EIA extends a warm welcome to four new members of the Board of Directors: Lillian Brienza, Scott Drossos, Joseph Olchefske, and Michael Connelly. We also welcome our new committee chairs Beverly Stewart (Mentoring), Dan Ascher (Membership), and Eric Ursich (EDVentures). We look forward to our collaboration and appreciate the efforts of these volunteers.
“I am excited to be part of an organization composed of companies who share my desire to bring quality services to the academic community while building awareness of the diverse entrepreneurs that help to shape and enhance American education.”
Lillian V. Brienza
Lillian V. Brienza is the President and CEO of Brienza's Academic Advantage, a full Academic Solutions Company featuring private learning centers in the New York Metro area. Brienza's Academic Advantage is also a successful SES provider in New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Lillian also directs Brienza's Educare, a not-for-profit company that works with students under grants and special projects. For the past seventeen years, Lillian has provided high quality tutoring to thousands of students, professional development to teachers, and mentoring to many professionals. Prior to founding Brienza's Academic Advantage, Lillian worked with the New York City Board of Education as a teacher and later on as an administrator of programs. Lillian has also been an active member of the Board of Directors of St. Agnes Seminary, Board Member of Montessori School of Mill Basin and Member of the Minority Women in Business.
"I want Educate Online to play, through EIA, a more significant role in the public policy issues surrounding education in general and online/tutoring specifically.
Joseph Olchefske
Joseph Olchefske joined Educate Online in 2010 after distinguished careers in both the K-12 public education arena and the investment banking industry. As EO’s President, he is responsible for leadership of the vision and strategy for expanding EO and the impact of its tutoring services for students throughout the country. Previously, Mr. Olchefske was a Managing Director at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), where he played a lead role in the development of AIR’s School District Consulting Practice. At AIR, his work focused on consulting with large urban school systems and state departments of education in the development of large-scale reform strategies to increase student achievement and eliminate the achievement gap. Mr. Olchefske’s work included major projects for the Oakland Unified School District, the Chicago Public Schools, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the Hartford Public Schools and a number of urban districts in Texas. Prior to joining AIR, Mr. Olchefske served as the Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools from 1998 to 2003. As SPS Superintendent, he served as the chief executive officer of a public school system with 47,000 students, 100 schools, 7000 employees and an annual operating budget of $435 million. During his tenure as Superintendent, SPS students experienced significant improvements in student achievement across every major academic performance measure and significant declines in the dropout rate, the truancy rate, suspension/expulsion rates and in safety/security incidents. Before joining the Seattle Public Schools, Mr. Olchefske spent 12 years as an investment banker in the public finance department at Piper Jaffray, where he served as an underwriter and financial advisor to a wide variety of local governments throughout the Pacific Northwest.
“I have long supported EIA's mission and believe that the political challenges to for-profit education companies are greater today than they've ever been."
Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly is Chief Executive Officer of Mosaica Education, Inc. Mosaica Education manages 90 charter schools, serving 18,000 students in eight states, the District of Columbia, and the Persian Gulf countries of Qatar and United Arab Emirates. Prior to joining Mosaica in 1998, Mr. Connelly had been President of Lepercq Capital Management, a private equity firm, for almost 12 years. For five years before that, he was Executive Vice President of Foster Management Company, a private business development and investment firm. From 1975 to 1982, he was a member of Casey, Lane & Mittendorf, a New York law firm. He taught high school for one year before going to law school. Mr. Connelly is also a board member and former Chairman of the National Council of Education Providers.
"I believe that EIA's mission is focused on many of the pertinent education issues of the day. I hope that my contributions to the Board will help strengthen and galvanize the voice of education business on specific important issues."
Scott Drossos
Scott joined Pearson at the beginning of 2009 as the President of K-12 Solutions. Scott’s extensive experience in a variety of Education businesses will allow the K-12 Solutions to help transition Pearson from a product business to a Solutions business, with a focus on Innovation and helping schools improve. Scott has also been leading Pearson’s national effort to optimize Pearson’s role in the Race to the Top and School Improvement Grant Funding processes. Prior to joining Pearson, Scott was with EdisonLearning (previously known as Edison Schools) for 5 years where he was the Chief Development Officer and Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning, Marketing and Business Development for all lines of business. Scott joined Edison in early 2004 as President of Tungsten Learning. Under Scott’s leadership, Tungsten made significant financial and academic improvements while enjoying unprecedented growth of its customer and enrolled student base. Scott led the rebranding of Edison Schools to EdisonLearning, as well as the strategic acquisition of Provost Systems, a leading Online Learning System provider. Under Scott’s leadership, EdisonLearning experienced unprecedented growth in sales and product development.
Welcome Our New Committee Chairs
Daniel Ascher, Membership Committee Chair
Dan Ascher, M.Ed. is the President of A+ Test Prep & Tutoring in Philadelphia. He has a Master's Degree in Mathematics Education and has been in the tutoring business since 1988. While in graduate school he started tutoring local high school students in their homes. As his business grew, he began hiring other professional tutors to do at-home tutoring. A+ Test Prep and Tutoring began was born in 1992. Today. A+ provides one-to-one tutoring in all school subject areas and test preparation for the PSAT, SAT, ACT and other standardized tests. In addition, A+ provides tutoring services to a number of school districts, private schools, and social services agencies as well as group test preparation courses at local schools. For the past two years, A+ has been an SES provider in Philadelphia, PA.
Beverly Stewart, Mentoring Committee Chair Beverly Stewart, M.Ed. is President/Director/Founder of Back to Basics Learning Dynamics, Inc., a tutoring service for children and adults in over 60 subjects. Back to Basics also operates a private school for K-12 and a business and trade school for adults, both state-approved. Back to Basics began 25 years ago on Beverly’s kitchen table. It has now grown to include school and district, government, corporate, and private contracts in three states. Back to Basics has won numerous awards over the years and has been lauded in the New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Consumers Digest. Beverly has a passion for education and business and derives great pleasure from helping others to succeed.
Eric Ursich, EDVentures Conference Chair
Prior to being selected as Conference Chair for EDVentures 2011, Eric Ursich served the Conference Committee as a member (2008), Strand Captain (2009), and Vice-Chair (2010). Eric is President of Tutor Train, a Colorado tutoring company specializing in after-school math and reading intervention programs. His professional career began with 10 years of service in the United States Air Force as a Russian Interpreter for the Disarmament Treaties. While serving in the air force, he completed his undergraduate degree. Eric returned home to Colorado to complete his MBA at the University of Colorado. While completing his master’s degree, Eric worked at IBM in the Marketing department, where his duties included the planning and management of numerous marketing campaigns and large-scale corporate events. Upon completion of his MBA in January of 2003, Eric left IBM to start his career as an education entrepreneur.
Dan Ascher, M.Ed. is the President of A+ Test Prep & Tutoring in Philadelphia. He has a Master's Degree in Mathematics Education and has been in the tutoring business since 1988. While in graduate school he started tutoring local high school students in their homes. As his business grew, he began hiring other professional tutors to do at-home tutoring. A+ Test Prep and Tutoring began was born in 1992. Today. A+ provides one-to-one tutoring in all school subject areas and test preparation for the PSAT, SAT, ACT and other standardized tests. In addition, A+ provides tutoring services to a number of school districts, private schools, and social services agencies as well as group test preparation courses at local schools. For the past two years, A+ has been an SES provider in Philadelphia, PA.
Beverly Stewart, Mentoring Committee Chair Beverly Stewart, M.Ed. is President/Director/Founder of Back to Basics Learning Dynamics, Inc., a tutoring service for children and adults in over 60 subjects. Back to Basics also operates a private school for K-12 and a business and trade school for adults, both state-approved. Back to Basics began 25 years ago on Beverly’s kitchen table. It has now grown to include school and district, government, corporate, and private contracts in three states. Back to Basics has won numerous awards over the years and has been lauded in the New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Consumers Digest. Beverly has a passion for education and business and derives great pleasure from helping others to succeed.
Eric Ursich, EDVentures Conference Chair
Prior to being selected as Conference Chair for EDVentures 2011, Eric Ursich served the Conference Committee as a member (2008), Strand Captain (2009), and Vice-Chair (2010). Eric is President of Tutor Train, a Colorado tutoring company specializing in after-school math and reading intervention programs. His professional career began with 10 years of service in the United States Air Force as a Russian Interpreter for the Disarmament Treaties. While serving in the air force, he completed his undergraduate degree. Eric returned home to Colorado to complete his MBA at the University of Colorado. While completing his master’s degree, Eric worked at IBM in the Marketing department, where his duties included the planning and management of numerous marketing campaigns and large-scale corporate events. Upon completion of his MBA in January of 2003, Eric left IBM to start his career as an education entrepreneur.