On Balance

In this On Balance episode, Dr. Rod Berger sat down with Michael Chasen, the co-founder and CEO of @Class Technologies Inc., the maker of Class. Michael is an entrepreneur who has dedicated his career to improving the way people live and learn. Most notably, he served as co-founder and CEO of Blackboard Inc., a pioneering ed tech company with software used by over 20,000 institutions in more than 70 countries by 20 million teachers and learners worldwide.

Rod and Michael discuss how to overcome the challenges of #entrepreneurship as well as how to and overcome and learn from mistakes.

Learn more about Class Technologies here!

In this episode of On Balance, Dr. Rod Berger sat down with Doug Roberts, Founder and CEO of the Institute for Education Innovation. Doug has worked with leading ed-tech entrepreneurs and district administrators for almost 20 years, developing partnerships that improve outcomes for students and help nascent organizations get their "sea legs."

Doug and Rod discuss some solutions to common challenges school district #superintendents are currently facing.

As Founder and President of Educational Solutions Consulting, Doug found that there was a piece of the puzzle missing, a barrier between those who run school districts and those who start companies to help school districts. He partnered with some of the nation's most innovative educational leaders to form IEI to bridge that gap.

Learn more about the Institute for Education Innovation here!

In this episode of On Balance, Dr. Rod Berger sat down witih JP Guilbault, CEO of Navigate 360, a leader in holistic wellness and safety solutions. They discussed school safety and mental health in light of recent events. 

JP Guilbault leads Navigate360’s executive team, growth strategy and purpose-driven vision to create a world absent of fear and violence, where every person has the opportunity to reach their full potential. He is a proven technology and business visionary, board member and community leader with a passion for helping people and organizations reach their full potential, while advocating for and advancing the underserved.

Learn more about Navigate 360 here!

In this episode of #OnBalance, Dr. Rod Berger sat down with @Paul Ford, UK Educational Device Lead at Microsoft, to discuss the impact of the digital education solutions parents and educators introduce to students, especially in light of the #COVID19 pandemic. As remote learning become essential, nearly overnight, Paul had to tackle a unique set of challenges in the digital education space. Paul supports education customers to achieve digital transformation with Microsoft technologies, from the needs of a single primary school to higher education.

Learn more about Microsoft Education!

In this On Balance episode, Dr. Rod Berger sat down with Andrew Rosen who has served as Kaplan, Inc’s chairman and CEO since 2008. He also serves as Executive Vice President of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC), Kaplan’s parent company.

They discuss Kaplan’s role, as well as the part all education innovators can play as they rise to take on the unique challenges the world faces today.

Rosen has helped pioneer much of the company’s innovation and growth, with a focus on student success and outcomes. These innovations include a focus on learning science as the foundation for all its programs, its early adoption of online instruction and competency-based learning, and its commitment to demonstrating measurable results for its students.

Learn more about Kaplan here!

In this episode of On Balance, Dr. Rod Berger sat down with Matthew Mugo Fields, General Manager of Supplemental and Intervention Solutions at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). They discussed tackling some of the current difficulties educators in students are facing such as learning loss and mental health challenges. Matthew and HMH endeavor to identify and implement district-wide solutions to a variety of problems.

Learn more about HMH!

In this episode of On Balance, Dr. Rod Berger sat down with Bernhard Gademann, President of the Rosenberg Institute, and Anita Gademann, Director & Head of Innovation at the Rosenberg Institute in Switzerland. They discussed many topics, including ways to support both young people and Planet Earth. The Gademanns and the Rosenberg Institute consider themselves artisans of education, recognizing that each student is unique and requires a unique, holistically designed education.

Learn more about the Rosenberg Institute here!

On Balance with Jennifer Lee 

Chief Growth Officer

Jennifer Lee is the Chief Growth Officer at Photomath, where she is responsible for developing and managing the execution of Photomath's growth strategy. Prior to joining Photomath, Jennifer spent over 14-years in the investing world, including time as a Principal at Learn Capital, where she worked on investments in Coursera, Photomath, GeniusPlaza, SoloLearn, VIPKID, and MentorCollective. Previously, Jennifer was an independent consultant for ImpactAssets, where she helped establish a seed-stage investment platform for their donor-advised funds. She also worked as VP at Developing World Markets, a fund manager focused on inclusive financial institutions in emerging markets. There she led investments in 17 countries, managed the Asia/Middle East team, and helped conceive and execute the investment strategy for that region. Jennifer started her career at Lehman Brothers, as the strategist for the US Treasury, Treasury Futures, and Swaps markets. She has Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Management Science from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Jennifer is also a Kauffman Fellow.

In this episode of On Balance, Dr. Rod Berger sat down with Dave Sherwood, Co-Founder and CEO of BibliU. Dave is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of Teach Learn Grow Inc, serves as a Board Advisor at Purlos, and is a Founding Member of the Edtech Founders Club. Dave earned his Bachelor's Degree at the University of Western Australia before coming to Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, during which time he co-founded BibliU.

Rod and Dave discuss entrepreneurship, disruption and innovation in the education space.

In this episode of On Balance, Dr. Rod Berger sat down with Johnny C. Tylor, the President and CEO of SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management. They discuss the role HR plays in addressing emerging challenges in the current workforce.

With over 300,000 members in 165 countries, SHRM is the largest HR trade association in the world, impacting the lives of 115 million workers. A nationally bestselling author, Mr. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work. He is frequently asked to testify before Congress and authors the weekly USA Today column "Ask HR."

Johnny is the author of RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval. Immediately upon its release in September 2021, RESET was in the top three of the Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling hardcover business books. All author proceeds benefit the SHRM Foundation, which is committed to empowering HR as a social force for change.

Learn more about RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval here.

He was appointed chairman of the President’s Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and served as a member of the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board during the Trump Administration. He is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Miami, Governor of the American Red Cross, and member of the corporate boards of Guild Education, iCIMS, and XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO). Taylor, Jr.