Interschola

The InterSchola team has significant collective experience working with education institutions. The three founding team members previously worked together at Classroom Connect, a for-profit educational technology company based in northern California, providing professional development for educators and web-based curriculum products to K-12 schools. Shortly after the sale of Classroom Connect to Reed Elsevier/Harcourt Inc., the founding management team (with background in business development, strategy, sales and marketing, product development, technology and operations) came together to create InterSchola.

Melissa Rich was most recently Director of Business Development and senior financial manager at Classroom Connect. Rich joined Classroom Connect from Intel Capital, Intel’s strategic venture capital investment arm. While at Intel, Rich’s area of investment focus was concentrated on rich media technologies, ecommerce and content areas including K-12 education. Following the successful investment of funds by Intel in Classroom Connect, Rich joined the Classroom Connect management team. Additional professional experience includes finance, strategy and business development roles at Chemical Bank (now Chase/JP Morgan), Sony Corporation of America and Excite, Inc. Rich is a graduate of Dartmouth College (BA) and The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business (MBA). As President of InterSchola, Rich will focus efforts on strategy, fundraising, organizational development, sales and business development.

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Kelly Pope is an experienced entrepreneur with background in educational technology and interactive software design. Pope was responsible for award winning K-12 product development efforts as Vice President of Engineering at Classroom Connect and Vice President of Product Development at Tenth Planet. With early entrepreneurial experience at two young medical imaging start-ups, Pope became an early pioneer in multimedia software design and interactivity at Electronic Arts, Sun Microsystems and Borland. Pope is also a Founder of the Girls Middle School in Mountain View, CA. Pope holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (specializing in Signal Processing) from U.C. Davis and was one of the first women to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Kevin Lieberman, Technology

As an original member of the InterSchola team, Kevin Lieberman pioneered many of the roles at InterSchola. Prior to joining Rich and Pope at InterSchola, Lieberman was Internet Platform Manager at Classroom Connect and was responsible for management of technology and engineering during two major high profile product rollouts for that company. Lieberman’s other background includes engineering at ABT/Niku creating world class project management software and major ERP systems and other significant consulting engagements.

Dr. Barbara "Bobbi" Kurshan

Dr. Bobbi Kurshan is a long time educator and influential figure in the education market. Kurshan developed the first children’s software products for Microsoft—Creative Writer and Fine Artist—and also created award-winning products for McGraw-Hill, Apple, CCC (Pearson) and others. Through her venture fund Core Learning, Kurshan invested in companies and entrepreneurs who impact learning and the industry. Kurshan recently undertook a new position as the Executive Director of Curriki, a global community for open source curricula. Kurshan currently serves on the board of WorldSage, a for-profit higher education system, Fablevision and a selection of other education technology companies in addition to InterSchola. Among numerous honors, Dr. Kurshan received the Education Academic Society’s Making It Happen Award and the Highest Leaf Award from the Women’s Venture Fund. She is listed in Who’s Who in Technology Today.

Melissa Rich, President & Founder (See above)

Victor S. Rich is a semi-retired Director in McGladrey & Pullen, LLP and a semi-retired Director in RSM McGladrey, Inc. These affiliated companies combined represent the fifth largest national accounting, tax and business consulting firm in the United States. Victor had been the Co-Managing Director-in-Charge and Co-Managing Partner-in-Charge of the tri-state Metropolitan New York Area Economic Unit and had served on the Firmwide Operations Committee. Victor is CPA licensed in New York, New Jersey and Colorado. Victor's professional associations and affiliations (Past and Present) include the Governing Council of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA), the New York State Foundation for Accounting Education (FAE), and President of the Accountants Club of America/Accountants Forum, Inc. Non-professsional affiliations include Chairman of the Environmental Conservation Board for Irvington-On-Hudson, NY, Dartmouth College Alumni Council, Class of 1961 Alumni Class President, Treasurer and Secretary (each a 5 year term), and recipient of the Dartmouth College Outstanding Alumni Award in 1997, an honor shared with recipients such as Robert Frost and Nelson Rockefeller. Besides receiving his Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College, Victor obtained an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

Robert Miyashiro

Robert Miyashiro is a School Services of California Vice President. In addition, he provides consulting services on state mandate issues. Robert also monitors the condition of the State Budget and evaluates developments in the state and national economies. Prior to his work with School Services, Robert spent 22 years in numerous fiscal agencies of state government. He most recently served as the Deputy Director of the Department of Finance, where he was a member of the executive management team. Prior to that, he served as the Director of the Education Finance Division in the Department of Education, overseeing the apportionment of more than $25 billion in state funds to local educational agencies for the Principal Apportionment and numerous categorical programs. Robert has also served the California Legislature directly as a Principal Consultant for the Assembly Budget Committee and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and through the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. In these positions, he was responsible for analyzing the Governor’s Budget proposals for K-12 education and the California Community Colleges. Robert graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science and from Harvard University with a Masters degree in Public Policy.

Lawrence Appell is a senior domestic and international executive to multi-unit, direct-to-consumer service businesses. He has provided operational leadership for turnarounds, growth businesses, and start ups in the for-profit supplemental education/training industry. Mr. Appell has led large geographically dispersed company-owned and franchised operations to grow revenue, profit and customer satisfaction. Mr. Appell is President of the International Division for Mathnasium, one of the fastest growing supplemental education companies in the world. Prior to his assignment with Mathnasium, Mr. Appell was President of Ivy West (a wholly owned subsidiary of Educate/Sylvan Learning Centers), California’s leading provider of one-to-one, premium priced college test preparation. Before joining Ivy West, Mr. Appell served as Division Vice President of La Petite Academy, the 2nd largest for-profit operator of preschool educational centers in the world, where he operated 164 schools in 13 states. Previously he was President of the International Division of Futurekids, Inc, the world’s largest provider of technology education for children, where among other accomplishments, he managed the introduction of the franchised concept to the People’s Republic of China while also building a company-owned operation in Europe and Latin America. Mr. Appell has a B.A in Psychology from the City University of New York and a M.S. in Counselor Education from St. John’s University (NY). He resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Ron Bennett, MBA, CPA

As President and CEO of School Services of California, Ron Bennett brings more than 25 years of experience in public business and finance. Bennett is a recognized expert in the areas of collective bargaining, leadership development, school district governance, and financial management. Bennett previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Superintendent in Long Beach, Fresno, and ABC Unified School Districts. Bennett's consulting experience includes participation in a Management Information and Financial Systems Review for the Oregon Department of Education, an Education Finance Reform Study for the Wyoming Legislature, and scores of school business engagements in California. He is sought out as a public speaker on education issues.

Larry Rosenstock

Larry Rosenstock is Principal/CEO of High Tech High, a charter high school developed in concert with San Diego’s high tech industry, and CEO of HTHLearning, a national network of schools supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Rosenstock taught carpentry for eleven years in urban high schools before serving as staff attorney at the Harvard Center for Law and Education. Rosenstock was also a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and later directed the New Urban High School Project of the U.S. Department of Education.

Leslie G. Polgar, Ph.D.

Leslie Polgar is CEO / Director of Forth Dimension Displays of Dalgety Bay, Scotland/Walnut Creek, CA. Previously, Polgar was the founding President of Eastman Kodak's Display Products Business, where he led the commercialization of the world’s first active matrix organic light emitting diode displays (the industry’s Gold Medal Winner in 2002). Prior to Kodak, Polgar served as President or GM-VP of three high tech firms: Etec Systems, Air Liquide Electronics and Bertram Laboratories. Polgar is a supporter of for profit social ventures.

Donald P. Hutchisonn

Don Hutchison was a pioneering executive at Netcom & @Home and former Chairman and CEO of Work.com (a joint venture between Dow Jones and Excite@Home. Hutchison’s earlier career included distinguished sales and management roles with Pixar, Prime Computer & Data General. Today he is an investor and advisor to a number of net enabled application, service & technology ventures.

Pat Keegan has been involved in California K-16 education for 30 years from the local, state and corporate perspectives. Keegan was a member of the California Department of Education’s staff for over 21 years and held a variety of positions including Assistant Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction. Keegan has chaired various advisory committees established by the California Superintendent of Public Instruction, including the Charter School Advisory Committee and the Business & Administration Advisory Committee. From 1999-2004, Keegan served as the Vice President and Executive Vice President of two education related web-based companies, Epylon and Edusoft.

Kelly Pope (See above)

Matt Levine is an innovative senior level marketing executive and branding expert whose strategic positioning, business development, product development and team building capabilities have earned him prominence in the K-12 e-learning, sports/leisure/ entertainment and consumer goods/services industries. Levine's career includes senior operating roles at Citibank, Scott Paper Company, McKinsey & Co., Pacific Select Corp, the San Jose Sharks, and Reed Elsevier/Harcourt/Classroom Connect. Levine currently directs SourceUSA, a national management/marketing/communications services firm. Levine continues to advise InterSchola’s corporate marketing activities through SourceUSA.

Awards

Team