We believe that all colleges should provide all students with a direct path to a great career.
And a great career today is one that combines technical skill with intercultural fluency. Podium partners with universities to deliver digital programs that provides future leaders with the right skills for our interconnected modern economy.
Our Culture & Values
- Student outcomes are our north star
- In life and work, run with purpose
- Curiosity is a pre-req for innovation
- The future is built with dirty hands
- Shiny objects are for the birds
Our Team
Brooks Morgan
Co-Founder & CEO
An entrepreneur at heart, Brooks has devoted his career to building companies that help people improve the trajectory of their lives. Brooks sold his first company, GetAccepted, to The Princeton Review, where he continued as the Chief Revenue Officer. Before this, Brooks held roles as COO of Uversity and Venture Partner at Learn Capital. Now, through Podium, Brooks is bringing his considerable experience in education to helping students accelerate their careers through in-demand tech skills.
Alex Ricken
Co-Founder & CPO
For 10 years, Alex has focused on one thing: changing lives through access to education. At Arizona State University, he led the Global Freshman Academy, which gave open access to ASU undergraduate courses for credit. He transformed this program to Earned Admission, which further increased access to education by providing a new pathway into ASU for those who could prove it today. Living at the intersection of design, technology and learning science, Alex brings years of experience creating cutting-edge digital education products that truly push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Chris Parrish
President, University Partnerships
Chris is an optimist who sees a bright future in higher education and is fiercely driven to deliver that future. After jobs in investment banking and consulting, Chris began his career in higher education as one of the first dozen employees at 2U, where he quickly stood out to become the Senior Vice President of University Partnerships. Chris brings deep experience in designing and launching data analytics programs with dozens of universities including UC Berkeley, Rice, and Pepperdine.
Robert Alvarez, Ph.D.
Head of Data Science and Curriculum Chair, Analytics Programs
Robert is that rare mix of somebody who has profound real-world experience, but combines it with the heart of a true teacher. His students say he has a special knack for breaking down technical concepts to make them clear and understandable. Before joining Podium, he was an Adjunct Professor at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business. And during his time at Intel, he tackled issues in data center optimization, market sizing and forecasting, and improved data-driven decision making in a top five global supply chain. Robert also maintains a role as an Artificial Intelligence advisor at NASA’s Frontier Development Lab.
Ifeoluwa Babatunde
Data Analytics Instructor
Ifeoluwa (Ife) is currently pursuing her PhD in information systems and has a master’s in informatics. Ife has expertise in human sciences and healthcare analyzing large, complex, and multi-dimensional data sets using Python, R, Excel, and other tools. Currently, she works as a Client Analytics Consultant researching and analyzing complex health data. When not in the classroom herself, Ife teaches a coding class called Kode with Kehinde to students ranging from 8th grade – university level.
Orly Bartour
Director of Learning Design
Orly is passionate about designing learning experiences that change lives. She completed her Ed.M in Technology, Innovation and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has worked with higher-ed institutions like the Harvard Teaching and Learning Center, Boston University, and Harvard Medical School to create online courses for a variety of purposes. She also led the design of curriculum at multiple education startups, including a tech bootcamp.
Lauren Bauml
VP, Partner Sucess
A Mission-driven leader, Lauren Bauml is deeply committed to education. In her most recent leadership role with Flatiron School and Skills Fund, Lauren equipped thousands of adult learners with technical skills to help them grow their long-term professional opportunities. Before this, Lauren served as a defense acquisition policy and strategic marketing manager at Airbus, with a career spanning from Washington, D.C., to Munich, Paris, London, and Ottawa. At Podium, she leads our efforts in helping our partners succeed and grow.
Danielle Brager, Ph.D.
Data Analytics Instructor
Danielle enjoys teaching students, and loves witnessing students’ confidence grow as they learn. She is a mathematician with ten years of teaching experience. She recently earned a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Arizona State University where she conducted research in Mathematical Biology and taught undergraduate mathematics courses. Before joining Podium and beginning her graduate studies, she taught high school Algebra in Texas.
Melissa Buerkett
Head of Partnerships - Northeast
Melissa is a genuine connector who enjoys creating high impact opportunities for students and institutions. As a higher education professional with 15+ years of diverse experience from career counseling and teaching to study abroad and partnership development, she has a holistic understanding of the value of innovative programming and is an enthusiastic champion for increasing student access to life-changing experiences. Melissa lives in Beacon, NY and enjoys hiking and paddleboarding.
Rita Cidre
VP & Global Digital Marketing Professor
Rita has a brain full of ideas. Marketing skills help her turn them into reality. She has over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of media and tech for companies such as NPR, Time Inc, Zillow and Qualtrics. In this time, she also produced an audio documentary, founded her own e-commerce brand, and published a book of short stories. Rita loves marketing, and after taking one of her courses, you’ll love it too.
Landon Cotham
Program Advisor
Landon loves helping people learn, and as one of our Program Advisers, he gets to do just that, ensuring students have a smooth experience through the entire course. Landon helps our students with the enrollment process and supports them during the actual course, making sure every student is maximizing value. Before joining Podium, he spent three years as an English teacher in Spain, followed by four years as a student advisor for study abroad programs.
Delaney Covelli
Senior Video Producer
Delaney is a creative with a great reverence for the significance of higher education, and the lasting impact it can have. She marries her 5+ years experience in video production to her work in facilitating digital storytelling workshops, and studies in psychology in order to ensure Podium’s content is engaging across all fronts. From her work with Sony on films such as Little Women, Bad Boys for Life, to working with undergraduate students on their capstone film projects, and hosting therapeutic film processes for nurses, breast cancer patients, and more, Delaney fits right in with Podium’s dedication to creative and cutting edge content for students.
Lauren Crider
Data Analytics Instructor
Lauren is a mathematician and Ph.D. candidate in the theoretical mathematics program at Arizona State University, where she also received her B.S. and M.A. degrees. In teaching at Arizona State, Lauren discovered that her favorite part of mathematics is teaching and working with students of all levels and from all backgrounds. She’s a passionate champion for women and girls, as well as other underrepresented minorities in mathematics and truly believes everyone can learn to enjoy mathematics.
Tyler D'Andrea
Head of Partnerships - West
Tyler is a passionate doer dedicated to increasing student access to transformative international educational experiences. For 15 years, he has supported institutions’ study abroad programming and operations, serving on and leading the Institutional Relations team at CIEE. Over his career, Tyler has partnered with hundreds of colleges and universities, and with student outcomes at the center of everything he does, excels at collaborating with institutions to innovate and implement change aligned with their vision, mission, and goals.
Jack DeLine
Program Advisor
Jack is passionate about the way education opens doors for students and strives to increase access to higher education for students of diverse backgrounds. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Jack lived and worked in Spain and Brazil before joining Podium. Upon his return to the US, he managed enrollment and outreach for various study abroad programs. When not helping students as a Program Advisor, you can find Jack at Spanish or Portuguese conversation groups, book clubs, cooking or spending time with family and friends.
Paige Denzler
Data Analytics Instructor
Paige loves learning about humans, and earned three undergraduate degrees in the process. In graduate studies, she merged her love of data with her interest in human behavior in order to study various biases. She hopes to teach her students to maximize the effectiveness of their data-based storytelling and how to avoid the biases of the brain when creating and consuming statistical analyses or visualizations.
Lauren Dickman Ph.D.
Data Analytics Instructor
Lauren loves finding ways to help students have their own individual “light bulb” moments. She recently earned her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Arizona State University, where she was able to dig into the world of mathematical oncology. In her time at ASU, Lauren taught a variety of undergraduate mathematics courses and found a passion for helping students recognize their ability to succeed.
Isaac Gomez
VP, Technology
Isaac finds joy in discovering and building simple solutions to complex problems. With over 15 years of education technology experience, Isaac has helped improve outcomes for over one million students. Prior to Podium Education, Isaac served as Chief Software Architect for Glynlyon, an online education platform used by 3000 public school districts. At Glynlyon he led the technology transformation from a monolith to microservices in the cloud.
Nikki Hemingway
Program Advisor
As a first generation college student, Nikki empathizes with the unique challenges students face and devoted her career to helping students excel in a global workforce. She earned her master’s of education from the University of Maine and spent the first eight years of her career in the international education field. She’s passionate about global career readiness and thrilled to join the team at Podium to provide students with the skills they need to succeed in their future career.
Maddie Hume
Program Advisor
Maddie is passionate about making education accessible and impactful for students of all backgrounds. Before joining Podium, she spent time studying and working in Chile, then transitioned back to the US where she managed study abroad programs in Latin America and advised students to become thoughtful global citizens. When not focused on helping students reach their full potential and home or abroad, you can find her spending time in nature, cooking, and traveling.
Caroline Ickes
Head of Partnerships - South
Caroline believes in the power of education to unite cultures, transform lives and inspire change. She has dedicated her career to increasing access to global programming through innovative design and collaboration. At Podium, she brings that same passion to building meaningful partnerships and innovative programs — all with the hope of inspiring the next generation of global leaders.
Daniella Kisza
Senior Product Manager
Daniella has spent her career helping hundreds of thousands of students learn in-demand skills. At both General Assembly and Codecademy, Daniella designed products and services that taught coding to learners from non-technical backgrounds. At Podium, Daniella is responsible for designing the software and products that provide personalized skills training at scale.
Natalie Laurence
Program Advisor
Natalie delights in nurturing students along the path of personal and professional growth. Before Podium, Natalie coached students through their decision to study abroad, ensuring they were self aware of their goals and fully equipped and empowered to pursue them. At Podium, Natalie continues to do just that through supporting students’ potential and fostering perseverance in their acquisition of in-demand skills.
Eric Mackintosh, Ph.D.
Director of Product Delivery
A former US Peace Corps volunteer and university instructor, Eric is passionate about tertiary education, information and communication technology, and student outcomes assessment. At Podium, Eric builds the systems and processes that support student learning. Prior to Podium, Eric was the AVP of Research and Data Analytics ISA, an education abroad provider. Eric received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Tulane University, where he taught both upper- and lower-division courses.
Tatyana Mann
Content Marketing Manager
Tatyana is a designer and strategist by trade and a storyteller by nature. Tatyana has 5+ years experience creating and producing narratives through written, digital and print designs. Tatyana strives to be the bridge between reason and innovation by collaborating with people who value creativity as much as function; diversity as much as data. In her free time, Tatyana serves as the Diversity and Inclusion Chair for the Young Women’s Alliance, and as the Digital Specialist for Friends of Elementary Arts, Inc.
John Mulhern
Senior Software Manager
John’s curiosity about how things work and his passion for learning made working in education technology a perfect fit.. A Computer Science graduate from ASU, John is a a software engineer with a wide range of experience, from managing clusters of servers to full stack development. Prior to Podium, John worked at Glynlyon, a K-12 online education platform, where he helped launch their pilot product which would go on to be used by 3000 public school districts. Outside of work, he enjoys long distance running, camping, and watching movies with his wife.
Moyo Oyelola
Creative Director
Moyo is a modern day renaissance man at the intersection of art and technology. From designing programs at the Carver Museum and Exhibit, to numerous roles as a creative director in various startups, Moyo brings a vast array of design experience to the Podium team. At Podium, Moyo is responsible for defining the aesthetic for the production of partner and student facing media.
Aled Owens
Head of Partnerships - South
Aled has spent 15 years helping universities grow and innovate in their approach to student recruitment and curriculum development. He is passionate about developing ways for institutions to improve student access to new content, skills, and employment opportunities through technology. Originally from Wales, Aled was previously a Vice President at QS; establishing their presence in North America and leading key strategic initiatives on behalf of US and Canadian business schools around the world.
Shaina Pollak
Director of Operations
Shaina is one of those rare people that has the ability to transform deep passion into meaningful action. And at Podium, she does just this; connecting people, systems, and processes that make our products a delight for students. Whether directing enrollment operations at Princeton Review, or working with young professionals at Ronald McDonald House Charities, Shaina has always focused her considerable talent toward endeavors that make a real difference in people’s lives.
Marshall Puls
Director of Enrollment & Advising
Marshall has always demonstrated a passion for helping students succeed. Before Podium, he was an elementary school teacher and prior to that, an Enrollment Manager at The Princeton Review. At Podium, he ensures every student is supported throughout their journey.
Jourdan Rahschulte
Graphic Designer
Learning is one of Jourdan’s favorite things to do so it’s only fitting that she’s joined Podium. As an art student turned graphic designer Jourdan loves being creative and visual storytelling. Before Podium, Jourdan designed for a non-profit organization and has worked with several startup companies. When she’s not pushing pixels, she can be found hiking, baking or listening to podcasts.
Becky Richey
Program Advisor
Becky is dedicated to finding innovative and evidence based solutions to increasing access to high-impact learning opportunities for all types of students. Her professional background lies in global experiential learning; diversity, equity, and inclusion leadership; and curriculum development. She gets the most joy out of her work from making connections with students and university partners. Originally from Miami, Florida, Becky is of Cuban-American background, and outside of Podium, she enjoys dancing, cooking, watching movies and spending quality time with her cat. Meow.
Matthew Small
VP of Web Development Track
Matt understands first-hand how learning coding changes lives. His academic journey started humbly – with him taking community college classes – and ended when he was conferred a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Florida State University. He went on to be Chief Technology Officer of his own startup building K-12 STEM games, leading an engineering team at a non-profit building digital therapy software for children with autism, and spending 5 years as a Senior Software Engineer at Google developing cutting-edge augmented reality technology for global users. Now, he’s on a mission to share his knowledge and passion with his students, and make coding—and the opportunities it brings—accessible to people from all backgrounds.
Alyssa Segura
Program Advisor
Alyssa is dedicated to helping students feel confident and supported in their studies while making their learning experience both impactful and beneficial for their overall goals. Before joining Podium, Alyssa lived and studied in France and worked in international education for several years. She is passionate about creating spaces that encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion and believes that a high-quality education should be available to students from all backgrounds. Outside of the office you can find her hiking, crafting, or discussing her favorite films and tv shows. Don’t be shy, let her know what you’re watching now
Andrew Way
Data Analytics Instructor
Andrew is a stage actor turned recruiter turned data scientist. His atypical career trajectory helps him approach analytics from a human-centered angle. Andrew received his Bachelor of Music in Music Theatre from Baldwin Wallace University and his Data Science certification from Metis. Andrew is a strong advocate for creating pathways into data analytics for students from non-traditional backgrounds.
Mike Yi, Ph.D.
Curriculum Writer
Mike has a multidisciplinary background, covering mathematics, statistics, physics, cognitive science, machine learning, and data analysis. He is always eager to learn new and interesting things, and to put his knowledge together to solve problems and puzzles. At Podium, Mike plays an integral role in ensuring our curriculum is the best-in-class and engaging for the students.
Where We Work
Austin
Phoenix
