Talent Development
PRnewswire | July 27, 2023
StraighterLine, a creator of affordable, flexible and career-aligned postsecondary courses and credentials that serves over 150,000 learners per year, announced today the appointment of Allison Lesser as vice president of digital marketing. With a track record of successfully leading branding and digital and omni-channel marketing for education, consumer and media brands for more than 20 years, Lesser joins the company after spending more than a decade in branding, digital marketing and user experience leadership roles at education technology companies.
"Allison's extensive experience in education technology and her passion for making education and training more accessible align perfectly with StraighterLine's vision," said Heather Combs, CEO of StraighterLine. "We are thrilled to have her join our team and lead our digital marketing efforts. Her expertise and leadership will drive our mission forward and help us reach even more learners around the world."
In her new role, Lesser will oversee digital marketing strategies and initiatives to support the company's growing platform of courses and new product innovations. She will be responsible for shaping the technical vision and strategy for the StraighterLine platform, driving product innovation and enhancing the overall learning experience for students.
Lesser most recently worked for The Teaching Company, known for its content brands The Great Courses and Wondrium. There, led the acquisition marketing team for Wondrium's video streaming product of nonfiction content and successfully hired, trained and mentored a team of marketers. During the pandemic, her team increased spend by more than 70% in a short time frame while keeping the cost per acquisition within business goals. Her dedication and commitment to delivering strong results in a fast-paced and evolving environment exemplify her leadership skills.
Earlier in her career, Lesser held various leadership roles in the education and digital marketing sectors. She began her journey in education technology in 2011 as the director of product marketing for online education developer K12, where she worked closely with market research and developed positioning for educational products. She also served as the director of digital marketing for Envision, the pioneering developer of career exploration and leadership development experiences for K-12 students. She began her career working in the global headquarters of AOL, where she spent ten years focused on consumer experience and driving product, marketing and content teams to make decisions based on consumer data.
Aside from her professional achievements, Lesser is actively involved in volunteer work and regularly participates in races that support various causes and sponsors two children from Tanzania through Compassion International, providing them with letters of encouragement. She also volunteers at Potowmack Elementary in Sterling, Virginia, where she works closely with the school liaison and social worker to identify ways to help families in need. A resident of Northern Virginia, Lesser has been happily married to her husband, Chris Lesser, for 20 years and is a proud mother of two teenage children.
About StraighterLine:
StraighterLine is the leading provider of high-quality, affordable, online courses that help learners earn college credit and meet their professional goals. Each year, 150,000 learners take one of StraighterLine's 250+ courses to upskill into new careers or earn credit from over 2,000 colleges and universities worldwide. StraighterLine works with institutions and corporate partners to provide their students and employees with flexible education options that allow them to work and learn at their own pace.
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Talent Development
Businesswire | July 17, 2023
PowerSchool , the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education in North America, today announced the release of My PowerSchool, a cohesive user experience that consolidates all relevant information and applications into a single, streamlined platform. My PowerSchool simplifies how families interact with their children’s school and how school technology leaders manage their PowerSchool solutions by providing a central point of access based on if the user is an educator, student, or family member. My PowerSchool Family, the first release of the My PowerSchool experiences, will be available in the fall, allowing families and educators to share one source of information, including grades, attendance, assignments, calendar, completed and in-progress forms, behavior, and fees, in a seamless experience.
"My PowerSchool marks a significant milestone in empowering the education community," said Marcy Daniel, Chief Product Officer, PowerSchool. "This new release will provide an upgraded experience to families using the current family portal in PowerSchool SIS and showcases our commitment to providing user-centric solutions that streamline processes, enhance communication, and foster collaboration among families, staff, and administrators."
My PowerSchool Family will provide users with multiple benefits including: • An enhanced family experience: Families will now have a comprehensive view of their child's educational journey, eliminating the need to switch between different systems. From assignments and grades to attendance and fee payments, all information will be consolidated into a single, intuitive interface. My PowerSchool is designed to help foster increased family engagement and accountability, and support student success through collaborative efforts between families and teachers. • Streamlined administrative account management: Administrators will save valuable time by eliminating the hassle of managing multiple accounts for separate systems. System administrators will have a unified user management system, reducing the complexity of managing individual users and providing staff with a modern authentication system. • Empowering students: My PowerSchool puts students at the center of their educational journey. By logging in with a single account, students gain easy access to all relevant school information. They can stay organized, prioritize tasks, and plan their studies effectively. With visibility into assignments, grades, test dates, and project deadlines, students can take charge of their learning, supported by engaged families and teachers. Additional My PowerSchool experiences, including the educator and administrator experiences, will be available in the coming months.
About PowerSchool
PowerSchool is the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education in North America. Its mission is to power the education ecosystem with unified technology that helps educators and students realize their full potential, in their way. PowerSchool connects students, teachers, administrators, and parents, with the shared goal of improving student outcomes. From the office to the classroom to the home, it helps schools and districts efficiently manage state reporting and related compliance, special education, finance, human resources, talent, registration, attendance, funding, learning, instruction, grading, assessments and analytics in one unified platform. PowerSchool supports over 50 million students globally and more than 15,000 customers, including over 90 of the top 100 districts by student enrollment in the United States, and sells solutions in over 90 countries.
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Talent Development
PR Newswire | August 28, 2023
Alchemy, a leading education technology and services provider, is delighted to announce its partnership with Brightpoint Community College, a member of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). This strategic collaboration aims to accelerate the transformation of Brightpoint's distance learning offerings, transitioning 10 of their online degree programs from a traditional 15-week session to a more agile 7-week format in order to better meet the needs of today's learners who seek more flexible educational opportunities. The initiative also endeavors to reduce student costs, foster enriched student-instructor interactivity and enhance overall course engagement by emphasizing open educational resources (OER).
Alchemy brings to Brightpoint a unique combination of technology and services that enable a dynamic learning design partnership. Alchemy's team of expert learning designers will work closely with faculty to tailor each course to meet the specific learning objectives and requirements of the subject matter. At the same time, faculty will have access to Alchemy's groundbreaking technology platform, Curie, a centralized workspace that houses interactive resources designed to optimize the process of developing humanized, inclusive and engaged learning experiences.
Brightpoint faculty will also be supported by Alchemy's Faculty Concierge service, through which faculty members will have 24/7 access to expert guidance and specialized resources whenever they need them. This robust support system will enable faculty to continuously iterate and enhance their courses, incorporating new technologies and evolving their teaching approach.
"We are thrilled to join forces with Brightpoint in their ongoing efforts to enhance distance learning for modern learners," said Carrie O'Donnell, founder and CEO of Nectar, Inc., parent company to Alchemy. "This collaboration will not only continue to elevate the quality of their courses but also provide their faculty with personalized resources and just-in-time support to continue to create increasingly meaningful and engaging learning experiences for their students going forward." The collaboration between Alchemy and Brightpoint Community College promises to result in innovative, inclusive and enriching educational experiences that meet the needs of the college's diverse student community.
About Alchemy:
Alchemy is your strategic partner in empowering educators to be at their best and to meet the needs today's learners. Through our platform, including purpose-built technology and on-demand services, we provide practical tools, curated resources, and expert support to optimize the educator experience, saving them time in creating engaging and inclusive learning experiences.
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