Skip to main content

1EdTech Staff

1EdTech is a member-based non-profit community partnership with a highly experienced and dedicated core staff who support and facilitate our member activities worldwide.


Rob Abel, Ed.D.
CEO
Dr. Rob Abel is the Chief Executive Officer of 1EdTech, a nonprofit collaboration of the world's leading universities, school districts, government organizations, content providers, and technology suppliers, cooperating to accelerate learning technology interoperability, adoption, and impact. Rob has been the CEO of 1EdTech (formerly IMS Global Learning Consortium, since February of 2006.

Rob is a recognized expert on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for learning with over 40 years high tech and education market development experience. During Rob’s tenure, 1EdTech has experienced dramatic growth in terms of members, revenues, and achieved significant adoption of 1EdTech work by leading regional education communities worldwide. 1EdTech has grown over 17x since Rob became CEO and has risen to become one of the world's best resourced and dynamic standards-setting consortia.

Prior to 1EdTech, Rob was Senior Vice President at Collegis (now Ellucian Managed Services), the leading provider of ICT services to U.S. higher education, where he was responsible for online and academic services provided to over 60 U.S. institutions. Rob is also a seasoned high technology software development, business development, market development and venture investment veteran. As Senior Director at Oracle Education he was a leader and innovator in the development of online learning architectures and related standards. Rob also held executive positions at National Semiconductor, TRW and Hughes Aircraft.

Rob holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Change from Fielding Graduate University, a Masters degree in Management from Stanford, a Masters degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a Baccalaureate degree in Computational Physics from Carnegie Mellon University. Rob was honored with the TRW Chairman's Award for Innovation in the early 1990's for leading advancements in real-time networking and distributed software.
Xavi Aracil
Technical Standards Architect
Xavier (Xavi) Aracil is a technical standards architect focused on Open Badges and Comprehensive Learner Record.

After graduating with a degree in computer science (and later a master's in mobile application development) from the Technical University of Catalonia, Xavi worked in edtech for more than ten years at the Open University of Catalonia, holding various roles from developer to software engineer. While there, Xavi was introduced to 1EdTech standards, which solved how the institution designed and developed applications, and became involved in the 1EdTech community, including being co-chair of the European LTI Group in 2021.

Xavi lives and works in Barcelona, Spain.
Beatriz Arnillas
Vice President of Product Management
Beatriz started her career as an art professor. She became interested in technology as an opportunity to deliver blended and online courses for non-art majors. Subsequent positions included higher education administration (assistant chair, director.) Beatriz switched to adult education when she was Head of Education Production and Outreach at the University of Houston's College of Technology (COT). She developed and managed the COT online and graduate course design team, industry certifications and continuing education programs. After U. of Houston, Beatriz was a Global Sr. Instructional Designer in the oil and gas industry. She returned to education as Director of IT, EdTech for the Houston Independent School District (HISD). After Houston, Beatriz worked in the private sector as the Sr. Global Education Advisor of Itslearning, Inc., and Sr. Instructional Designer in AWS Training and Certification before joining 1EdTech. Beatriz has delivered keynotes and consulted with education leaders in the US, Germany, Norway, South Africa, and China. Before joining 1EdTech as Director of Digital Curriculum Innovation in Oct. 2021, Beatriz designed Architecting and Adv. Architecting on AWS courses in the AWS Training and Certification Org (global AWS training.) Education: Beatriz double-majored in Education and Art at the Catholic University of Peru, and has a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Kentucky.
Sarah Barth
Program Associate
Sarah Barth is a program associate with seven years of instructional expertise who excels at creating programs for learners K- 20. Sarah believes that having specific goals, clear action steps, and meaningful feedback helps bring the learning ecosystem to life. Integrating technology while prioritizing safety and trust is at the heart of program planning to support innovation and a vast community of learners. When not creating programs, Sarah can be found gardening or camping with her husband and four energetic boys.
Talia Brandenburg
Marketing & Events Coordinator
Talia Brandenburg is the Marketing and Events Coordinator for 1EdTech. She is a South Carolina native with a BA in Communication and an MA in Strategic Communication. Talia has 4+ years of successful member retention across various businesses and companies. She is passionate about communication, social media management and believes in accessible education for all.

In her spare time, you can find Talia volunteering at animal shelters and local schools, trying out a new restaurant, or collecting vintage graphic t-shirts.
Katherine Carney
Director of K-12 Engagement
Katherine joins 1EdTech as the Director of K-12 Engagement. Katherine graduated from the West Chester University of PA College of Education and Social Work. With over ten years of experience serving the public sector and education community, she will collaborate with K-12 members to promote the value of interoperability, data privacy, analytics, and accessibility in the modern digital ecosystem.

Throughout her career, Katherine has worked with organizations across the US and internationally on ways to secure information and facilitate digital instruction and learning. As the Senior Director of Inside Sales at SAFARI Montage, Katherine supported districts and partners from implementation through the adoption of the 1EdTech-certified Learning Object Repository. She continued to promote technical standards through her work with Identity Automation, a OneRoster-certified organization with a primary mission to empower education institutions with a secure and connected learning ecosystem, starting with digital identity.

In her spare time, Katherine enjoys skiing the east.
Stella Chen
QA Support Specialist
Stella combines her experience in customer support with technical expertise in quality assurance. She is excited to make a difference in education using skills gained from working in fields such as finance and healthcare.
Mark Christensen, Ed.D.
Product Marketing Director
Mark Christensen has worked in K–12 and higher education in various roles throughout his career from teacher to administrator to marketing communications for both established and startup edtech companies. With over 20 years of experience, Mark helps institutions and software companies navigate today’s dynamic and changing educational landscape. He holds his MBA from Rivier University and his Ed.D. from Plymouth State University/Argosy.
Dylan Clark
Technical Program Associate
Dylan is a technical program associate assisting the technical operations team with website management, technical integrations, research, member-support processes, and the development and support of open interoperability standards.

With over six years working in business management and technical customer support, he also holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida in Sociology with a focus on public health education and community outreach programs. He currently resides in the Tampa Bay Area.
Tim Clark
Vice President, K-12 Programs
As the Vice President of K12 Programs at 1EdTech, Dr. Tim Clark assists schools and districts in the adoption of 1EdTech standards and practices to enable interoperable and secure digital learning ecosystems. He also provides strategic leadership for K12 in 1EdTech in collaboration with K-12 institutional and state department of education members of the consortium.

Formerly, Tim served as the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Digital Learning for Chicago Public Schools where he provided leadership and guidance for teaching and learning through the design and implementation of an equitable districtwide digital curriculum. Tim also served as the Coordinator of Instructional Technology for Forsyth County Schools in Georgia. He has been an educator for 25 years and has taught all grade levels, ESL, and gifted learners. He is the author of the BYOTNetwork blog and has been featured regarding Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) in NBC News, EdTech Magazine, eSchool News, Scholastic Administrator, THE Journal and many other news outlets.

Tim holds a Doctor of Education in Leadership for Learning with a concentration in Instructional Technology, and his research and dissertation focused on designing online learning communities for elementary students. Throughout his career, he has been a vocal advocate for the implementation of instructional technology, digital content, and curriculum in order to increase achievement and motivation, to encourage collaboration, to facilitate critical thinking, and to construct engaging learning environments. 
Tim Couper
Technical Standards Architect
Tim is a technical standards architect with 20+ years of expertise in advanced software integration and infrastructure development across various industries, including Telecommunications, Pharmaceuticals, and Education. Tim is based in the UK and is heavily involved with developing and supporting 1EdTech's standards.
Rob Coyle
Technical Program Manager
As 1EdTech’s program manager for digital credentials, Rob Coyle is committed to expanding the success of digital credentials with Open Badges and the Comprehensive Learner Record Standard to support learning and acknowledge the skills and competencies mastered through formal and informal education and life experiences. Rob recognizes the limitless opportunities that arise from meaningful discussions between education institutions, edtech suppliers, and learning providers to understand the needs of all stakeholders.

Rob brings his experience working with a wide variety of educators and edtech suppliers from K-12, higher education, and corporate training and development. Rob’s career as a teacher and collaborator with other educators allowed him to help learners acquire knowledge and develop new skills through meaningful learning experiences in various disciplines. Rob is an avid supporter of meeting learners where they are and recognizing that not all learning occurs in a classroom with a textbook. These experiences made Rob an avid supporter of the open community, including open-source technologies and open education resources.

Rob graduated from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, with a Master of Education degree focused on education administration and edtech administration.
Karen Daughtery
Director of K-12 Member Activities
Karen Daughtery serves as the Director of K-12 Member Activities at 1EdTech Consortium, where she facilitates program meetings and activities for all K-12 institutional members. Karen works closely with individual members to accelerate the uptake of 1EdTech open standards and practices to enable next-generation digital learning.

Karen began her career in the K-12 setting. While in her position as an Instructional Technology Specialist in Forsyth County (GA), she held various leadership positions at the school and district levels before transitioning into a corporate educational technology role.
Sandra DeCastro
Vice President, Marketing and Higher Education Programs
I have over 30 years of leadership, strategy, marketing, and event management experience in the corporate and education technology sectors, and I love what I do and the industry relationships that I've developed over the years.

In my role as Vice President of Marketing and Higher Education Programs at 1EdTech, I am responsible for leading a talented team of marketing specialists to position 1EdTech as a vibrant member community that is committed to building an open, trusted, and innovative education technology and digital credentials ecosystem to power learner potential. I also have responsibility for managing all aspects of hosting 1EdTech's annual Learning Impact Conference and Digital Credentials Summit. I also have responsibility for providing strategic leadership to assist our higher education members in the adoption and application of 1EdTech's standards to address the most pressing education challenges today and into the future.

Prior to joining 1EdTech in 2012, I served as General Manager of Association and Client programs at Ellucian, where I had overall responsibility for providing strategic direction and management for the company’s participation at industry and user events with a focus on developing productive relationships with the leading higher education associations.

Specialties: Developing industry relationships, branding and identity, marketing strategy, event management, and member engagement.
Tracy Fandel
Senior Director of Finance and HR
Tracy graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, MA in 1994 with a BSBA in Accounting. While attending Northeastern University at night, Tracy worked full-time as an Accounts Receivable Manager at a Newton, MA Thermometry Manufacturing Company. In 1995, Tracy became the Accounting Manager at a Newton, MA Insurance Agent as well as a part-time Accountant for a local car dealership and two gas stations. In 1998, Tracy started consulting for several local and international companies which include: a Boston based Real Estate Company, two Israeli Internet companies, a Concord, MA Antique Dealer, a Boston based Marketing Agency and a Toronto, Canada based Manufacturing company with employees in the US, Canada, Taiwan, Mexico and the UK. In 1999, Tracy started consulting at IMS doing all the Accounting functions. Tracy left 1EdTech for eight months and returned Full-time in January 2001 as the Finance & Administrative Manager. Some of Tracy's functions at IMS include: Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Revenue Recognition, Produce monthly & quarterly Financial Statements, Maintain all Payroll and HR functions, Work with CPA's for the Annual Financial Audit and Tax returns, Reconcile bank and investment accounts, and Maintain all Member records and website access.
Rimun Feidangai
DevOps Engineer
Rimun is the DevOps Engineer at 1EdTech Consortium, and his primary responsibility is to ensure the smooth running of the organization’s systems in Digital Ocean (DO). Prior to joining 1EdTech Consortium, Rimun worked as a Linux System Administrator and a DevOps Engineer for Data Service Group, a consulting company based in Delaware. He is passionate about social enterprise, micro-lending concepts, social policy, and politics. Rimun enjoys playing soccer, squash, and basketball. He loves travelling and has extensively travelled across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and has embarked on a mission to visit as many American cities and states as possible.
Gill Ferrell
1EdTech Europe Program Director
Dr. Gill Ferrell supports the 1EdTech Europe member community. In a career spanning over 30 years, she has managed the implementation of administrative IT systems in higher education and led research and edtech projects in areas such as assessment, learning design, course management, learner records, and learning analytics. She directed a UK-wide support service for Jisc, providing advice, guidance, and training in ICT for further and higher education providers in the UK. As an independent consultant, she has been involved in projects of national significance. For almost 20 years, she has volunteered with EUNIS fostering knowledge exchange and developing communities of practice across European higher education.

Gill holds British and French nationalities and lives in south-west France.
Maria Girard
Manager of Quality Assurance
Maria Girard works as the Manager of Quality Assurance on the software development team at 1EdTech. Her experience before 1EdTech includes product management for an online curriculum program and QA engineering for a startup educational streaming platform.

Maria lives in Denver, Colorado.
Susan Haught
Technical Program Manager
Susan is the Technical Program Manager for Digital Curriculum at 1EdTech. Her passion involves education technology leadership strategies that make a positive impact on teaching and learning, supporting students and teachers to achieve their goals. She has 18 years of academic and technical professional experience working in K12 and higher education, with a focus in education technology leadership, instructional design, IT project management, professional learning, and classroom teaching.

Susan’s unique 360 perspective features diverse professional experience in education technology, including classroom instruction (K12), student support services (Higher Ed), and technology and operations (K12 and Higher Ed). Susan managed the first interoperability program at Houston ISD, managed enterprise IT implementations, and led implementation and operations of a new campus for a Virtual Academy.

She holds an M.Ed. in Education Technology Leadership and a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Blaine Helmick
VP, Software
Accomplished education technology product director with career expertise creating innovative products, services, and content that reach new markets, bring solid ROI, and add tangible value. Combine a BA in Information Systems and an MA in Instructional Design to conceptualize enterprise technology solutions and drive successful development teams. Contribute technology and educational industry knowledge and collaborate with cross-functional teams to synthesize solutions and deliver emerging technologies.
Chris Houston
Learning Software Analyst
Chris Houston joins 1EdTech as a Learning Software Analyst. He brings his experience and knowledge in technology and higher education after working for Capella University (Strategic Education Inc) as a Sr. IT Business Analyst and for eLumen, Inc. as a Sr. Technical Product Owner. Before Capella University, Chris was an analyst with Fortune 500 C.H. Robinson Worldwide and their subsidiary T-Chek Systems where he worked on various complex technical projects in the transportation/logistics and payment card processing industries.

Chris has been a long-time contributor to IMS Global, working on the Competency and Academic Standards Exchange (CASE) specification and the Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) specification, and is a former Co-Chair of the IMS CLR technical workgroup. While at Capella University, Chris worked on projects personalizing the online course room experience for learners and faculty, including the pioneering, self-paced FlexPath program delivery format. He has a passion for learning technology and a penchant for curiosity.

He received his B.A. degree cum laude in Music Composition from St. John’s University.
Kelly Hoyland
Director, Higher Education Programs
Kelly Hoyland serves as the director for higher education at 1EdTech where she works with members to meet the challenges they face in the rapidly growing and evolving digital teaching and learning landscape. This includes working across K-12, higher education, and corporate education to make life achievements more accessible, personalized, and equitable from the start for every learner.

Kelly began her career in K-12 education where she served in roles as teacher, virtual school coordinator, and technology director. She then transitioned to higher education as the Director of Learning & Client Technology Services at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where her department was responsible for supporting academic technology and end user support. Her focus has been to find ways to use technology to support teaching and learning.
Jeanne Imbriale
Vice President, Operations and Member Relations
As the Vice President of Operations and Member Relations for 1EdTech, Jeanne Imbriale’s focus is on creating operational efficiencies, fostering member engagement, and building strong external partnerships.

Previously as the Director of the Office of Enterprise Applications in the Department of Information Technology for the 25th largest school district in the country, her goal was to optimize the use of technology to improve learning for its 115,000 students. Mrs. Imbriale has been recognized nationally for advancing the field of educational technology through numerous invitations to present to expert professional associations. Her work on the creation and execution of data privacy practices and the establishment of data governance structures has served as a model throughout the country. The strategic plan she chartered to ensure her school system’s compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA is highly regarded.

Prior to this, Mrs. Imbriale was the Supervisor and then Coordinator and Professional Growth and Partnerships in the Department of Organizational Development for Baltimore County Public Schools. She was also the Program Manager of the Research and Development team at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education. Mrs. Imbriale has taught graduate-level courses in instructional technology and educational leadership at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. She credits all her work to her strong beginnings in the elementary classroom.

Collectively, for the past 27 years, Mrs. Imbriale has worked to improve teaching and learning, with emphasis on the value of technology. Her lifelong goal is to champion the benefits of technology and assist other leaders in their implementation in school systems across the country.
Cara Jenkins
Marketing Communications Director
Cara Jenkins serves as the marketing communications director for 1EdTech, leveraging more than 20 years of experience in higher education technology marketing. In her role, Cara works closely with 1EdTech staff and members to effectively communicate 1EdTech activities and progress to increase member engagement, recognize member contributions and leadership, and increase awareness of the 1EdTech value proposition to increase market adoption of an open, innovative, and trusted digital education ecosystem.

Before joining 1EdTech, Cara led various marketing programs and initiatives at Ellucian, focusing on defining and tracking program success metrics. As a go-to-market director, she had responsibility for solution messaging, new product launches, awareness, and lead generation campaigns for 15 solutions that spanned three product lines and included several SaaS models and cloud applications. Before her role as go-to-market director, she was the director of events and association programs, tasked with driving the strategic direction of an event portfolio, which at its peak contained over 30 national conferences and had the potential to reach over 25,000 customers and prospects. In addition, she directed all aspects of content development, programming, speaker engagement, and audience acquisition for an 8,000-person global customer conference.

Cara is actively involved as a member of the planning committee for The Women in Tech Summit (Philadelphia), whose mission is to support the community of women currently working in technology and to help pave the way for women and young women who want to enter the industry.

Cara holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from The Catholic University of America.
Alan Lail
Lead Software Engineer
Alan is a Java developer with more than 6 years of experience developing REST-based web applications. He has a penchant for rapid prototyping and iteration, making him an asset to projects that might change and grow unexpectedly.

Before 1EdTech, Alan spent many years working in Healthcare Information Technology. He utilized his skill set to help deliver products and services designed to assist patients in better understanding and navigating the often confusing industry.

Alan resides with his wife Erynn in Durham, North Carolina. He is a lover of cats, motorcycles, music, and enjoys making regular visits to thrift stores on the weekends searching for old and long-forgotten video games.
Michelle Lee
Accounting Assistant
Michelle Lee is an accounting assistant on the 1EdTech team. She has years of experience as a staff accountant and a senior accountant working in private companies.

Michelle graduated from The University of Central Florida and lives in Orlando with her family.
Mark Leuba
Consulting Vice President
Mark Leuba is a technology leader in education with particular expertise in online and competency-based education. Mark's role in 1EdTech is to guide its product management strategy and team, building on the substantial success of the 1EdTech founding team. Prior to 1EdTech Mark provided advisory and strategy services for leading institutions, foundations and proprietary education organizations. Before his consultancy Mark served as Chief Technology Officer for Moodlerooms, a leading provider of open source learning management solutions and as Chief Information Officer for American Public University System where from 2005-2009 Mark led a five year technology plan supporting the online university's unparalleled growth. Before entering education, Mark held IT leadership roles in publishing, financial services and transportation industries. Mark received his B.A. in Business Administration/Finance from the University of Baltimore.
Kevin Lewis
Data Privacy Officer
Kevin is a Marine Corps combat veteran who has served proudly in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom & Operation Enduring Freedom. Kevin made his decision to join the Marine Corps after the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Towers. Kevin served for 8 years  and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant. After the military, Kevin worked in all areas of security and access control systems.

Kevin started his career in education as an IT customer service representative where he was responsible for the break fix process at two high schools. He also held “Tech Tuesday” training where he was able to coordinate with principals and faculty to train them on all district resources. Kevin then moved on to work as an Education Technology Specialist and headed the district’s student data privacy, Internet safety and security initiative. In the two years of heading this initiative, Kevin was able to raise awareness about student data privacy and influence education technology products to improve upon their privacy practices. 
Andy Lulciuc
Senior Software Engineer
I’ve been a backend engineer for about 8 years in a wide range of industries including healthcare, fintech and customer engagement. The majority of my experience has been with building java REST APIs, but I’ve also been involved in different disciplines like security and data science. In my free time, I like to make music and explore the outdoors. I also love traveling and spending time with friends and family.
Lisa Mattson
Vice President, Technical Operations and Special Projects
Having served in various executive roles at 1EdTech, Lisa is currently the Vice President of Technical Operations. Lisa has over thirty years experience in managing, developing, and implementing successful online services, leading cross functional projects and teams, and spearheading business and technical operations for both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Lisa graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in History and a Masters of Library and Information Science. Lisa also has a Masters in Media and Communications Psychology from Touro University Worldwide.
Jacques Menasche
Technical Program Manager
Jacques serves as a technical program manager for 1EdTech Consortium, where he leverages his extensive knowledge of education technology, interoperability, and his ability to deftly articulate complex ideas and technologies to all levels of understanding. Jacques has over 12 years of experience in the education technology industry, where he helped lead the charge for interoperability and seamless integrations.

Jacques began his career in K-12 education, managing district integrations with edtech vendors and identity services. He then moved into the edtech sector, leveraging his experience to help other districts integrate with digital teaching and learning technologies best.

Jacques received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Florida Atlantic University.
Leslie McCafferty
Senior Software Analyst
Leslie has extensive experience developing, enhancing, integrating and supporting database applications.  Most of that experience has been in the educational arena, in both the Higher Education and K-12 environments. 

Leslie holds a Bachelor of Arts from Bryn Mawr College and Master of Science in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
 
Joshua McGhee
Senior Technical Program Manager
Joshua McGhee serves as Senior Technical Program Manager for 1EdTech Consortium, leveraging more than 15 years of experience in technology-related fields. Joshua serves as the TPM for OneRoster, LTI, Edu-API, Caliper, and OpenVideo. In that role, he oversees the development, promotion, and support of various integral EdTech interoperability standards.

Prior to joining IMS Josh was a senior business analyst with mdsl, a market leader in the telecom expense management field. In that role, Josh was responsible for designing and managing integrations between the mdsl platform's procurement tool and various vendor systems as well as end-user experience through the procurement process.

Originally from the Florida panhandle, Josh currently resides in New Jersey with his wife, his son, and their dog enjoying the turning of the 4 seasons.
Joe Miller
Drupal Developer
Joe is a web developer with almost ten years experience on all types of web applications. He’s worked for a variety of institutions including Universities, non-profit organizations and in the corporate world. Joe is passionate about education and enjoys supporting 1EdTech’s continued evolution. He currently resides in California and holds a bachelor's degree from the UW-Madison.
Nora Murray
Public Relations
Nora Murray focuses on public relations and content creation for 1EdTech, working to increase awareness of the brand across all sectors. Nora began her career as an award-winning television news producer before transitioning to public and media relations. Over the past ten years, she worked in communication departments for both higher education and K-12 institutions.

Nora holds a Journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Mike Peppe
Technical Support Analyst
Michael Peppe is a dedicated Technical Support Analyst with a passion for photography and a love for both travel and animals. His career in the Education Technology fields is built on a foundation of solving technical challenges in the K-12 SIS space, having supported both eSchoolData and Infinite Campus Student Information Systems as their in-house OneRoster API Subject Matter Expert. He is committed to lifelong learning and positive contribution to both the tech world and education at large. He's always happy to chat about his motorcycle or his cat.
Lauren Plavnick
Member Relations Analyst
Lauren has been highly member, client, and community-facing throughout her career. With years of experience working in both the nonprofit and association worlds, she loves to solve problems, leave a great first impression, and ensure our members get the most out of their membership. Lauren attended Indiana University and received her Bachelors in Nonprofit Management. She is originally from Wisconsin and now resides in Chicago.
Tyler Pratt
Senior Software Engineer
Tyler is a senior software engineer supporting 1EdTech's TrustEd Apps Management Suite, Certification Suites, Reference Implementations, and related technologies. Previously employed by Cengage Group as a software engineer, he worked on platforms that implemented standards such as LTI. This experience has made him well-informed about the needs of institutions and learners.

Tyler lives in the New York Capital Region with his family. Some of his interests include hiking, running, and board games.
Mark Ramon
Director, Software
Mark is a senior member of the development team, supporting 1EdTech’s long-term, member-driven technology and education goals. He has spent almost 20 years working in edtech as a software developer at The University of Texas and as a project manager and consultant for edtech companies implementing Ed-Fi technologies, as well as for IMS Global as a technical program manager over the OneRoster working group and the development of the 1EdTech program.

Mark graduated from The University of Texas and lives in Austin with his wife and two daughters.
David Robb
Director of Member Engagement
As the Director of Member Engagement, David Robb is responsible for enhancing engagement opportunities and implementing strategies to increase member value and satisfaction.

Before joining 1EdTech, David worked as an Educational Technology Specialist for the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), a federally-operated public school system serving over 66,000 military-connected children worldwide. In this role, he led and supported education technology programs and practices for DoDEA.

Earlier in his career, David served as the Supervisor of Blended Learning for Baltimore County Public Schools, where he led a team in designing and implementing professional learning opportunities to support blended learning best practices and improve instructional practice and student achievement. David began his teaching career as an elementary classroom teacher in the Howard County Public School System. He has also worked as an adjunct instructor at Loyola University Maryland, teaching graduate-level educational technology courses.

David holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Muhlenberg College and a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a Technology Focus from Loyola University Maryland.
Jackson Singleton
Senior Front-End Software Engineer
Jackson began his career in web development working with small businesses throughout his hometown. He continued his work and education while attending college through the University of Houston. Through his 6+ years of experience as a software engineer he has spearheaded the development of projects ranging from simple front-end SPA's to fully integrated monolithic web applications.
Gwen Smith
Director of Professional Development and Certification
Gwendolyn Smith is the Director of Professional Development and Certification at 1EdTech.

Gwen began her career as a high school history teacher and curriculum coordinator. She has over ten years of teaching experience in traditional and asynchronous classrooms. Since 2013, Gwen has served as a training and professional development leader in the ed tech industry. In her work with SAFARI Montage and Identity Automation, she collaborated with districts and state education organizations across the country to drive interoperability and foster seamless, secure digital ecosystems focused on learning outcomes. Building on this foundation at 1EdTech, Gwen works with members taking 1EdTech courses to earn interoperability certification through the TrustEd Apps Certified Leader (TACL) program.

Gwen holds a Masters in Education with a focus in curriculum design and the authentic integration of educational technology into the learning process. She lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where she enjoys cooking, hosts an ad-free food blog, and roots for the Eagles!
Colin Smythe
Chief Architect
Dr. Colin Smythe BSc MIEEE MACM FIET FBCS C.ITP C.Eng

Colin has a degree in Applied Physics (1979) and was awarded a PhD for his work on spread spectrum local area networks (1985); both degrees were from the University of Durham, UK. During the past 40 years he has worked in both the academic and the industrial world. He was a lecturer at the Universities of Durham and Surrey, worked for several years at Logica Ltd., was the founder and managing director of the systems consultancy Hyperion Systems Ltd and is currently a Director and Principal Consultant at Dunelm Services Limited. From 1992-1999 he was a member of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Sheffield, UK where he was Head of Department and Chair of Computer Science. Since October 1999 Colin has been consulting for 1EdTech (formerly IMS Global Learning Consortium). He is currently the 1EdTech Chief Architect and as such he is responsible for the managing the development and maintenance of the full suite of 1EdTech specifications. During the last twenty years he has worked on a number of public and private sector e-learning projects. In 1999 he was made a Fellow of the British Computer Society and became a Chartered Engineer.
Monica Watts
Senior Director of Learning Innovation
Monica serves as a Senior Director of Learning Innovation, providing a voice for K-12 institutions and bringing together technology providers to achieve digital equity and interoperability at scale. Before starting at 1EdTech, Monica had several education roles, including teaching Spanish in High School in Florida and conducting Information Literacy courses as an Academic Librarian in the Engineering and Textiles Library at NCSU. After earning her Masters in Library and Information Science, Monica went to work for the North Carolina State University Library in their Fellows Program. Monica then went to work as VP of Sales for an EdTech supplier. Monica is passionate about helping school districts integrate technology successfully. She graduated from Florida State University and received a Master's in Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida.

Monica currently calls Coastal North Carolina home. She faces the constant, character-building struggle of being a diehard Florida State University sports fan living behind enemy lines. When not advocating for interoperability in K-12, enjoys all the coastal Carolina ethos offers with boating, fishing, and diving.