Guild Education is on a mission to unlock opportunity for America’s workforce through education and upskilling, with a double bottom-line business model that does well by doing good. Guild works with leading Fortune 1000 employers such as The Walt Disney Company, Walmart, Discover, Chipotle and Lowe's to transform their education & upskilling programs through Guild's technology platform, payments system and learning marketplace.

Education

Guild Education

Chandler Koglmeier is a product and growth executive. Chandler is currently the Vice President at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education), and was previously with TripAdvisor and Craftsy. 

Koglmeier has experience in working at scale, creating value from strategic partnerships, and doing disciplined product development. Chandler also has experience in channel diversification and building teams for the problems of today.

Chandler Koglmeier has a Bachelor of Arts degree from [Middlebury College](/org/middlebury-college).

Chandler Koglmeier

Greg Siegel is the current Chief Business Officer at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to this, they were with Applied Predictive Technologies from June 2010 to May 2019, where they served as Senior Vice President, Go-to-Market. At APT, Greg focused on the go-to-market teams and key efforts to improve the effectiveness and scalability of client-facing functions. This includes leadership of APT's sales function, design of a joint Mastercard-APT go-to-market organization, incubation of new verticals and geographies, and other key initiatives. Prior to APT, Greg was with Varvee from May 2008 to June 2010, where they served as Co-founder & Head of Product.

Greg Siegel is a Jefferson Scholar who graduated from the [University of Virginia](/org/university-of-virginia) with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

Greg Siegel reports to Rachel Carlson, Co-Founder & CEO . A direct report to Greg Siegel is and Claire Morrison - VP, Business Operations. They are on a team with Natalie McCullough - President & CCO, Jessica Rusin - CTO, and Bijal Shah - Chief Experience Officer & Head of Platform.

Greg Siegel

Daniel Wobbekind is the SVP of Legal at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Daniel has over 15 years of experience as a lawyer, including positions as General Counsel, VP - Head of Legal, and Associate General Counsel. Daniel has also worked as an Associate at Cooley LLP and as a Preclinical Associate at [PDL BioPharma](/org/pdl-biopharma). In addition to their work in the legal field, they have also worked as a Research Associate at Source Precision Medicine and as a Summer Associate at Affymetrix, Inc.

Daniel Wobbekind has a Doctor of Law from the University of California, Berkeley - School of Law, a Sc.B. in Biology from [Brown University](/org/brown-university), and is certified as a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E) from the [International Association of Privacy Professionals](/org/international-association-of-privacy-professionals).

and T.J. Crowson - VP, Legal reports to Daniel Wobbekind. Daniel Wobbekind reports to Rachel Carlson, Co-Founder & CEO . Some of their coworkers include Jessica Rusin - CTO, Natalie McCullough - President & CCO, and Bijal Shah - Chief Experience Officer & Head of Platform.

Daniel Wobbekind

Jessica Rusin is the current CTO at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to that, they were the Sr. Director of Engineering at [MobileDay](/org/mobileday) from January 2014 to December 2015. Jessica has also co-founded Evver, where they served as the CTO from September 2012 to February 2014. 

At Evver, Jessica was responsible for leading the development team and setting up server management in AWS. Jessica also developed algorithms that generated videos from photos that were synced to music, which helped Evver secure angel funding. Under their direction, the company doubled user growth month over month. 

At [MobileDay](/org/mobileday), Jessica oversaw all engineering efforts and ensured successful product delivery. Jessica also contributed to product and marketing strategy, helping to grow the [MobileDay](/org/mobileday) brand. 

As CTO at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education), Jessica is responsible for the company's technology vision and execution. Jessica leads a team of engineers to build innovative solutions that power Guild's mission to make education more accessible and affordable for everyone.

Jessica Rusin studied computer science and mathematics at the [University of Minnesota](/org/university-of-minnesota). Jessica earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in computer science with a minor in mathematics.

Some direct reports include Steve Peck - VP, Engineering, Kalyan Nanduru - SVP, Product, and Emily Cellar - VP, Information Technology. Their manager is Rachel Carlson, Co-Founder & CEO . Some of their coworkers include Cherishma Shah - SVP, Go To Market Strategy, Operations & Enablement, Bijal Shah - Chief Experience Officer & Head of Platform, and Lorna Hagen - Chief People Officer.

Jessica Rusin

Chris Mason is the VP, GTM Strategy & Revenue Operations at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to this, they were at Marketo, an Adobe Company, from August 2018 to June 2020, where they were VP, Business Operations (inclusive of Strategy, Central Ops, and Corporate Development). Before that, they were at [LinkedIn](/org/linkedin) from February 2017 to August 2018 as Director, Business Operations. Chris Mason has also been Principal, Corporate Strategy & Development at [Intuit](/org/intuit) from January 2015 to February 2017 and a Case Team Leader at [Bain & Company](/org/bain) from September 2011 to December 2014.

Chris Mason has a MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a BA in Economics from University of California, Los Angeles.

Chris Mason reports to Cherishma Shah, SVP, Go To Market Strategy, Operations & Enablement.

Chris Mason

Brandon Herman is the SVP of Employer Partnerships at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Brandon has over 20 years of sales leadership experience in the software industry. Prior to joining Guild, Brandon was Group Vice President at [Medallia](/org/medallia), responsible for the company's Banking, Insurance, Life Sciences, and Healthcare businesses. Brandon also served as Enterprise Sales Director at both TellApart (acquired by Twitter) and [Decision Lens](/org/decision-lens). At [Decision Lens](/org/decision-lens), they were responsible for growing the company's commercial and federal sales businesses and closed both the largest commercial and federal deals in company history.

Brandon Herman attended the [University of Virginia](/org/university-of-virginia) for their undergraduate degree and [Pace Academy](/org/pace-academy) for their graduate degree.

Brandon Herman reports to Natalie McCullough, President & CCO. Brandon Herman works with Alana Brandes - VP, People Business Partnerships, Mark Rudnick - VP, Academic Partnerships, and Chris Povio - VP, Academic Partnership Sales.

Brandon Herman

Claire Morrison is the VP of Business Operations at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Claire has previously worked as the VP of Out-of-Store Business Unit at [Philz Coffee](/org/philz-coffee), and before that, as the Associate Brand Manager at Big Heart Pet Brands. Claire has also worked as a Management Associate at [Backyard Farms](/org/backyard-farms-llc) and as a Senior Associate at The Parthenon Group.

Claire Morrison graduated from [Amherst College](/org/amherst-college) with a B.A. summa cum laude in Economics. Claire then went on to Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where they received their Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Claire Morrison reports to Greg Siegel, Chief Business Officer.

Claire Morrison

Natalie McCullough is the President & CCO at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Natalie has previously served as the President and Chief Operating Officer at [Domino Data Lab](/org/domino-data-lab), General Manager at Microsoft, and Chief Revenue Officer at VoloMetrix. Natalie has also been involved with Outward Bound California as a Co-Chair of their Board of Directors and was a Board Member at [Cloverpop](/org/cloverpop) from 2014 to 2016. Prior to their work in the private sector, Natalie served as a Senior Executive at ServiceSource from 2006 to 2014.

Natalie McCullough has a MBA from [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school) and a BS in Geology from [Stanford University](/org/stanford). Natalie also attended West Windsor Plainsboro High School.

Some of their coworkers include Bijal Shah - Chief Experience Officer & Head of Platform, Paul Freedman - President & Head of Learning Marketplace, and Jessica Rusin - CTO. Mark Rudnick - VP, Academic Partnerships, Chris Povio - VP, Academic Partnership Sales, and Brian Bohn - VP, Sales report to Natalie McCullough. Natalie McCullough reports to Rachel Carlson, Co-Founder & CEO .

Natalie McCullough

Kalyan Nanduru is the SVP of Product at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Kalyan has over 16 years of experience in software development and product management. 

Kalyan started their career as a software engineer at Qwest Software Services. Kalyan then transitioned to a software development lead at BT. In 2006, they joined Microsoft as a software development lead. While at Microsoft, they won a Microsoft Innovation Award for co-founding a new crowd sourcing product. In 2012, they became the Principal Group Product Manager, responsible for driving the vision and execution for productivity and wellbeing assistance for M365 users through AI powered experiences. In 2020, they left Microsoft to join Google as the Head of Product for B2B Shopping. Kalyan led product strategy and roadmap for a v1 product to help businesses find, connect and transact with each other through ads (google.com) and commerce (shopping.google.com) experiences. Kalyan has been with [Guild Education](/org/guild-education) since 2020.

Kalyan Nanduru is an Indian Institute of Technology Bombay graduate with a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) degree in Computer Science and Engineering.

They work with Emily Cellar - VP, Information Technology, Steve Peck - VP, Engineering. Their manager is Jessica Rusin, CTO.

Kalyan Nanduru

Lorna Hagen is currently the Chief People Officer at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to this, they served as the EVP, Chief People Officer at [iHeartMedia](/org/iheartmedia) from October 2019 to June 2021. In this role, they modernized the $2B organization of 10,000 employees following their public listing. Lorna also led an HR staff of 80 employees and established a change management program. Additionally, they successfully transitioned the company to a work from home model ensuring radio talent could broadcast from their homes while ensuring FCC contractual obligations were met. 

From January 2018 to December 2019, Hagen served as the Chief People Officer at [Namely](/org/namely). And from January 2013 to December 2018, they were the Chief People Officer at [OnDeck](/org/ondeck).

Hagen began their career in human resources in 2003 as the VP, Global Human Resources & Talent Management at Dow Jones & Company. Lorna remained in this role until 2011 when they transitioned to ANN INC (Ann Taylor | LOFT | [Lou & Grey](/org/lou-grey)) as their VP, Human Resources. Lorna held this position until 2013.

Lorna Hagen studied Hotel Administration at [Cornell University](/org/cornell-university) and received their Bachelor of Science degree from there. Lorna then went on to get certification from the Organizational Design Community in Organizational Design, as well as certification from Fierce Conversations in Trainer. Finally, they got their certification from [Cornell University](/org/cornell-university) ILR School in The Modern CHRO Role & Strategies for Success.

They are on a team with Jessica Rusin - CTO, Daniel Wobbekind - SVP, Legal, and Bijal Shah - Chief Experience Officer & Head of Platform. Some individuals on their team include Renee Georgatos - Chief of Staff, People, Malaika Marable Serrano - VP, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Mike McDonald - VP, Talent Acquisition. Lorna Hagen reports to Rachel Carlson, Co-Founder & CEO .

Lorna Hagen

Sarah-Beth Anders is the SVP of Employer Marketing (B2B) and Brand & Creative at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Sarah-Beth has held this position since January 2021. 

Previously, Sarah-Beth was the Director of Product Marketing, Talent Hub, RSC, and DE&I at [LinkedIn](/org/linkedin) from October 2016 to January 2021. 

Before [LinkedIn](/org/linkedin), Sarah-Beth was the Director of Product Marketing and Customer Marketing at Greenhouse Software, Inc. from November 2015 to October 2016. 

Sarah-Beth's career started at Achievers where they were the Director of Product Marketing and Customer Marketing from August 2009 to October 2015. 

Prior to Achievers, Sarah-Beth was an Educational Leadership Consultant for Alpha Phi International Fraternity from July 2008 to June 2009. This was a year-long program. 

Sarah-Beth's first job was with Allan Bonner Communications Management Inc as a Communications Manager from October 2007 to July 2008. This was an internship that was converted to contract work.

Sarah-Beth Anders holds a BA from [Wilfrid Laurier University](/org/wilfrid-laurier-university) in International Development and a Post Graduate Certificate in Public Relations from [Humber College](/org/the-humber-college-institute-of-technology-and-advanced-learning).

Their manager is Natalie McCullough, President & CCO. Some of their coworkers include Mark Rudnick - VP, [Academic Partnerships](/org/academic-partnerships-llc), Brandon Herman - SVP, Employer Partnerships, and John Wall - VP, New Employer Partnerships.

Sarah-Beth Anders

Cherishma Shah is currently the SVP of Go To Market Strategy, Operations & Enablement at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to joining [Guild Education](/org/guild-education), Shah served as the SVP of Go To Market Strategy & Operations at [Brex](/org/brex) from March 2020 to October 2021. Shah has also held positions at Google and [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company). At Google, they served as the Director of Global Business Strategy & Operations from August 2013 to February 2020. At [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company), they were an Engagement Manager from September 2008 to June 2013, where they led teams of consultants, clients and executives to identify opportunities, develop solutions and drive change within leading global companies across multiple industries. Prior to their work at [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company), Shah was a management consultant at [Accenture](/org/accenture) from June 2007 to September 2007, where they developed a market entry strategy for a $50B electronics retailer into the digital entertainment industry. Shah began their career as a Senior Infrastructure Planner at the New Jersey State Department of Transportation from July 2003 to August 2006.

Cherishma Shah has an MBA from The Wharton School, a GD Arch from the Academy of Architecture in Bombay, India, and an MSUP from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation.

Cherishma Shah reports to Rachel Carlson, Co-Founder & CEO . A direct report to Cherishma Shah is and Chris Mason - VP, GTM Strategy & Revenue Operations. Cherishma Shah works with Bijal Shah - Chief Experience Officer & Head of Platform, Natalie McCullough - President & CCO, and Daniel Wobbekind - SVP, Legal.

Cherishma Shah

Mae Podesta is the SVP of Marketplace Operations & Payments at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to their current position, Mae served as the Deputy Executive Director for the Clinton-Kaine Presidential Transition Team. Mae has also held positions as the Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at [Optoro](/org/optoro) and an Engagement Manager at [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company).

Mae Podesta has dedicated their career to developing strategy for leading organizations and expanding their market reach. At [Optoro](/org/optoro), Mae focused on cross-department initiatives in order to prioritize company goals. As an Engagement Manager at [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company), Mae led teams of consultants in market and product growth assessments, customer segmentation, manufacturing network planning, and organizational design for clients in the consumer, animal health, and pharma industries. In their current role at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education), Mae is responsible for the annual and long term strategy development for the organization as well as the execution of key growth initiatives.

Mae Podesta has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Economics and International Relations from [Wellesley College](/org/wellesley-college). Mae also has certification from the Alcohol Education Alliance in WSET II.

Mae Podesta reports to Paul Freedman, President & Head of Learning Marketplace.

Mae Podesta

Chris Povio is the Vice President of Academic Partnership Sales at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Chris has held this position since May of 2020. Prior to their current role, Chris was the Vice President of Sales for Enterprise at [ON24](/org/on24) from January 2015 to December 2015. In this role, they were responsible for leading the sales team and meeting enterprise sales goals. 

Chris has over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing. Chris has a proven track record of success in both startups and large enterprises. Chris is a strategic thinker and an excellent communicator. Chris is passionate about education and its ability to transform lives. Chris is excited to be a part of [Guild Education](/org/guild-education) and its mission to make education more accessible to everyone.

Chris Povio attended [Dartmouth College](/org/dartmouth) and [San Jose State University](/org/san-jose-state-university) before receiving a certification from Dare to Lead. Chris is also trained in Dare to Lead.

They work with Mark Rudnick - VP, [Academic Partnerships](/org/academic-partnerships-llc), Kristen Hamilton - SVP, Strategic Partnerships, and Brandon Herman - SVP, Employer Partnerships. Chris Povio reports to Natalie McCullough, President & CCO.

Chris Povio

John Wall is the VP of New Employer Partnerships at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). John has over 20 years of experience in sales and management. 

John started their career as a secondary school teacher with the Presbyterian Church (USA). John then became a consultant with [Accenture](/org/accenture) for three years before joining [Blackbaud](/org/blackbaud) as an Enterprise Sales Manager in 2004. John was with [Blackbaud](/org/blackbaud) for 11 years and helped contribute to the company’s pivotal milestones during that time. John was promoted five times and managed a team of seasoned sales professionals. In 2015, John left [Blackbaud](/org/blackbaud) to join [Workday](/org/workday) as a Regional Sales Director. John led a team of account executives across the South region representing [Workday](/org/workday)’s entire application portfolio. John was with [Workday](/org/workday) for six years before joining [Guild Education](/org/guild-education) in 2021.

John Wall has a Bachelor's degree in Economics from [Washington and Lee University](/org/washington-and-lee-university) and a certification in Spanish from The Center for Cross-Cultural Study (Seville, Spain). John also has a [Workday](/org/workday) Sales Certification and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the [Project Management Institute](/org/project-management-institute).

John Wall reports to Natalie McCullough, President & CCO. John Wall works with Mark Rudnick - VP, [Academic Partnerships](/org/academic-partnerships-llc), Kristen Hamilton - SVP, Strategic Partnerships, and Brandon Herman - SVP, Employer Partnerships.

John Wall

Chris Garber is the current CFO at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to this, they were the SVP of Finance & Operations at [LiveRamp](/org/liveramp) from October 2018 to September 2021. Before that, they were at [Santa Clara University](/org/santa-clara-university) and [Acxiom](/org/acxiom-corp). At Silver Spring Networks, they were the Director of Financial Planning & Analysis from November 2008 to August 2013. At [Electronic Arts](/org/electronic-arts), they were the Manager of Global FP&A from July 2006 to November 2008. And before that, they were a Financial Analyst at [Applied Materials](/org/applied-materials) from April 2003 to July 2006.

Chris Garber received their BS in Finance from [Santa Clara University](/org/santa-clara-university). Chris then attended the Stanford Executive Program at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Afterward, they completed the Emerging CFO: Strategic Financial Leadership Program also at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Lastly, they participated in the Studies Abroad Program in Florence, Italy at [Syracuse University](/org/syracuse-university).

They are on a team with Jessica Rusin - CTO, Natalie McCullough - President & CCO, and Lorna Hagen - Chief People Officer. Chris Garber reports to Rachel Carlson, Co-Founder & CEO .

Chris Garber

Sveta Dawant is the Vice President of Analytics & Insights at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Sveta previously worked as a Manager at ZS and as a Consultant at ZS. Sveta has also worked as a Research & Development Engineer at S&C Electric Company. Sveta has an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business.

Sveta Dawant has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with Honors from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business. Sveta also has a Managerial Analytics Certificate from [Northwestern University](/org/northwestern-university) - Kellogg School of Management. Sveta Dawant's undergraduate degree is a BS in Industrial Engineering from [Northwestern University](/org/northwestern-university). Sveta also has certification from IBM as an IBM Cognos ICM Certified Specialist and certification from Anaplan as an Anaplan Solution Architect.



Sveta Dawant

Brian Bohn is the current Vice President of Sales at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to their current role, Brian served as Regional Vice President of Sales at BI WORLDWIDE from 2011 to 2020. In this role, they were responsible for leading the go-to-market strategy in Chicago through their team of Business Development Directors. Brian has also served as a Business Development Director and Product Manager at [Verizon](/org/verizon-communications). Brian began their career at [Verizon](/org/verizon-communications) as a Senior Account Manager in 1997. Brian holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona.

Brian Bohn has a MBA in Strategy & Finance from Southern Methodist University - Cox School of Business and a BSBA in Marketing from University of Arizona.

Some of their coworkers include Brandon Herman - SVP, Employer Partnerships, Kristen Hamilton - SVP, Strategic Partnerships, and Alana Brandes - VP, People Business Partnerships. Brian Bohn reports to Natalie McCullough, President & CCO.

Brian Bohn

Julie Chickillo is the VP, Head of Security at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Julie has over fifteen years of experience in the information security, risk and compliance field. Julie has a deep understanding of GDPR, CCPA, ISO 27001, NIST 800-53 and other compliance frameworks. Julie has a proven track record of building and leading effective global teams and has extensive experience with developing secure development life cycles for traditional and devops practices.





Julie Chickillo

Kristen Hamilton is the current SVP of Strategic Partnerships at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to this, they held the position of SVP Strategic Partnerships at [Top Hat](/org/top-hat). Before that, they were with ADURO, Inc. as well as The C100. From January 2019 to August 2019, they were with [Cappfinity](/org/cappfinity) as the Senior Advisor (post acquisition of Koru). Kristen has also been on the Advisory Board for [Madrona Venture Labs](/org/madrona-venture-labs) and on the Board of Directors for HR Benefits Inc. at the Washington Technology Industry Association.

Kristen Hamilton has a Hons. BA from the [Ivey Business School](/org/ivey) at [Western University](/org/western-university), and is a Fellow of CEOs leading wholeheartedly from Leaders In Tech. Kristen also has a CEGEP in Pure & Applied Sciences from CEGEP - John Abbott College.

Their manager is Natalie McCullough, President & CCO. They work with Brandon Herman - SVP, Employer Partnerships, Brian Bohn - VP, Sales, and Sarah-Beth Anders - SVP, Employer Marketing (B2B) and Brand & Creative.

Kristen Hamilton

Malaika Marable Serrano is the Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Malaika has over 10 years of experience in the field of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Malaika has a proven track record in leading Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives in both the private and public sector. Malaika has extensive experience working with employees from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.

Malaika is a thought leader in the field of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Malaika has presented at international conferences, guest lectures, and published articles on the topic.

Malaika Marable Serrano is expected to receive their Ph.D. in 2023 from [Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore](/org/universita-cattolica-del-sacro-cuore) in Italy. Her focus is on internationalisation of higher education. Malaika also has a Diversity and Inclusion Certified Professional designation from [Cornell University](/org/cornell-university)'s School of Labor and Industrial Relations. Malaika has a M.A. in College Student Personnel and Higher Education Administration from the [University of Maryland](/org/university-of-maryland) and a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Psychology from the [University of Southern California](/org/university-of-southern-california).

Malaika Marable Serrano reports to Lorna Hagen, Chief People Officer. They work with Renee Georgatos - Chief of Staff, People, Mike McDonald - VP, Talent Acquisition.

Malaika Marable Serrano

Alana Brandes is the current VP of People Business Partnerships at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to this, they served as the Director of Talent Acquisition and Management at [Conga](/org/conga) from September 2016 to September 2020. [Conga](/org/conga) is a company that specializes in creating more efficient organizations by simplifying and automating data, documents, contracts and reporting. Alana was responsible for leading the talent acquisition and management team that helped the company achieve its goals. 

Before [Conga](/org/conga), Alana worked as a Leadership Recruiter at [DaVita](/org/davita) from July 2013 to September 2016. At [DaVita](/org/davita), they were part of a community of committed individuals who were dedicated to changing the way healthcare was practiced. Alana helped the company achieve its clinical outcomes which consistently ranked above the national average.



Alana Brandes works with Chris Povio - VP, Academic Partnership Sales, Mark Rudnick - VP, [Academic Partnerships](/org/academic-partnerships-llc), and Kristen Hamilton - SVP, Strategic Partnerships. Alana Brandes reports to Natalie McCullough, President & CCO.

Alana Brandes

Paul Freedman is the current President and Head of Learning Marketplace at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Paul has also served as CEO for Practice, Entangled Group, Altius Education, Inc., and [Hobsons](/org/hobsons). Freedman has been in the education industry for over 20 years and has held various positions within the field. Paul has been credited with helping to scale the development of skills that require practice to learn and demonstration to assess.

Paul Freedman attended the University of Chicago, where they earned a Bachelor of Arts in public policy. Paul also holds a high school diploma from CPS.

A direct report to Paul Freedman is and Mae Podesta - SVP, Marketplace Operations & Payments. They work with Bijal Shah - Chief Experience Officer & Head of Platform, Natalie McCullough - President & CCO, and Lorna Hagen - Chief People Officer. Their manager is Rachel Carlson, Co-Founder & CEO .

Paul Freedman

Terrence Cummings is the SVP of Student Services at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to this, they were the Senior Director of Business Development and Growth at [Stride](/org/stridelearning), where they were responsible for the Business Development and Marketing teams. Before that, they were the Director of Business Development at [Traba](/org/traba), where they closed and managed partnerships with over 20 large contractor platforms and employers. Terrence has also served as the Director of Market Operations at AliveCor Inc.

Terrence Cummings has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Colorado Boulder - Leeds School of Business.

They are on a team with Jessica Rusin - CTO, Kate Finnefrock - SVP, Solution Discovery & Learning Operations, and Bijal Shah - Chief Experience Officer & Head of Platform. Their manager is Rachel Carlson, Co-Founder & CEO .

Terrence Cummings

T.J. Crowson is currently the VP of Legal at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to this, T.J. was the General Counsel at [Helix Education](/org/helix-education-inc) from September 2014 to November 2018. In this role, T.J. was responsible for the overall legal function at [Helix](/org/helix) as well as leading the Human Resources department. T.J. was successful in translating their legal expertise into tangible and valuable changes for the company culture and employee welfare. 

Some of T.J.'s notable accomplishments include negotiating complex contracts with [Helix](/org/helix)'s Online Program Management (OPM) customers, resulting in long-term, multimillion-dollar per year contracts. T.J. has also successfully navigated and resolved high-stakes disputes with clients and vendors, always attaining [Helix](/org/helix)'s desired outcomes without resorting to arbitration or litigation.

In addition, T.J. created and implemented licensing models for software and technology transactions, with a focus on SaaS-based solutions. Thanks to T.J.'s efforts, [Guild Education](/org/guild-education) is now able to operate smoothly and compliantly while minimizing risk and maximizing growth potential.

T.J. Crowson has a JD from The University of Texas School of Law and a BBS from [The University of Texas at Austin](/org/the-university-of-texas-at-austin). They also attended Arlington High School.

T.J. Crowson reports to Daniel Wobbekind, SVP, Legal.

T.J. Crowson

Mark Rudnick is the Vice President of Academic Partnerships at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Mark has extensive experience in the education field, having served as the Director of Partner Success at edX, an international marketing manager at Aclipse, and a product and content developer at Chungdahm Learning. Mark also spent time as an education consultant, working with various schools and organizations to develop their educational programs. In their current role at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education), Mark is responsible for developing partnerships with colleges and universities to provide educational opportunities for their students. Mark is dedicated to ensuring that all students have access to quality education and works tirelessly to create innovative programs that meet the needs of today's learners.



Some of their coworkers include John Wall - VP, New Employer Partnerships, Chris Povio - VP, Academic Partnership Sales, and Alana Brandes - VP, People Business Partnerships. Mark Rudnick reports to Natalie McCullough, President & CCO.

Mark Rudnick

Steve Peck is the current VP of Engineering at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to joining [Guild Education](/org/guild-education), Steve Peck held various positions at DHI Group, Inc., The Active Network, and RTP. At DHI Group, Inc., Steve Peck served as the SVP of Software Engineering and was responsible for software engineering of consumer facing web sites along with native mobile applications, content management, platform engineering and internal [Salesforce](/org/salesforce) CRM ecosystem. Steve Peck managed an organization of 100+ Software Engineers, QA Automation Engineers, Architects and Scrum Masters in delivering innovative solutions to market in a cloud native architecture.

At The Active Network, Steve Peck served as the Sr. Director of Software Development and was responsible for the same duties as VP of Product Development at RTP. RTP was acquired by Active Network during Steve Peck's tenure.

Steve Peck began their career at RTP as the VP of Product Development. In this role, Steve Peck was responsible for RTP’s product development strategy, execution, organization and process and the ongoing enhancement and evolution of all the company’s software and web products. Steve Peck led a product development team of 40+ staff with a wide range of skillsets from product management, business analysis, application development, database development, quality assurance and technical documentation resources. Additionally, Steve Peck was responsible for managing continuous enhancement and evolution of enterprise point of sale flagship software product targeting the resort and recreation industry. Under Steve Peck's leadership, the team brought several significant product innovations to market including a new B2C ecommerce product, a B2B ecommerce product, a business

Steve Peck has a bachelor's degree in computer science and electrical engineering from [Brown University](/org/brown-university). Steve also has an advanced program management degree from [Stanford University](/org/stanford). In addition, they are certified as a product management and marketing professional from Pragmatic Marketing, a NICA level 2 coach from the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, and a Certified Product Owner and Scrum Master from the Scrum Alliance. Finally, they are certified in Positive Coaching from the Positive Coaching Alliance.

Steve Peck works with Kalyan Nanduru - SVP, Product, Emily Cellar - VP, Information Technology. Steve Peck reports to Jessica Rusin, CTO.

Steve Peck

Rachel Carlson is the Co-Founder and CEO of [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Rachel is also the former CEO and Founder of Student Blueprint, and has held positions at American Honors, The Parthenon Group, and Romer for Mayor. Rachel has also been an Admissions Associate at [Stanford University](/org/stanford) and a Synchronized Swimming Coach at Virginia Vale Swim Club.



Some direct reports include Greg Siegel - Chief Business Officer, Paul Freedman - President & Head of Learning Marketplace, and Daniel Wobbekind - SVP, Legal.

Rachel Carlson

Geoff Watson is the Senior Vice President at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Geoff has also worked as Managing Partner, Ventures at Entangled Group, Sounding Board, Inc, and [Major League Hacking](/org/major-league-hacking). Geoff's experience in the international education space and their ability to advise companies, institutions, investors, and entrepreneurs on growth opportunities make him a valuable asset to [Guild Education](/org/guild-education).

Geoff Watson has a MBA from The Wharton School and a BA in English from [Dartmouth College](/org/dartmouth).



Geoff Watson

Mike McDonald is currently the Vice President of Talent Acquisition at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Mike has been in this role since September 2020 and is responsible for leading the team that recruits top talent for the company. Prior to joining [Guild Education](/org/guild-education), Mike was the Vice President of Talent Acquisition and Employee Experience at [SiriusXM](/org/siriusxm) + Pandora. In this role, they were responsible for leading the team that recruited and hired employees for the company. Mike has also been on sabbatical from their previous company, Casa McDonald, from September 2019 to August 2020.

Mike McDonald has a BA in International Relations from the University of California, Davis. Mike is also a Certified Professional Coach from New Ventures West. Additionally, they have studied German language immersion at the Goethe Institut - Munich and Holderness School.

Mike McDonald reports to Lorna Hagen, Chief People Officer. They are on a team with Renee Georgatos - Chief of Staff, People, Malaika Marable Serrano - VP, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Mike McDonald

Kate Finnefrock is the Senior Vice President of Solution Discovery and Learning Operations at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). In this role, Kate is responsible for managing cross-functional departments and expanding Guild's current product and operational capabilities. Prior to joining [Guild Education](/org/guild-education), Kate was a Managing Partner and Chief Product Officer at Entangled Group, where they oversaw a 65 person consulting team. Kate has a proven track record in product and process standardization, team development and culture, and sales and execution.

Kate Finnefrock has a Bachelor of Arts from the [University of Pennsylvania](/org/university-of-pennsylvania) and has completed a Leadership for Business Acceleration course sponsored by the Women's President's Organization at [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school) Executive Education.

Some of their coworkers include Jessica Rusin - CTO, Chris Garber - CFO, and Lorna Hagen - Chief People Officer. Kate Finnefrock reports to Rachel Carlson, Co-Founder & CEO .

Kate Finnefrock

Renee Georgatos is the Chief of Staff, People at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Renee has previously worked as the Senior Manager, People Operations & Employee Experience at [Wirecutter](/org/wirecutter) from June 2021 to October 2021, and before that, as the Manager, People Strategy & Initiatives at [iHeartMedia](/org/iheartmedia) from October 2017 to June 2021. Prior to that, they were the Jr. Event Concierge Services Coordinator at Pop2Life: A Condé Nast Agency from August 2016 to September 2017, and before that, they were an Executive Team Leader - Sales Floor at Target from August 2015 to July 2016.

Renee Georgatos began their educational career by obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in English - Writing from [Marist College](/org/marist-college). Renee then continued their education at Lorenzo de Medici in Florence, Italy.

Renee Georgatos reports to Lorna Hagen, Chief People Officer. They are on a team with Mike McDonald - VP, Talent Acquisition, Malaika Marable Serrano - VP, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Renee Georgatos

Mike Berlin is the VP of Portfolio Strategy at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to their current role, they served as the Managing Director of Revenue at Entangled Group from August 2016 to May 2020. Mike has also held positions as the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Macmillan New Ventures and as a Manager of Business Development and Senior Associate in the Media & Entertainment Practice at [L.E.K. Consulting](/org/l-e-k-consulting). In September 2005, Mike co-founded Citadel Property Group.

Mike Berlin has a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School and a Master's degree in Finance from Stockholm University. Mike also attended Greenfield High School.



Mike Berlin

Philip Chang

Tim McDonnell

Shala Lasonde

Cydney Trapp

Justin Bridgemohan

Omair Rana

Bijal has significant experience leading multi-disciplinary technology teams. Prior to joining Guild, Bijal was SVP of Analytics & Data Science at [Ibotta](/org/ibotta), and worked on the Global Corporate Strategy team at Visa, where she was responsible for Visa’s post-IPO organizational restructuring, repricing, and product innovation strategies. Bijal serves on the Board of Directors of Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, an organization focused on inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Bijal holds a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the [University of Pennsylvania](/org/university-of-pennsylvania), and an M.B.A from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Sloan School of Management.

Bijal Shah

John Ohrenberger is the current VP of Strategic Alliances at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). John has held this position since September 2021. Prior to that, they were the Regional Vice President of Channel Sales at [Degreed](/org/degreed) from June 2018 to September 2021. In that role, they were responsible for new hospital sales in the Eastern territory, which encompassed 21 states. 

Ohrenberger has also worked as the VP of Business Development at Pathgather from May 2013 to June 2018. In that role, they were responsible for opening new product markets within the hospital and health system industry. John was specifically focused on increasing revenue from their provider credentialing product in both existing customers and new prospects. 

Ohrenberger is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, and received their undergraduate degree from the [University of Georgia](/org/university-of-georgia).

John Ohrenberger has a BA in Business Administration from the [College of Charleston](/org/college-of-charleston) and also attended Tabor Academy.



John Ohrenberger

Zoe Weintraub is the VP of Solution Design at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to that, they were the Co-Founder and CEO of Opus for Work, which they proudly call a failed startup. Zoe's previous company was focused on bringing more economic opportunity to the low waged hourly worker. They did this by building the Career Platform for the hourly workforce, which included a match-based algorithm that took into account a worker’s schedule, five-year career goals, task based experience, location to reduce commute time/costs as well as a video introduction to be used as a way to expedite the hiring process for the employer and job-seeker.

Under Zoe's leadership, Opus for Work successfully recruited over 2000 job-seekers and increased the industry standard hiring rate for job-seekers from 10% to 90%. They also achieved over 500 hires for the Bay Area market alone. In addition, Zoe and their team developed partnerships with 30+ local government agencies, non-profits, labor organizations, educational institutes including [DeVry University](/org/devry-university). They also successfully pitched and partnered with both Fortune 500 companies, including Walgreens and Sherwin Williams, and hyper-growth startups such as [Instacart](/org/instacart), Caviar, Doordash, [Sprig](/org/sprig), etc. Finally, they raised over $130k from prominent angel investors and were responsible for financial modeling and deployment of capital.

Zoe Weintraub completed a Bachelor of Arts at the [University of Southern California](/org/university-of-southern-california), majoring in International Relations, Entrepreneurship, and Digital Studies. Zoe then went on to complete a Master's degree in International Relations and Political Science at [Sciences Po](/org/sciences-po). Finally, they studied Italian Language at Italiaidea Language University.



Zoe Weintraub

Jason Minyo

Brittany Stich is the Co-founder & Head of Student Experience at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education).

Brittany is an education entrepreneur passionate about changing the current equation of access and opportunity. She sees higher education and workforce development innovation as means to do just that.

Brittany Stich

Emily Cellar is the current Vice President of Information Technology at [Guild Education](/org/guild-education). Prior to this, they served as the Vice President of IT Operations at Angi, Inc. from November 2020 to August 2021. In this role, they oversaw the ePMO and Helpdesk teams for HomeAdvisor & Angie's List.

Before their time at Angi, Inc., Emily was the Director of Project Management at HomeAdvisor from May 2017 to November 2020. In this position, they managed a team of project managers focused on dev & product, finance & accounting, mergers & acquisitions, HR, and legal projects for ANGI Homeservices: HomeAdvisor & Angie's List. During their time as Director, they formalized and launched the organization's first Enterprise Project Management Office (ePMO) in order to provide support and standardization that would suit the startup culture of the business without confining creative professionals to a process that holds back growth and progress.

As a Program Manager, Emily has led many successful projects, including the Segmentation Engine and Multi-Armed Bandit project aimed at automating segmentation and utilizing machine learning to test and provide customized offers and experiences for pros, reducing bad debt, and improving LTV. Emily has also overseen Avaya Telephony projects, including the Avaya upgrade from CM6 to CM8, implementation of a new reporting tool, RSI, that provides cradle-to-grave call data from the PBX & CMS, a corporate-wide rollout of upgraded One-X Communicator & One-X Agent, the implementation

Their manager is Jessica Rusin, CTO. Emily Cellar works with Steve Peck - VP, Engineering, Kalyan Nanduru - SVP, Product.

Emily Cellar

Rachel Lee

Charlotte Rowland

Zane Young

The founding team at Guild Education has experience in many different aspects of education. The CEO and founder used to work at Student Blueprint, and the director used to work at American Honors. They both have experience in different areas of education, which helps Guild Education provide a variety of services. The finance director used to work at Romer for Mayor, so she is familiar with the financial side of things. This experience is helpful in ensuring that Guild Education is fiscally responsible.

Founding Team

About

Team members

Other teams at Guild Education

Leadership Team

CEO and Executive Team

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