People on the Move

New Ed Tech Leadership Roles for Skrzypek, Hearn, Osgood, Nakamoto, Smalls, Starr, and Flucker

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 08/26/22

THE Journal welcomes submissions about new hires and promotions among ed tech industry executives and K–12 public school administrators in the United States. Contributed news items will be published regularly on THEJournal.com; the archives can be accessed at any time at THEJournal.com/articles/list/people-on-the-move.

To submit news about new leadership and management changes at K–12 ed tech companies and at nonprofits in the K–12 ed tech space, complete the form at bit.ly/EdTechPeopleNews. To submit news about new hires and promotions among K–12 public schools administration, complete the form at bit.ly/K12AdminNews. News releases should be emailed to [email protected].

MiEN Company Appoints Krzysztof Skrzypek as VP of Finance

Education furnishings provider MiEN Company has a new Vice President of Finance: Krzysztof “Chris” Skrzypek, the company recently announced.

Skrzypek will “coordinate with MiEN’s business units, vendors, and sales teams to guide the company’s growth and strategic direction as it designs and installs active learning environments that adapt to pedagogical needs,” according to a news release.

Skrzypek most recently served as a sales director for Farmers Insurance Group, where he worked for 17 years in progressively senior positions and collaborated with Farmers’ executive team on planning and execution of Farmers company objectives. Previously, Skrzypek served as controller and financial analyst at Horizon Group Properties in Michigan.

Learn more at MienCompany.com.

VHS Learning Taps Hearn as New AVP of School Services, Osgood as Director of Operations

Online course provider VHS Learning has expanded its operations leadership team as its roster of school partners continues to grow across the United States and 63 other countries, the company said in a news release.

As part of the leadership changes, Alysha Hearn was promoted to Associate Vice President of School Services, and Shannon Osgood is the new Director of Operations, VHS Learning said.

Having served as Director of Operations since July 2021, Hearn will now lead the School Services team where she will lead efforts to “develop new school partnerships and build upon relationships with existing school partners,” the company said.

Previously, Hearn worked with organizations serving the secondary education, higher education, and adult education markets. She holds a master’s degree in Global Studies and International Relations, and a bachelor’s degree in Art.

As the new Director of Operations, Osgood will oversee the Operations team and is charged with conducting program outreach and support for a Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education initiative that will provide Massachusetts high schools with expanded access to online AP STEM courses.

Previously, Osgood taught AP Psychology at Newburyport High School, where she also served as the VHS Learning site coordinator for 13 years. She holds an M.S. in Education and a B.S. in History.

VHS Learning, a nonprofit, enables its school partners to expand their course catalog and offer instructor-led courses that are typically outside the scope of smaller districts’ resources. Learn more at VHSLearning.org.

Discovery Education Names Nakamoto and Smalls to Social Impact Leadership Roles

Discovery Education recently announced two new leaders for its Social Impact Team: Amy Nakamoto, promoted to General Manager of Social Impact, and Jackie Smalls, named Vice President of Social Impact Coalitions.

Nakamoto’s career in social impact began as the Executive Director at DC Scores and America Scores, an after-school nonprofit focused on physical fitness, creative writing and community building. Following stints at St. Andrew’s School as the Associate Director of Advancement and the Meyer Foundation as a Program Officer, Nakamoto joined Discovery Education in 2017, according to a news release.

Since joining Discovery Education, Nakamoto has “elevated the role of multi-sector partnership development to specifically focus on the K–12 landscape,” the company said.

Smalls, a national education leader specializing in STEM K–12 education, returned to Discovery Education for her new role of Vice President of Social Impact Coalitions, where she will lead strategic growth and impact of multi-sector partnerships on critical issues in K–12 education. This includes the STEM Careers Coalition, a national initiative powered by corporate and non-profit leaders and anchored in schools by Discovery Education, and the Social-Emotional Learning Coalition.

Smalls most recently served as Chief Program Officer at Code.org, where she focused on K–12 Computer Science education initiatives. She will continue to serve on Code.org's Board of Directors, according to the news release.

Before joining the team at Code.org, Smalls served as Director of Professional Learning and Education Partnerships at Discovery Education. She previously held various roles in public education in both the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County Public Schools, helped developed Next Generation Science Standards, and served as an environmental scientist in the United States Army.

ICLE Appoints Joshua P. Starr as Managing Partner

The International Center for Leadership in Education, a division of learning technology company HMH, announced that Joshua P. Starr, Ed.D., has been appointed Managing Partner.

An education consultancy, ICLE researches and disseminates best practices for district-wide achievement and is known for helping schools transform.

In his new role, Starr will oversee the organization's strategic direction, working hand-in-hand with ICLE's partners, consultants, and fellows to create “impactful change and growth for students and teachers in districts nationwide,” according to a news release.

Starr most recently served as CEO of PDK International, one of the oldest professional membership organizations for educators, ICLE said. Starr began his career as a teacher in Brooklyn, New York, and has held a variety of administrative and executive positions in urban and suburban districts, among them Director of School Performance and Accountability for New York City Public Schools.

Starr holds a bachelor's degree in English and history from the University of Wisconsin, a master's degree in special education from Brooklyn College, and a doctorate in education from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. A prolific writer and speaker, Starr’s most recent publication is Equity-Based Leadership: Leveraging Complexity to Transform School Systems.

Learn more at LeaderEd.com.

Benita Flucker Named HMH’s New Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer

Learning technology company HMH has named Benita Flucker to the new role of Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, where she will oversee HMH's “commitment to building and delivering curriculum solutions and services that foster a holistic understanding of the world and honor the diverse students, educators and communities HMH serves each day,” according to a news release.

Flucker also will serve as a strategic advisor for HMH’s nine employee resource groups, the company said.

Most recently, Flucker served as senior vice president of the cross-functional Enterprise Development Strategy and Services team at HMH. In 2018, Flucker launched HMH's content equity, inclusion and diversity initiative and became a founding member of Innovation for Equity, whose corporate sponsors include HMH. In 2020, she became the executive sponsor and co-founder of HMH's Black Alliance Employee Resource Group.

Flucker is charged with helping ensure equity in HMH’s curriculum, solutions, and services and with working with internal and external stakeholders such as program authors and advisors to lead the company’s ongoing content equity, inclusion, and diversity projects, the company said.

Learn more at HMHco.com.