The LearningMate Podcast

Christa Goge, Vice President of Learner Engagement Strategies | Penn Foster Group

Christa Goge is currently the Vice President of Learner Engagement Strategies at Penn Foster Group. She spent the last 15 years working in tech education with a focus on improving the student journey, starting from admissions through post-graduation. She cares deeply about leadership and fosters an environment focused on employee growth, development, and inclusion.

Priyanka Raju, Senior Vice President of Digital Transformation Solutions | Straive

Priyanka Raju is the Senior Vice President of Digital Transformation Solutions at Straive, where she leads the integration of advanced technologies and AI into Customer Experience and Enterprise Operations. With an extensive background in operations, transitions, research, mergers & acquisition, and organizational transformation, Priyanka brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her leadership. At Straive, she focuses on delivering scalable, tech-enabled solutions that drive efficiency and modernization for global enterprises.

Sesha Bolisetty, Senior Vice President of Higher Education Content Operations | Elsevier

Sesha Bolisetty is the Senior Vice President of Higher Education Content Operations at Elsevier, where he leads large-scale digital transformation initiatives across global learning ecosystems. With over 20 years of experience in higher education publishing, digital content development, and content technology, he has built a career at the intersection of innovation, scalability, and academic impact.

Sesha’s leadership has been instrumental in driving operational excellence through process automation, workflow optimization, and the strategic use of global partnerships. His expertise spans digital courseware design, AI-driven content enhancement, and the implementation of new authoring technologies that make learning more adaptive, engaging, and efficient for faculty and students alike.

Julia Caballero, PhD Vice President of Content Strategy and Quality | Penn Foster

Julia Caballero, PhD is the Vice President of Content Strategy and Quality at Penn Foster, focusing on transforming content through innovative methodologies. With a rich background in educational development, Julia has previously held positions at Pearson, Sage, and Forester Research, each contributing to her content strategy and course design expertise. At Penn Foster, she is dedicated to enhancing educational quality and ensuring students complete their courses, leveraging data and strategic partnerships to address the diverse needs of learners.

Throughout her career, Julia has been instrumental in redefining roles within content development teams and creating learner-centered, active learning environments. Her leadership emphasizes adding new courses and improving the quality of existing offerings, particularly in high-demand fields such as healthcare and veterinary programs. Julia’s passion for education is evident in her commitment to fostering student engagement and retention through thoughtfully designed educational experiences.

Matt Warden, Business Head | LearningMate Double Line

Matt Warden is a seasoned leader with extensive experience driving data-driven solutions in the education and workforce sectors. As Business Head at LearningMate/Double Line, he leads a team focused on helping states and organizations unlock the full potential of their data to improve decision-making and resource allocation.

In his role, Matt oversees the development of innovative tools—such as the analysis tool for the Education-to-Workforce Indicator Framework—that simplify complex datasets and support states in identifying data gaps, integrating information across agencies, and prioritizing impactful interventions. His work centers on improving cross-sector collaboration, addressing equity through data, and enabling smarter policy decisions.

Prior to LearningMate Double Line, Matt held key leadership positions where he partnered with government agencies and stakeholders to drive measurable outcomes in education and workforce development. He is recognized for his strategic vision and commitment to leveraging technology to solve real-world challenges in data integration and analysis.

Niyoka McCoy, Chief Learning Officer | Stride, Inc.

Niyoka McCoy is an accomplished leader with decades of experience shaping academic programs, professional development, and instructional innovation at scale. In her current role as Chief Learning Officer at Stride, Inc., she oversees all aspects of curriculum design, educator professional development, and learning pathways for students in grades K through 12 and beyond.

Before moving into her current position, Niyoka held leadership roles, including Chief Academic Officer and Senior Vice President of Academic Services. In those capacities, she partnered closely with regional academic teams to drive student achievement and growth across multiple states—leading initiatives in assessment, special programs, counseling, accountability, and talent development.

A former educator and published author, Niyoka is heralded for her work operationalizing equity and personalized learning at scale. Under her guidance, Stride pioneered initiatives like game-based learning and immersive digital experiences—including learning experiences using Minecraft Education and TikTok-style vertical content that aim to engage students where they are and help them succeed academically.

Her innovation and leadership have been recognized with several honors, most notably the 2024 “Women Worth Watching® in Leadership” Award from Profiles in Diversity Journal—citing her trailblazing work in educational equity and game-based learning.

Niyoka earned her Bachelor’s degree from Spelman College, a Master’s in Education from Mercer University, and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Capella University. Her career—rooted in classroom teaching and extended through district-level leadership and curriculum development—is defined by a relentless commitment to access, innovation, and excellence in learning.

Dr. Dee Masiello, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs | Northeastern University

Dr. Dee Masiello is an experienced higher education leader with over two decades of expertise in academic administration, instructional design, and organizational strategy. As the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies, she leads large-scale academic transformation initiatives, including a multi-year semester conversion project and the development of over 480 online courses across 15+ programs.

Josh Richards, CEO | Boundless Learning

Joshua Richards is the CEO of Boundless Learning, bringing over 20 years of experience in technology and education solutions. As former Chief Product and Technology Officer, he led product innovation and enhanced the company’s tech infrastructure. He played a key role in transitioning Boundless Learning into a standalone company, building the global organization to support long-term growth. Prior to that, Joshua held multiple leadership roles at Pearson, driving digital transformation in education. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University.

Josh Richards LinkedIn Profile

Dr. Laura-Kathryn Neal, National Dean of Colleges and Curriculum | DeVry University

Dr. Laura-Kathryn Neal, National Dean of Colleges and Curriculum at DeVry University. With over 20 years of experience spanning healthcare leadership and higher education, she brings a unique blend of academic and operational expertise. Before joining DeVry full-time in 2022, she held leadership roles in both academia and healthcare, including serving as a CFO and COO. At DeVry, she oversees curriculum development, assessment, and accreditation for healthcare programs. Dr. Neal holds advanced degrees in management, business, and public health, and is a published author and active contributor to academic research.

Dr. Mitchell Colver, Associate Provost for Engagement & Retention | American Public University System

Dr. Colver has been working in higher education since 2007, and his early experiences with students shaped his belief in the value of human diversity and potential. As a thought leader in education, he frequently advocates for a more intentional approach to student success—one that engages instructors, staff, and institutional leaders alike.

Christie Pang, Co-Founder and Co-CEO | Lirvana Labs

Christie is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Lirvana Labs, a leading AI company focused on developing safe, effective learning tools powered by the latest advancements in Large and Specific Language Models out of Silicon Valley. Since the founding of the company in 2022, her work has been deeply rooted and guided by cognitive development research, efficacy, and inclusion in AI adoption, in partnership with UN advisors, Harvard and Stanford researchers. The Lirvana Labs team of experts, under the leadership of Christie and her co-founder Clement (with 27 patents under his belt in ML and successful exits >400m), consists of data scientists from Google and Apple, product designers from Amazon, Disney board members, Stanford Senior Research Directors, and advisors from AERDF and Character Foundation.

Christie was named Women of Impact by Kapor Capital, and also a Leading Woman in AI in Education by Arizona State University and Global Silicon Valley (ASU+GSV). Having delivered AI-powered learning to over 20,000 children globally in less than one year of launch, in partnership with schools across 3 continents, Christie cares deeply about how to empower teachers and parents to raise thoughtful, creative, and critical thinkers with these tools. She also cares deeply about making teaching fun and effective again for teachers who are suffering from burn-out despite what EdTech may have promised up to this point in time.

Christie regularly speaks worldwide on AI literacy for teachers, and on the AI industry's best practices on privacy and well-being of children, and has been championing for equal access by working in partnership with NGOs serving displaced refugee children, needs-based schools, and has propelled Lirvana Labs to secure Stanford Research studies to document Lirvana's impact across global cohorts.

Prior to founding Lirvana Labs, Christie has over a decade of banking experience, including as Head of TMT, Head of Policy and Stakeholder Engagement, and Project Manager to Group Chairman of HSBC.

Christie graduated with 10As (HKCEE ‘04) from Diocesan Girls’ School, is the Top 10 Most Outstanding Students of Hong Kong (‘04), and holds a BA (Distinguished Hon.) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Business and Legal Ethics) from University of Pennsylvania (C’09), graduating magna cum laude.

She is a proud mother of 3 and a champion for women in AI and finance.

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Additional Resources:

• Christie Pang's LinkedIn Profile
• Yeti Confetti Kids Website
• Blog: Lirvana Labs’ Yeti Confetti™ Kids App Reports Half-Grade Level Improvement in Math and English in Just 10 Weeks
• Article: Yeti Confetti for Refugees
• Christie’s Lifelong Learning Recommendation -Podcast: We Can Do Hard Things