Leadership
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Ken Leonard, CEO & Chairman | |
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Ken served as Ignite!'s first CFO & President spending the 21st century's early years criss-crossing continents raising capital for the business. After working with nearly 100 of the country's foremost teaching, learning and digital media experts to design and build a system of engaging, standards-based curriculum specifically for the 21st century classroom, the outcome was a first-ever blend of high-quality music, animation, video, interactives tightly addressing knowledge and skills requirements in subject-matter specific courses. When sales stalled after about $20 million by 2008, Ken implemented a series of tactics designed to get to an eventual tipping point for the adoption of classroom digital content. Ken's current push is to deliver highly customized classroom solutions, like the affordable Torch, which are configured to the state, grade and subject area priorities of local schools and districts. In addition to his role at Ignite!, Ken is partner in a variety of entrepreneurial ventures across industries including software and technology. He started his career as a senior consultant with Deloitte where he focused on emerging business services as a former CPA with a BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. Ken is the founder of a nationally ranked K8 independent school; is the father of two boys where together, with his wife Stacey of 18 years, they live in Austin. |
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Robert (Spike) Blevins, Executive-Vice President of National Sales | |
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Spike joined Ignite! in 2009 bringing more than 20 years of strategic management and selling experience in the education industry. Over the course of his career, Spike has been at the epi-center of the movement for standards-based materials migrating from a textbook format to a more engaging digital content environment. As Regional Vice-President for Voyager Expanded Learning, Spike developed the staffing plans and territories for this software provider's rise from start-up to public company in a few short years. Together with sales and marketing management, Spike focused on working with state, district and building-level administrators on ensuring proper academic program implementation of Voyager products, tracking evidence of successful outcomes by measuring academic achievement progress. Spike began his career in education as the East Coast manager of Barrett-Kendall Publishing, helping this start-up achieve key sales and state-level adoptions for the market's first-ever online, digital textbook curriculum. Spike has been recognized with numerous Outstanding Sales Performance awards as well as participating in a number of community based programs helping youth and the underprivileged. He holds a BBA in Management from Sam Houston State University and lives in San Antonio, TX with his wife of 25 years, Karen, an elementary educator. |
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Paul Clinkscales, Chief Financial Officer | |
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Paul joined Ignite! in 2008 and he manages the company's overall financial processes and related day-to-day HR, accounting and general administration functions. Over Paul's career, he has focused on implementing management information system metrics for executives and Board members transcending basic financial compliance, adding value with sales and operations decisioning. Paul spent a decade with a high growth, high technology products firm, including three years as worldwide CFO in Europe. At Ignite!, he is helping shape our profitable growth, assisting in the analysis of existing and new selling pathways, providing inputs for resource allocation and overall strategy. As an independent consultant and CPA, Paul has assisted scores of market leading media and technology companies' drive to develop and leverage intellectual property across markets including attracting key strategic partners. His experience in media penetration includes Home Video, Cable & Digital licensing and distribution markets. He is also a partner in a music/video studio. Paul began his career with the international accounting firm Price Waterhouse Coopers, working with a range of diverse clients on their accounting, tax and internal control needs. Paul is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Business degree in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. |
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Josh Bohls, Director of Marketing & Sales Operations | |
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Josh joined Ignite! in 2008 as a Regional Sales Manager supervising field Account Representatives and territory plans across a number of states. Josh focused on the Southwest region with 8 direct representatives and 2 inside sales resources. In 2010, Josh was appointed as Director of Marketing & Sales Operations, using hands-on selling knowledge to formulate a practical marketing strategy for Ignite!'s growth. Josh is responsible for developing relevant communications structures for our customers, delivering product details to prospects and leads, and building commercial relationships with the media, selling partners and the education industry. Josh's marketing resources include internal personnel as well as experienced Ignite! media contractors using cutting-edge design and information technologies for a range of programs. In Sales Operations, Josh supervises the performance metrics, tools and processes used to support Ignite!'s sales and fulfillment functions. Over his career, Josh has helped build market share at innovative technology companies such as: TippingPoint Technologies, Hoovers Online, Activant Solutions, ACS Athletics and Seilevel. Josh has a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business. Josh is actively involved in alumni relations and a number of community organizations in Austin. |
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Mike Whalen, Director of Instructional Design and Academic Standards | |
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Mike joined Ignite! in 2000 with a middle grades classroom teaching background, subject matter expertise in Social Studies, and professional training in Curriculum & Instruction. Mike has worked at the center of our product development process interfacing with teams of instructional designers, subject matter experts, correlations & publishing staff, and classroom teachers. Mike has been involved in the process of detailed academic materials construction including scoping state and local academic standards, knowledge & skills script writing, and media template design. As a regular part of design and real world feedback, Mike is routinely involved in QA and on-site, classroom training for administrators and teachers. In 2010, Mike was appointed as Director of Instructional Design and Academic Standards. In his new role, Mike leads the comprehensive re-formatting of Ignite!'s digital interface for grade-level, state specific, standards-driven specificity available for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the USVI. Mike holds his composite Social Studies teaching certificate, a Bachelors Degree from NYU, and a Masters in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Texas at Austin's College of Education. Mike lives in Austin where he is an accomplished performing poet and mentors young writers across the community. |
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Dan Steinhauser, Director of Software & Media Systems | |
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Dan joined Ignite! in 2000 as a software developer prior to the release of our first curriculum product. Dan has since been involved in the progressive development of Ignite!'s curriculum and software architecture across evolving media, hardware and technology platforms. Over the course of his career at Ignite!, Dan has served in management roles as diverse as our Director of Product Development to Senior Systems Architect. Dan now leads the design of innovative tools aimed at fulfilling Ignite!'s continuing promise of delivering teachers with digital content that motivates learning within an on-target; practical structure of what is required for everyday standards-based teaching and learning objectives. Across a range of mediums including school networks, Interactive White Board systems, student response systems and media delivery systems, Dan is pushing Ignite!'s rapid pace for designing and delivering relevant, local, standards-based, digital content solutions that integrate academic priorities and other classroom technologies for a seamless user experience. Dan joined the "pre-release" team at Ignite! due to his desire to apply his software expertise to improving teaching and learning. Dan has a BA from the University of Texas at Austin with an emphasis on Computational Mathematics. Dan lives in Austin with his wife Julie and their children. |