People on the Move
Leadership Changes Announced for Baumgartner, McCulloch, LaRue, Atkins, Revenaugh, Bratcher, Ramos, Loble, Levin, DeMont, Oran
- By Kristal Kuykendall
- 04/17/23
Editor’s Note: THE Journal welcomes submissions about new hires and promotions among ed tech industry executives and K–12 public school administrators in the United States. Contributed news items will be published regularly on THEJournal.com; the archives can be accessed at any time at THEJournal.com/articles/list/people-on-the-move.
To submit news about new leadership and management changes at K–12 ed tech companies and at nonprofits in the K–12 ed tech space, complete the form at bit.ly/EdTechPeopleNews. To submit news about new hires and promotions among K–12 public schools administration, complete the form at bit.ly/K12AdminNews. News releases should be emailed to [email protected].
Brad Baumgartner is New CEO at BookNook
BookNook, a provider of effective high-impact literacy and tutoring solutions for schools and students, has named Brad Baumgartner its new Chief Executive Officer as founder Michael Lombardo transitions to chairman of the Board of Directors.
Baumgartner has served in various leadership roles in education technology, including at Learnosity, Questar Assessment and ConnectEDU. His experience scaling operations and leading growth in domestic and international markets “will enable BookNook to expand its reach, increase its market penetration and achieve greater scale,” the company said in a news release.
Learn more at Booknook.com.
Wilson Language Training Adds Ewan McCulloch and Mario LaRue to Leadership Team
Wilson Language Training has announced the appointment of two new executive leaders: Ewan McCulloch as Chief People Officer and Mario LaRue as Chief Financial Officer.
McCulloch’s international career has included human resources and general management leadership roles, most recently at The Cengage Group and Staples, Wilson said in a news release. He has experience in publicly traded and private equity-backed businesses across a range of sectors including banking and finance, retail, energy, and education technology.
LaRue comes from a long career in finance including over 15 years in the technology industry. Most recently, he served as senior vice president of finance at Bonterra; previously he was vice president of finance of Clarabridge, where he led the organization through a strategic sale worth over $1 billion, Wilson said. LaRue also held management roles at Blackboard.
Learn more at WilsonLanguage.com.
United States Academic Esports League Names Katrina Atkins VP
The United States Academic Esports League, a provider of turn-key academic esports programs for K-12 schools, has named Katrina Adkins, Ed.D., as its new vice president of academic esports, a role in which she is tasked with leading the expansion of the league with a focus on “expanding opportunities for girls in STEM, developing resources for schools and educators, and finding new ways to channel students’ passion for gaming into college and career opportunities,” according to a news release.
Adkins has extensive experience in education and particularly in engaging women and minorities in STEM and esports programs.
Adkins “will work to foster a culture of inclusivity and accessibility within the K-12 esports education space,” the organization said.
The USAEL was formed in late 2022 as a partnership between education experts from Mastery Coding and esports veterans at Rally Cry; its mission is “to help students use their passion for video games to take advantage of opportunities for internships, scholarships, and pathways to high-paying careers in STEM,” the announcement explained. “The three pillars that make up the essence of the USAEL are competitions that engage, curriculum that inspires, and careers that empower.”
Learn more at https://usacademicesports.com.
Connections Academy Founder Mickey Revenaugh Retires from Pearson
More than 20 years since founding Connections Academy, Mickey Revenaugh has retired from Pearson, which acquired Connections in 2001 and expanded as Pearson Virtual Schools. Revenaugh’s retirement from her role as Vice President, International Business Development - Pearson Virtual Schools was effective earlier this year, according to a news release.
Connections Academy was “one of the first platforms to provide online public education with personalized learning for K–12 students,” Pearson said; it now serves over 100,000 students in public and private virtual schools around the world as a part of the Pearson family.
Since 2011, Revenaugh has spearheaded initiatives in blended learning, overseas “innovation academies” and international online schooling, according to a news release. She has served in many roles in education: In the 1980s, Revenaugh helmed first-of-their-kind classroom technology magazines aimed at guiding early integration of computers into teaching and learning, Pearson said.
In the late 1990s, she helped launch the federal E-rate funding program to connect every American school to the internet, the announcement said. Revenaugh serves on the boards of the Aurora Institute, Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School, and the Barbara J. Dreyer Cares Foundation. She holds bachelor’s degrees from Smith College and Yale University, a master’s in creative writing from Bennington College, an MBA in marketing from New York University’s Stern School fo Business, and a certificate in fundraising and nonprofit/public management from Boston University.
Revenaugh’s early career included working as a journalist and fiction writer, and she “hopes to revisit those passions in this next chapter,” Pearson said.