Our Story
It All Started At A Picnic Over A Glass Of Wine
In 1996, Dongsook and Bruce Whitehead offered to host a student picnic at their home where they met Dr. Carlos Maldonado, and the rest, as they say, is history. With a common passion for education and improving the learning process through technology, Dongsook, Bruce, and Carlos vowed to create a company that used technology to make learning fun, engaging, and memorable, increase affordability, and change the way all the stake holders in the learning process interact with each other and their course materials. And so Connect For Education was born.
Since then C4E has served hundreds of thousands of students, thousands of professors, and hundreds of schools across the United States and abroad.
And we’re just getting started…
Our Leadership
Our people are our greatest assets. Our team is a diverse group of creative, smart professionals who are dedicated to the mission of improving education for one student at a time.
Dongsook Whitehead
President
Ms. Dongsook Whitehead is the Co-Founder and the President of C4E. She also serves as the CEO and the Chief Instructional Designer of C4EIS, an affiliate of C4E. As an author, instructional designer, and programmer for C4E, Ms. Whitehead has authored and edited nationally recognized, accredited, interactive web-based courses in music, languages, and public speaking for the higher education market and training materials for DoD customers. She has extensive experience of developing and providing computer and web-based analytic tools and capabilities to support information exploitation, normalization, integration, extraction, analysis, assessment, presentation and interaction, including, without limitation, Rapid Prototyping, Data Analytics, and UI Design. Dongsook's main areas of research interests are the design and scalability of collaborative, distributed teaching environments on the Internet and the use of visual representation to teach complex concepts with interactive multimedia technologies.
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Carlos Maldonado
Founder & Chief Learning Architect
Carlos brings a unique and varied background to the company. After graduating in Piano Performance from the Royal College of Music in London, England, he achieved recognition as an award winning classical pianist touring Europe, the US, and Latin America. He then returned to the academic world to combine his interest in technology with his love of music and teaching, and received a PhD in Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has taught at the National Pedagogic University and Los Andes University, in Bogotá, Colombia, the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and as Assistant Professor of Music Technology and Director of Online Education at California State University, Northridge. In 2001, he co-founded C4E, combining music, instructional technology, and business to create the leading source of online educational materials in the United States. Over the past 15 years, Carlos has been a leading figure in the development of online learning platforms. He has participated in many industry panels and symposia and presented ideas on the future of online education. His deep understanding and experience continue to drive C4E’s cutting-edge platform and tools forward. His passion is still music.
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Bruce Whitehead
CEO
Bruce Whitehead is the CEO of C4E and Managing Director of C4EIS – Bruce was instrumental in the founding of both companies and served as a strategic advisor until his retirement from Science Applications International Corporation (a $4B Defense company) in 2015 where he served as Managing Director – International Business. Prior to joining C4E/C4EIS Bruce had over 45 years of experience in the Defense/Electronics Industry with a diverse background of executive responsibilities including General Management, Strategic Planning and Development, Systems Engineering, Business Development, Programs Management, and Mergers & Acquisitions. During his career he has lived in Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Italy, and the UK. His technical expertise is in digital signal processing, pattern recognition, and radar systems.
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Bryan McElhaney
VP of Sales and Marketing
Bryan is the head of our sales and marketing team. His background is in music – he holds the Bachelor’s Degree and a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Besides playing in different orchestras, he also held a teaching post at Baldwin Wallace University. Having always been a strong advocate of technology in education, he left teaching and playing professionally to join Sibelius USA, a division of Avid Technology. Throughout his non-musical career, he has held several sales and marketing positions at various high-tech companies. When he’s not travelling for C4E, Bryan lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and two children.
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Elizabeth Washington
VP of Customer Service
Elizabeth brings over 17 years of experience in Software Technical Support. After graduating from Framingham State College with a B.S. in Food & Nutrition, Elizabeth became a Registered Dietitian and provided nutritional care in the acute care setting for a short time. Her clinical background and interest in the IT field then led her to a growing healthcare technology firm where she held Product Management and Customer Support Management roles. Elizabeth joined the C4E family in 2012. As leader of the Customer Success team, Elizabeth strives to ensure that every customer interaction is exceptional. In her free time, she loves spending time with family (including the dogs) and being the #1 fan to her son at his sporting events.
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Christoper Gaines
Chief Technology Officer
Chris Gaines is the Chief Technology Officer of C4E. Chris’ academic background includes DeAnza College, Bethel College, the University of California Santa Cruz and the University of Phoenix with concentrations in Computer Information Systems and Business Administration. He joined C4E in 2010 as the head of IT following a 15-year career as a Systems/Network Engineer and Administrator in the telecommunications and defense industry. In addition to his expertise in delivering integrated solutions to Network, H/W and S/W challenges he holds a special interest in Information Systems Security. When not at work, which is rare, Chris chases after his two young children and the dog. From Alabama, he is an avid Alabama and Dallas Cowboys football fan.
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John Wulff
VP of Finance and Administration
John Wulff is Director of Finance, Administration, and Human Resources at Connect For Education. John began work at C4E shortly after graduating from Radford University in 2001 with a degree in Business Management. John also completed the Career Studies Certificate in Accounting from Northern Virginia Community College completing all the course requirements for his CPA. He also serves as the Assistant Facility Security Officer at C4E’s affiliate C4EIS, serving the U.S. Government and commercial clients. John balances his work life by trying to keep up with his three young children. As a lifelong D.C. area resident, John is an avid fan of all sports but is especially loyal to the Redskins, Capitals, and Orioles. John also enjoys running, swimming, listening to music, watching movies and the beach.
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Instructional Design
Andrea Adams
Director of Product Development
Andrea moved from Georgia to Virginia in 2014 to work for C4E as an instructional designer. She works closely with the development team to create courses and programs for school and universities around the country. In addition to instructional design, she also manages various projects. She has a Masters in Instructional Technology and Design from Georgia State University. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors and running.
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Jenn Briggs
Instructional Design
Jenn joined the C4E team in 2017 and assists with course development and content management. She has a M.A. in History and certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Delaware, where she became interested in exhibitions and digital humanities projects. She spent several years working in historic archaeology at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello after receiving her B.A. in Anthropology and Archaeology from the University of Virginia.
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Dan Rebeiz
Multimedia Specialist
As Multimedia Specialist, Dan brings over 20 years of experience in graphic and motion graphic design and video production as well as music and audio production, including illustration, digital graphic design, animation, motion graphic design, voice-overs, video production and editing, live and studio music performance and production, audio mixing and mastering, field audio recording, post-production audio, sound design, and music composition.
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Sachi Sugiyama
Graphic Arts Specialist
Sachi went to the University of Michigan where she competed for their collegiate gymnastics team and graduated from the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design. She joined the C4E family in 2016 as one of their graphic designers and helps design C4E’s course’s UI, graphics and visuals as well as some animation. She still loves to draw in her free time, as well as traveling, skiing, playing video games, going to concerts, movies and just staying active.
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Taehkee Lee
Software Developer/Programmer
He is a technologist who excel in overcoming any technical challenges. He is creative, persistent, and has a can-do attitude in accomplishing major tasks.
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Maria Paz
Marketing Manager
Maria Paz is our marketing manager. She received her undergraduate degree in International Studies with a minor in Rhetoric and Communication Studies from the University of Richmond. Additionally, she holds a Master’s degree in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University. In 2005 she joined C4E and plays an active role in the development of marketing and sales strategies. She is an avid soccer fan, loves to read, traveling the world, and spending time with her family.
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Leticia Cuevas
Sales & Marketing Manager
Leticia (Lety) Cuevas is our Sales and Account Manager. Originally from Idaho, she moved to the East Coast where she received her undergraduate degree in Accounting from George Mason University and is a CPA Candidate. In 2011, she joined C4E’s Customer Success team while completing her degree and in 2014 transitioned into the Sales and Marketing team. She is an avid soccer and football fan of the local teams, loves traveling the country to meet with our customers, and spending time with family and friends.
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John Gancarz
Associate Manager Sales & Marketing
John Gancarz is our Associate Sales and Marketing Manager. After receiving his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Rutgers University, John joined C4E’s Customer Success team in 2013 while attending graduate school and transitioned to his current position in 2016. In his free time, John loves to share his passion for the snowboarding and paddleboarding as a certified instructor in both.
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Narwan Aimen
Director of Customer Success
After completing her undergraduate degree in English at George Mason University, Narwan joined Connect For Education as course development assistant in 2014. She is now Director of Customer Success, and works closely with instructors and students to help ensure all is running smoothly. In her free time, Narwan enjoys writing and painting, as well as exploring new additions to the local art and food scenes.
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DeJean Levenberry
Tech Support/QA Specialist
DeJean is Technical Support / QA specialist with our Customer Success team and has been with the organization since 2016. He is a graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Marketing. He is native of Northern Virginia and an avid Washington DC sports fan.
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Judy Robertson
Tech Support/QA Specialist
Judy has over 10 years of experience working in the Higher Education industry with a background in student admissions and support. She received her undergraduate degree in Accounting. Since joining the C4E family, she has continued her passion of working with students and Instructors as a tech. support specialist and member of the Customer Success team. In her down time, she enjoys watching movies, playing word games, planning events and creating priceless memories with family and friends.
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Anne Barrat
Tech Support/QA Specialist
Anne recently joined the Customer Success Team and truly enjoys working with students and professors regarding their courses. As a former public school educator, she is devoted to student success, curriculum accessibility, and instructor support. Anne has degrees and experience in education, information technology, and fine art.
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Zachary McCarthy
Tech Support/QA Specialist
Zach joined Connect for Education, Inc. in 2017 and enjoys his position as a member of the Customer Success Team. He has 15 years of experience in customer service, as well as information technology and healthcare administration. He enjoys movies, video games, and spending time with his family.
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Anitra Brame
Tech Support/QA Specialist
Anitra joins the customer support team with over 20 years of customer service experience. She is an alumnus of Hampton University with a B.A. in Psychology and most recently received a certificate for web design and development from George Mason University. She is also a devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend. Her free time joy is working in makeup artistry.
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Rick Yamamoto, Chfi, Ceh, Aws Sec, Pcap
Network and Information Security Admin
Rick is our Network Specialist and Information Security administrator with a strong history of working in the IT and services industries. He graduated from WGU with a B.S. IT/Network Administration in 2017, with a M.S. in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance in 2018, and an Excellence Award in Cyberwarfare. His passion for innovation and development includes emerging technologies like Defense in Depth, active monitoring and response, and resilence networking.
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Michael Heu
IT & Customer Success Manager
Michael is our Network Support Engineer and our Learning Platform Administrator. He began his employment as Technical Support Specialist in 2010 where he worked closely with clients on a day to day basis. After obtaining a Degree in Cyber Security he progressed into his current role where he is able to use his technical skills and his customer relations experience to help create innovative solutions in our learning platform. His hobbies include fishing, fishing, and did we mention he likes fishing? A husband and father to his wife and two children.
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Pang Heu
Office Administrator
Pang Heu joined Connect for Education, Inc. in 2010 to provide administrative support in the Orders Department, working alongside the Finance & HR Director. Her responsibilities include processing bookstore/online orders/returns, answering incoming calls, accounts receivable/payable, and more. She enjoys movies, spending time with her family, cooking and going on spontaneous adventures.
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