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Team6

Rebecca Thompson

Chief People Officer

Rebecca Thompson is the Chief People Officer of Learning Ally. Responsible for providing strategic talent leadership to the organization, she leads and oversees all organizational development initiatives and drives all HR efforts of the business.

Previously, Rebecca held leadership roles in Talent Management and Organization Development within the corporate university of Tabula Rasa HealthCare. She was responsible for translating business and people strategies into enterprise-wide goals and plans through organization design, employee engagement, and change management.

Rebecca has been responsible for creating and leading enterprise-wide initiatives, executive leadership programs, and driving team alignment for CEOs and their teams for over 15 years. Her clients have ranged from small and mid-size companies through Fortune 500 and Global 1000 enterprises driving results in strategy, leadership, and growth.

She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and an MBA from Duke University.

Who We Are

We all have personal stories and motivations that connect us to the Learning Ally mission. Our strength comes from embracing our differences, enjoying and respecting each other, and sharing a passion and commitment to providing equity in education so each student is able to achieve their academic and life goals.

Leadership

"I am truly honored to be a part of this big mission. I believe we can support educators and students through design innovation and agile adaptive methodologies to bring solutions in PreK-12 to scale across the country and prevent students from slipping through the cracks."

David Aycan

Chief Solutions Officer

“I've always had a personal interest in creating equity and access for all learners, no matter where, or to whom they were born. At Learning Ally, we’re doing that.”

Patrick Brennan

Vice President of Government Relations

“After decades of selling to increase investor value, I am thrilled to apply my experience to helping students succeed. Learning Ally is a rare opportunity to work with an equally talented team while changing lives.”

Rob Edenzon

Vice President of Sales

“After decades of selling to increase investor value, I am thrilled to apply my experience to helping students succeed. Learning Ally is a rare opportunity to work with an equally talented team while changing lives.”

Sam Edla

Vice President of Technology

“I see myself in the faces and the struggles of the students we serve. My best day at Learning Ally was being asked by an 8 year old student if she could just give me a hug, because Learning Ally had changed her life. I am proud to be part of an organization that deserves hugs!”

Andrew Friedman

President and CEO

“Because I have dyslexia in my family, I know what it means to struggle to read. I like knowing that we’re making that struggle a little less for our students.”

Cynthia Hamburger

Senior Advisor

“I’ve worked at companies focused solely on profit, but at Learning Ally, when we say that we’re focused on helping students and educators first and foremost, we really mean it. I really appreciate that we’re making a difference.”

Jeff Ho

Chief Machine Learning & Innovation Officer

“A curiosity cap sits atop my head daily. I not only get curious. I stay curious and run headlong into a daily commitment to learn and grow. This curiosity has driven me to smash the literacy divide by sparking a flame of understanding and enthusiasm in others.”

Terrie Noland, Ph.D., CALP

Vice President of Educator Initiatives

“As a child of educators and a former adjunct university professor myself, I've witnessed far too many students with an acute lack of the literacy skills necessary for success in college and career. We're helping them change their trajectories.”

Lee Peters

Chief Operating Officer

“My former students, the educators I’ve worked with, my son and the millions of students who struggle to learn to read, inspire me to do this work. There’s a science to this work of literacy and we need to equip every educator to become literacy leaders, whether they teach Pre-K or Chemistry.”

Missy Sherburne

Chief of Growth and Strategic Partnerships

“My dream is for other diverse populations to stand on my shoulders to achieve more. That’s only possible if I make a concerted effort to remove all obstacles and help pave the foundation through an organization that embraces DE&I.”

Andrew Singleton

National Director of State Initiatives and DE&I Lead

“I believe that the ability to read and grow in one's education is directly linked to one's degree of freedom in life...and what’s more important than that?”

Steve Valvano

Vice President of Great People,
Human Resources

“My work here at Learning Ally feels a lot like "coming home.” Having started my career in the classroom, I've learned how to make the lives of students and teachers a little better. It also allows me to be a part of others' classroom practice through the solutions, software, and instruction we deliver. ”

Heather Wiederstein

Vice President of Solutions Development

“I have the opportunity to create life-changing impact through providing the tools that increase a student's ability to learn. Helping students reach their full potential is absolutely the best use of my time and knowledge.”

Tim Wilson

Chief Financial Officer

“As a Reading Specialist, I’ve always advocated for all learners to develop strong literacy skills to maximize their potential. My work at Learning Ally allows me to continue serving educators so all of their students can achieve that very goal.”

Mona Yoast

Vice President of Educator Success