas or perhaps heard him speak at last year’s EdNET conference. He is an information technology professional with experience ranging from developing and delivering Netcentric applications and information distribution systems for the U.S. intelligence community and military, to spearheading Internet strategy, operations and technology portfolio management for major academic publishers. He possesses particular expertise in technical aspects of K-12 testing and assessment. In the past several years he has helped lead a technology consulting group dedicated to developing and delivering educational technology throughout K-20. Thomas has been involved in education projects at multiple levels, from local education agencies to state education departments. His industry experience includes work with both CTB/McGraw Hill and Riverside. At CTB, he served as Director of Internet Strategy, Integration and interim Chief Technology Officer. Additionally, he developed and successfully launched the Navigator Suite of online services. In recognition of his performance, he was awarded McGraw-Hill's Corporate Achievement Award. Thomas has published many articles and white papers and presented at numerous technology conferences nationwide. He belongs to several professional organizations and earned his bachelors degree in business management from Golden State University. A native of Litchfield County, Connecticut, Thomas is eager to return to his New England roots. He and his fiancé Rayleen will relocate to the Dover area. Please join me in congratulating Thomas on his new position at squeo.thomas@measuredprogress.org.

Key Curriculum Press has announced the promotion of Elizabeth DeCarli to Mathematics Product Manager. A former teacher and textbook editor, Elizabeth joins Key's marketing department. She will manage the planning and promotion of Key's innovative math textbook and technology product lines. She joined Key Curriculum Press as a Mathematics Development Editor in August 2004 and was promoted to Senior Editor in 2008 and to Managing Development Editor in 2009. In those roles, she worked on Discovering Algebra, Discovering Geometry, Discovering Advanced Algebra and the Teaching Algebra with The Geometer's Sketchpad online course. Before joining Key, she taught math at James Logan High School, a large public high school in Union City, California. She served as a mathematics technology coach for two years, helping teachers integrate The Geometer's Sketchpad into their geometry classrooms. Prior to teaching, she worked at Computer Curriculum Corporation as a Curriculum Programmer and Technical Specialist. She earned a bachelor's of science in mathematical and computational sciences from Stanford University and a master's degree in mathematics education and teaching credential from the University of California at Berkeley. Congratulations to Elizabeth on her promotion!

FOCUS LLC, a national middle market investment banking firm providing merger, acquisition, divestiture and corporate finance services, has announced that Donald F. Smith, Jr., PhD has joined the firm as a Senior Advisor in its Washington, DC office. He is the President of the Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania (RIDC), the largest IDC in Pennsylvania with an annual budget of more than $40M. Don began his career in economic development with the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce where he was the lead analyst on the state’s economic development strategy -- Investing in Pennsylvania’s Future. In 1995, he joined Carnegie Mellon University to direct the Center for Economic Development and teach in the economic development curriculum. He later became the Vice President of Economic Development for MPC (Mellon Pitt Carnegie) Corporation, a nationally unique model of collaboration on economic development between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon. Don earned his BA in economics at Harvard University and his PhD from the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management. In Pittsburgh, Don is active in a number of boards and community activities, including serving as Vice Chairman of the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County, Chair of the Greater Oakland Keystone Innovation Zone and on the boards of Ft. Pitt Capital Total Return Fund, Idea Foundry, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and The First Tee of Pittsburgh. Congratulations, Don, on joining the FOCUS team!

Achieve announced that Margaret Horn, a former senior education policy advisor to Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, has joined its team in Washington, D.C. As director of state leadership and policy development for Achieve, she will primarily be responsible for overseeing the organization’s work with states in developing, enacting and sustaining college- and career-ready education policies. Prior to joining Achieve, Margaret served as Gov. Bredesen’s chief education policy advisor, leading Tennessee's involvement in the Tennessee Diploma Project, the College & Career-Ready Policy Institute and, most recently, coordinating the state’s “Race to the Top” proposal. She has also worked as a product content manager for Bredex Corp., an educational software company, as a program officer for Tennessee's AmeriCorps and as executive director for a higher education service learning program based at Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies. She holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Vanderbilt University and a master's in medical anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Warm congratulations to Margaret!

Time To Know has announced the formation of an advisory board to provide strategic guidance for the company’s K-12 education efforts in the United States. The Time To Know Educational Advisory Board, which consists of leading K-12 education and technology experts, will offer a first-hand perspective into current educational technology needs and emerging issues for schools and districts. Used successfully in schools across Israel, Time To Know has introduced to U.S. schools a complete, interactive curriculum system designed specifically for classrooms equipped with computers for each student. The 12 inaugural members of the Educational Advisory Board will help the company address critical issues facing K-12 educators, identify and respond to developing trends and evaluate future strategic directions. Educational Advisory Board members include: 

• Dr. Sheryl Abshire, chief technology officer for Calcasieu Parish (LA) School System

• Jennifer Bergland, chief technology officer for Bryan (TX) Independent School District

• Dr. Jim Causby, executive director of the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association

• Alan E. Farstrup, former executive director of the International Reading Association

• Thomas W. Greaves, founder of The Greaves Group and Mobile Devices Trends Watch report editor for the Software Information Industry Association (SIIA) 

• Sharnell S. Jackson, president and CEO of Data-Driven Innovations Consulting, Inc. (DDI) and former chief e-learning officer for Chicago Public Schools

• Carol Mortensen, computer technology integration specialist for Deer Park (TX) Independent School District

• Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL)

• Dr. Alma Rios Rodriguez, administrator for leadership development and educator certification at the Region One Education Service Center in Edinburg, Texas

• Mark Stevens, vice president of NEA (National Education Association) Member Benefits

• Dr. John A. Vaille, chief technology officer for Lake Washington (WA) School District

• Dr. Johnny L. Veselka, executive director of the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA)

What a powerhouse board - congratulations to all!

Our friend, Dr. Sally Ann Zoll, Chief Exective Officer at United Through Reading wrote this week that The United Through Reading® Military Program needs your help between now and Valentine’s Day.  Target is donating $1M to five charities for educational programs, and Sally asks all of us to support military families by voting for United Through Reading! Here’s how it works: Target’s Facebook fan page will allow users to decide how to allocate a $1M donation to five charities in support of education. Each day Facebook users will have the ability to send up to 10 Super Bowl/Valentine’s Day video cards and vote for the United Through Reading Military Program. Here’s how you can help:

- Visit Facebook/target every day through Valentine’s Day and vote for the United Through Reading Military Program by sending up to 10 video cards to friends and family

- Encourage customers, associates, friends and family to do the same

- Place flyers, ads and other Super Love Sender materials on your Facebook page, Intranet, Web page or Twitter feed

- Become a United Through Reading Facebook and Twitter fan

- Remember to vote every day until February 14, 2010

As always, Sally added a note of thanks to you for support of United Through Reading and of our hard working military personnel and their families! You can say hello to Sally at Sally@unitedthroughreading.org.

On Wednesday of this week, APTE, Inc. launched what it calls its most innovative website ever, Schmixer.com. What is Schmixer .com? Sally deVincentis, Chief Executive Officer, says that at Schmixer.com, you can easily turn any digital photo into an online game. There is an egreeting feature for sending your photo game to a friend, a colleague or “your smarty-pants grandkid, neice or nephew”. Schmixer is a new way to pack a lot of fun into a message! Let Sally know what you think about the site at sally@apte.com.

And Robert (Wick) Wickenden, CEO at Jersey Cow, recently worked with the Devereux organization to develop the AutismHandbook.org, a collaborative wiki dedicated specifically to helping children with Autism and their families get access to information and opportunities to join forces concerning the process of “transition” from school to adult life. Check it out! As you likely know, Jersey Cow provides strategy, architecture and implementation for e-learning environments and games, and in-depth problem-solving to publishers, children's media and non-profit providers focused on young learners and the people who serve them. Devereux is a national, non-profit organization providing services around the nation for persons with emotional, developmental & educational disabilities. If you have questions for Wick regarding how he worked with Devereux to design and implement the e-learning games and communities or if you just want to say hello, drop him a note at wick@jerseycow.com.

As reported earlier, nominations for the EdNET Industry Awards program are being accepted now, with all nominations due by March 12th. The program, now in its 18th year, recognizes organizations that have made important contributions to the advancement of the education industry through their products and programs. Finalists and winners are chosen by a panel of judges comprised of industry leaders and will be announced and honored in May in a special EdNET Virtual Awards Ceremony. They will be further recognized in EdNET conference materials and at the conference, which will be held in Boston, September 26-28, 2010.

  * EdNET Impact Award, for positive impact on education

  * EdNET Pioneer Award, for contributing to the growth of a portion of the education market

  * EdNET Rookie of the Year Award, for the most promising start-up venture

There'll be plenty of time to get your questions answered.

For additional information on the program and to sign up for next week's webinar, check out the EdNET Industry Awards information online.

Off to the weekend now! Tomorrow I am hosting a Sip and See (so many things I, until recently, knew nothing about!). It is an invitation to a bunch of my Houston-area friends to come, sip a little hot or cold beverage and see my beautiful granddaughter Makenzie, now 11 weeks old. She is such a delight, and I will be in proud grandma mode. Have some fun with your weekend – till next week….Vicki, the Snoop