People on the Move: Prentice, Ogden-Reese, Irwin, Cluver, Anderson, Myrie, Wilson, Kozyra, Yates, Kelsey, Sowin

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 05/31/23

Editor’s Note: 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].

Pearson Appoints Tony Prentice Chief Product Officer

Pearson has named Tony Prentice as Chief Product Officer and co-president of its Direct to Consumer division, according to a news release. 

Prentice will oversee the development of the company's product strategies and roadmaps, Pearson said. Prentice’s career experience spans over 25 years in product management including at American Express and Starbucks. Prentice most recently served as Chief Product Officer at SEMA4, a health intelligence company.

Prentice holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a bachelor of science from Cornell University in Mechanical Engineering. He will be based in New York City, the company said.

Learn more at PearsonPLC.com.

Jennifer Ogden-Reese Named Chief Marketing Officer at D2L

D2L recently announced the appointment of Jennifer Ogden-Reese to its Chief Marketing Officer position, according to a news release. Most recently the CMO at ed tech provider 2U, Ogden-Reese has led customer marketing and strategy for more than 20 years, D2L said. 

Previously, Ogden-Reese served as CMO at live event ticketing provider SeatGeek. She has also held senior roles at Gwynnie Bee and at Time, where she led a multi-platform consumer strategy for top media brands such as People, InStyle, Entertainment Weekly, and Essence, D2L said.

Learn more at D2L.com. 

Centegix Taps Jon Irwin as New Chief Operating Officer

Safety and incident response technology provider Centegix has appointed Jon Irwin as its Chief Operating Officer, according to a news release.

Irwin has served in leadership roles in customer operations, product development, supply chain, business development, and corporate development for over 25 years, Centegix said. He most recently served as COO and Chief Customer Officer for Amazon’s Ring subsidiary, and he previously held senior positions at Amazon Prime Video, Rhapsody, EarthLink, Boingo Wireless, and Napster, among others.

Irwin holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's Degree in Systems Engineering from the University of California San Diego. He also holds an MBA in Technology/Entrepreneurship from the University of California Los Angeles.

Learn more at Centegix.com.

Megan Cluver Joins United Educators Board 

Insurer and risk management provider United Educators has announced the election of Megan E. Cluver to its Subscribers’ Advisory Board, where she will serve a three-year term. Cluver, a resident of Vermont, is Vice Chair of the Board for the Vermont State College System, and she is a Principal with Deloitte Consulting’s Higher Education practice, according to a news release. 

Cluver brings more than 15 years of experience “working with higher education systems and institutions to identify new market opportunities, redesign operating models, and examine the future of work,” UE said. 

Cluver holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Saint Michael’s College. 

Learn more at UE.org.

Jeremy Anderson New CEO at National Math and Science Initiative

The National Math and Science Initiative, a nonprofit aiming to close opportunity gaps and increase college access through K–12 STEM education, has named Jeremy Anderson as Chief Executive Officer, according to a news release. 

Anderson’s 25-plus years of education policy work, including 10 years as president of the Education Commission of the States, and his career emphasis on “educational equity and excellence will help NMSI elevate its mission-critical work in ensuring that all students reach their highest potential,” the organization said. 

Anderson will begin his new role on August 14, 2023, succeeding veteran astronaut, STEM education advocate and founding NMSI board member Bernard A. Harris Jr., who has served as CEO for the past four years.

As CEO of NMSI, Anderson will lead the organization's strategic partnerships by engaging key education stakeholders to drive the next chapter of growth. Throughout his career, NMSI said, Anderson “has provided strategic leadership on education policy design and implementation through multiple projects with national policy organizations such as the National Governors Association, Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Conference of State Legislatures … and has played a vital role in state and federal education initiatives.” 

Learn more at NMS.org.

Jermaine Myrie Joins Mentor as New CEO

Mentor has appointed Jermaine Myrie as the organization’s new chief executive officer, effective April 24, according to a news release. 

Myrie most recently served as chief external affairs officer of uAspire; he brings “deep experience in education, business development, fundraising, and external affairs” to his new role, Mentor said.

Myrie began his career as a middle school English teacher and has since served in numerous leadership positions in corporate and nonprofit organizations. For the past six years, Myrie led various teams at uAspire, a nonprofit focused on providing young people with financial information and resources to find an affordable path to and through college, according to the news release. He has also held leadership roles at Aetna Student Health, Johnson Controls, and Xerox Corporation.

Mentor noted that Myrie is the first person of color to serve as CEO of the organization. He succeeds David Shapiro, who “successfully led Mentor and the mentoring movement for more than a decade, during which the organization grew its Affiliate network, expanded the scope of its work, and embraced a vision for achieving systems-level change that benefits our nation’s young people,” the announcement said.

“As the lead champion of the mentoring movement, Mentor is committed to dismantling systemic racism and removing barriers to opportunity in our society so all young people can thrive,” said Tara Spann, chief people and strategy officer of Mentor. “To achieve this, Mentor was looking for a change-maker and community builder who could continue to leverage and activate alliances with nonprofits, educators, businesses, and government. Jermaine’s authenticity, relationship-centered approach, strategic acumen, and unique blend of cross-sector experience makes him uniquely suited to build upon Mentor’s existing momentum and drive our strategy forward to achieve greater impact, equity, and growth within the mentoring field. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the team.”

Learn more at Mentoring.org.

BlazerWorks Adds 5 to Clinical Special Education Advisory Team

BlazerWorks, a special education advisory service provider, has announced an expansion of its strategic Clinical Special Education Advisory Team, the company said in a news release. 

“Members of the advisory team will help guide the company’s vision and mission-critical work to evolve, enrich, and elevate the country's special education experience through clinical expertise and special education advisory services,” BlazerWorks said. 

The Clinical Special Education Advisory team’s expansion includes additional speech-language and school psychology experts to support districts facing severe staffing shortages in special education.

New additions to the Special Education Advisory Team include: 

Larin Wilson, M.A., CCC-SLP, Speech Therapy Advisor: Wilson is a speech-language pathologist specializing in special education and supporting students with mild to moderate disabilities and those who are deaf or hard of hearing. She “thrives on equipping districts, therapists, and partners with the knowledge and tools they need to work together successfully and create the best learning environment possible,” the company said.

Mary Kozyra, M.S., CCC-SLP, Speech Therapy Advisor: Kozyra is an experienced speech-language pathologist focusing on pediatric speech sound disorders, language disorders, and literacy. She “is passionate about providing support and resources to speech therapists and education professionals to help them succeed in their current assignments and career.”

Catherine Yates, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, Speech Therapy Advisor: Yates is a speech-language pathologist specializing in feeding and myofunctional disorders and supports students with childhood apraxia of speech. She “enjoys assisting school districts in improving their processes, organizational structure, and workflow … and empowers education professionals to implement the MTSS process effectively to support student success.”

Katelyn Kelsey, M.A.E., M.Ed., BCISE, Special Education Advisor: Kelsey is a special education advisor with a particular focus in education law and policy. She “enjoys advising districts and educators to ensure students receive developmentally appropriate instruction and access to highly qualified and effective teachers,” BlazerWorks said.

Serena Sowin, M.A., LSSP, NCSP, BCBA, School Psychology Advisor: Sowin is a school psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst passionate about providing positive behavior supports and using data to make informed decisions. She “thrives on helping educators implement evidence-based interventions, completing comprehensive IEP and behavioral assessments, and providing conflict management support within multidisciplinary teams,” the company said.

BlazerWorks’ Clinical Special Education Advisory Team works with districts to ensure all students have access to high-quality education amid a critical nationwide shortage of special education professionals. Advisory Team members “work with districts and school-based professionals as a single point of contact to fully integrate clinical expertise into learning environments, enrich therapists and teachers, enhance school staff and staffing programs, and elevate the educational experience,” BlazerWorks said. The service is provided at no additional cost to school districts.

Learn more at BlazerWorks.com.