The LearningMate Podcast

Meet Our Guest David Ferreira, Ed. D, Provost, Charter Oak State College Dr. David Ferreira is Provost of Charter Oak State College, where he drives academic innovation and workforce development through industry-aligned curriculum and stackable credentials. In 2025, he launched the Connecticut Online AI Academy, a statewide initiative advancing AI literacy and practitioner training for Connecticut...

Meet Our Guest Andrew Lippert, Independent Technology Executive and Consultant Andrew Lippert is an independent technology executive and consultant with deep experience leading digital transformation in education and enterprise SaaS. Most recently, he served as Chief Technology Officer at Edmentum, where he led technology strategy, platform modernization, software delivery, and global operations i...

Meet Our Guest Dr. Andrew Shean, Chief Academic Officer | Los Angeles Pacific University Dr. Andrew Shean is a higher education leader and innovator, currently serving as Chief Academic OfficerLos Angeles Pacific University. With a career spanning K–12 and online higher education, he has led large-scale academic transformation initiatives focused on improving student outcomes, expanding access, an...

Meet Our Guest Robert MacAuslan, Vice President of Artificial Intelligence | Southern New Hampshire University Dr. Robert MacAuslan is Vice President of Artificial Intelligence at Southern New Hampshire University, where he works on institutional strategy for AI adoption, governance, and implementation. His work focuses on responsible deployment of AI across higher education, including policy, eth...

Meet Our Guests Claus von Zastrow, Senior Policy Director | Education Commission of the States As senior policy director, Claus oversees Education Commission of the States’ Policy Team and works with his colleagues to promote timely and relevant education policy and research. He has held senior positions in education organizations for 25 years and has spent much of that time helping diverse stakeh...

Meet Our Guests Sagarika Prabhakar, AI and Learning Solution Architect | LearningMate Sagarika Prabhakar, an EDSAFE AI Alliance’s Women in AI Fellow (2025), brings 10+ years of experience in education curriculum development and AI-enabled learning design solutions to the EdTech industry. She has held diverse roles as an English Language Trainer, AI-Conversation Designer, and Instructional Designer...

Meet Our Guest Geordie Hyland, President and Chief Executive Officer | American College of Education (ACE) Geordie Hyland is the President and Chief Executive Officer of American College of Education. Geordie brings extensive industry experience and leads ACE as an accredited, fully online institution focused on delivering high-quality, flexible, and affordable programs in education, business, lea...

Meet Our Guests Christa Goge, Vice President of Learner Engagement Strategies | Penn Foster Group Christa Goge is currently the Vice President of Learner Engagement Strategies at Penn Foster Group. She spent the last 15 years working in tech education with a focus on improving the student journey, starting from admissions through post-graduation. She cares deeply about leadership and fosters an en...

Meet Our Guest Sesha Bolisetty, Senior Vice President of Higher Education Content Operations | Elsevier Sesha Bolisetty is the Senior Vice President of Higher Education Content Operations at Elsevier, where he leads large-scale digital transformation initiatives across global learning ecosystems. With over 20 years of experience in higher education publishing, digital content development, and cont...

Meet Our Guest Julia Caballero, PhD Vice President of Content Strategy and Quality | Penn Foster Julia Caballero, PhD is the Vice President of Content Strategy and Quality at Penn Foster, focusing on transforming content through innovative methodologies. With a rich background in educational development, Julia has previously held positions at Pearson, Sage, and Forester Research, each contributing...

Meet Our Guest Matt Warden, Business Head | LearningMate Double Line Matt Warden is a seasoned leader with extensive experience driving data-driven solutions in the education and workforce sectors. As Business Head at LearningMate/Double Line, he leads a team focused on helping states and organizations unlock the full potential of their data to improve decision-making and resource allocation. In h...

Meet Our Guest Niyoka McCoy, Chief Learning Officer | Stride, Inc. Niyoka McCoy is an accomplished leader with decades of experience shaping academic programs, professional development, and instructional innovation at scale. In her current role as Chief Learning Officer at Stride, Inc., she oversees all aspects of curriculum design, educator professional development, and learning pathways for stud...

Meet Our Guest Dr. Dee Masiello, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs | Northeastern University Dr. Dee Masiello is an experienced higher education leader with over two decades of expertise in academic administration, instructional design, and organizational strategy. As the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies, she leads large-scale academi...

Meet Our Guest Josh Richards, CEO | Boundless Learning Joshua Richards is the CEO of Boundless Learning, bringing over 20 years of experience in technology and education solutions. As former Chief Product and Technology Officer, he led product innovation and enhanced the company’s tech infrastructure. He played a key role in transitioning Boundless Learning into a standalone company, building the...

Meet Our Guest Dr. Laura-Kathryn Neal, National Dean of Colleges and Curriculum | DeVry University Dr. Laura-Kathryn Neal, National Dean of Colleges and Curriculum at DeVry University. With over 20 years of experience spanning healthcare leadership and higher education, she brings a unique blend of academic and operational expertise. Before joining DeVry full-time in 2022, she held leadership role...

Meet Our Guest Dr. Mitchell Colver, Associate Provost for Engagement & Retention | American Public University System Dr. Colver has been working in higher education since 2007, and his early experiences with students shaped his belief in the value of human diversity and potential. As a thought leader in education, he frequently advocates for a more intentional approach to student success—one t...

Meet Our Guest Christie Pang, Co-Founder and Co-CEO | Lirvana Labs Christie is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Lirvana Labs, a leading AI company focused on developing safe, effective learning tools powered by the latest advancements in Large and Specific Language Models out of Silicon Valley. Since the founding of the company in 2022, her work has been deeply rooted and guided by cognitive developme...

Meet Our Guest Lorenzo Vanelli, Content and Learning Senior Manager | Upwardly Global Lorenzo has been working with Upwardly Global since 2021. In his current role, he manages processes to provide internal and external users with up-to-date, efficient, tailored, actionable content and learning resources. He has three degrees from the University of Bologna: a Bachelor’s in Anthropology, a Master’s...

Meet Our Guests Kermit Cook, CEO | Penn Foster Group Kermit is the Chief Executive Officer at Penn Foster Group, a provider of digital and data-driven learning solutions that aim to prepare learners for in-demand skills and jobs. He has over two decades of experience in education, business, and finance. Kermit began his career as a high school physics teacher in St Louis Public Schools with Teach...

Meet Our Guest Doris Savron, MBA, Vice Provost of Colleges, Assessment and Curriculum | University of Phoenix Doris Savron has over 23 years of experience in higher education in a variety of settings including on campus and online. Doris serves as Vice Provost overseeing the strategy for University of Phoenix Colleges, program and curriculum design, institutional assessment, and faculty performanc...

Meet Our Guest Kristen DiCerbo, Chief Learning Officer | Khan Academy Kristen leads the teaching and learning strategy for Khan Academy and works to ensure a consistent research-based pedagogical approach across their offerings. This includes leading the content, product management, design, and customer support teams and, most recently - the launch of Khanmigo. Throughout her career, Kristen has f...

Meet Our Guest Rachel Leintz, Former Director of Learning Design | LearningMate Rachel Leintz has nearly 15 years of experience working in education, 10 of those years working directly with instructional and learning design. She studied English, Biology, and Psychology and has a Bachelor's from Tulane University and a Master's in Forensic Science with a Crime Scene Concentration. Rachel has owned...

Meet Our Guest Stuart Vanorny, Associate Vice President of Learning Design | LearningMate At LearningMate, Stuart oversees the creation of courses and content for colleges, universities, non-profits, and corporate partners across the country. Stuart has over 25 years of experience in K-12 and higher education leadership, instructional design, and educational technology. Previously, Stuart was the...

Meet Our Guests Jayne C. Lammers, Ph. D., Director of Learning Design | Edmentum Dr. Jayne Lammers is a respected lecturer and researcher and an expert in Learning Design, pedagogy, and E-Learning, committed to designing for equitable and empowering learning opportunities. She began her career in education teaching middle school and high school English, language arts and reading. She went on to at...

Meet Our Guests Thomas Hidber, Head of Educational Development | University of Zurich Dr. Thomas holds a PhD from the University of Bern (Switzerland); he taught Classics for more than 12 years at the Universities of Bern and Göttingen (Germany), where he did a postdoc and then worked as a project officer in the context of the German Excellence Initiative. Back in Switzerland, he took over the man...