ABOUT STRONGMIND

Our mission is to unlock the magic of learning and foster student success by creating the most engaging and impactful digital learning solutions. Our vision is to beĀ the trusted and recognized source for innovative learning.

Our Values

StrongMind partners with schools and districts to develop forward-thinking solutions that address unique school challenges. With a consultative approach, engaging digital curriculum, a suite of edtech tools, a range of services, and clear insights, we maximize student achievement and help schools thrive. A recent recipient of multiple Digital Promise Research-Design certifications and winner of more than 60 awards, StrongMind innovates into the future of education.

We improve by being open, honest and direct.
We work to achieve great outcomes everyday.
We collectively own the future of StrongMind, and we each strive to make our goals a reality.
Data drives insights, insights drive decisions.
The best ideas come from different voices, view points, and experiences.
We push forward when others turn away.


StrongMind Leadership Team


SENIOR EXECUTIVES

Damian Creamer
Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Damian Creamer

A veteran of the U.S. Marine corps, Damian is an innovator committed to ensuring all students receive a quality education.

A proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Damian leads a growing team of 250+ professionals at StrongMind with the same commitment to community, team, and service demonstrated in the Marines, to ensure all students have access to a quality education. After founding Primavera Online High School in 2001, he realized that existing technology was not delivering the content students deserved, so he founded StrongMind to be a digital solutions provider for Primavera. Through collaboration and innovation, Primavera is now the largest high school in Arizona, serving over 26,000 students annually, and one of the most successful online schools in the country. Under his visionary leadership, StrongMind has evolved beyond its award-winning digital curriculum to becoming a trusted partner in virtual and hybrid learning ā€“ providing services from student enrollment and recruitment to turn-key operations solutions.

In 2012, Damian received the Innovator Award from the Aurora Institute (formerly iNacol), for Outstanding Contribution to K-12 Online Learning and two Certificates of Congressional Recognition for leadership and innovation in online education. He was named a 2017 Finalist for the ā€˜Visionaryā€™ Leadership Award from EdTech Digest.

ā€¢ B.A. in Spanish from Brigham Young University
ā€¢ M.B.A. in International Business from Thunderbird International School
ā€¢ Owner/President Management Program from Harvard Business School

John Kemper, CFO
Chief Financial & Operations Officer

John Kemper

With over 25 years of experience in the field, John Kemper is a seasoned education and finance leader.

John is a finance and education leader with 25+ years of experience. With a passion for Education, John began his professional career as a high school math teacher and later moved into administration serving as an athletic director, and assistant principal. After working 10 years in K-12 education, John transitioned into higher education where he spent 12 years as Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at Grand Canyon University and Assistant Vice President at Arizona State University. Most recently, John served as the CFO at ASU Preparatory Academy. He is the proud father of two daughters and enjoys playing golf, and any/all water activities in his free time.

ā€¢ B.A. Math Education from Ottawa University
ā€¢ M.Ed. Educational Leadership from Arizona State University
ā€¢ M.B.A. Finance from Grand Canyon University

Melissa Sloane
Senior Vice President, Sales & Service

Melissa Slone

Melissa combines 20+ years of experience in education to collaborate, lead, and partner with and drive success for schools and districts.

As the child of two life-long public-school advocatesā€”her father a biology teacher and baseball coach, her mother the district financial controller and soccer coachā€”Melissa grew up learning to appreciate success in the classroom, teamwork on and off the field, hard work, and built the business acumen necessary to build a thriving school district. As such, she has spent the last two decades working in education, including blended and online learning spaces. In addition to founding Hyperfocus Services, a direct-response marketing company, she contributed as the lead salesperson on teams at StrongMind and Connections Learning, selling directly into school districts to help set up virtual learning programs. She also served at K12/Fuel Education for a number of years where she helped build the district partner business under the Fuel Education brand from the ground up. Now, she combines her experience to create strong relationships with people and form highly capable teams who collaborate, lead, and partner together to make a positive impact and drive success for districts, schools, and students.

ā€¢ B.A. in Accounting from Northern Kentucky University
ā€¢ M.A.Ed in Education from Northern Kentucky University
ā€¢ M.S. in Health and Physical Education from Marshall University

Derek Neighbors
Vice President of Technology

Derek Neighbors

Derek Neighbors is a serial entrepreneur and seasoned executive who helps people bring ideas to reality.

Derek Neighbors is a serial entrepreneur who helps people bring ideas to reality. Derek co-founded Gangplank, a collaborative workspace, in 2008 to help encourage local creatives to explore innovative ideas and create what they are passionate about. He helps companies build high performing teams to compete in the new economy. He has spent time as an executive consultant at companies like Pearson, Intel, GoDaddy, Daktronics and Edgenuity. He is a seasoned executive, leading product/technology at startups like Tanga, Openforce, and BodyBuilding.com. He is a Angel investor and troublemaker of the world. He has served on as the President of multiple non-profits and sits on the many local economic development boards and committees.

ā€¢ B.E. in Engingeering from Arizona State University


EXECUTIVES

Nikki Hoffman
Vice President of Managed School Operations

Nikki Hofmann

Nikki is a problem solver with a strong record of achievement in planning and implementing projects and programs for various organizations

Nikki is a problem solver with a strong record of achievement in planning and implementing projects and programs for various organizations. She began her career as a classroom teacher in the metro Phoenix area twenty years ago, moving into the world of online education in 2004. She has since served in several different roles, including as a K-8 online teacher, a teacher-mentor, as regional operations support, as a K-8 principal, Director of Academics, sr. Director of Operations, and now as Vice President of Operations at StrongMind. She is results-driven, with a collaborative spirit no matter her role on a team. Nikki has had the privilege to support many students, teachers, and administrators through her work, and values any opportunity to develop quality relationships with all stakeholders.

ā€¢ B.A. in Elementary and Middle Level Education from University of Northern Iowa

Vice President of Marketing

J. Todd Rash

Creative and results-driven, Todd Rash has over 30 years of experience in driving growth, innovation, and revenue and is committed to helping schools thrive.

Creative and results driven, Todd Rash has over 30 years of experience in driving growth, innovation, and revenue. Todd leads the marketing teams with StrongMind and FlipSwitch, specializing in developing strategic initiatives, building high performance teams, and steering marketing and operational excellence. Prior to joining StrongMind, Todd worked as the Vice President of Marketing at Anthem Education Group for 10 years. He also served as the Creative Director for various institutions such as KnowledgeNet, The Martz Agency, and MicroAge developing B2B campaigns and brands for Cisco, Apple, Microsoft, Motorola, and others. He is committed to supporting the mission at StrongMind and helping schools thrive.

ā€¢ B.F.A. in Advertising & Graphic Design from Ball State University

Megan Antal
Vice President of Operations, Sales and Services

Megan Antal

With over 15 years in EdTech, Megan is passionate about driving support and business operations to create an exceptional customer experience.

Megan Antal offers 15+ years of EdTech experience overseeing support and business operations for virtual district partner implementations and creating organizational structures and processes to support high-growth opportunities. Megan's scope of responsibility over the years has spanned from reporting and data, CRM support and community, production (platform/product) support, curriculum operations, admissions and enrollment, catalog management, and more. She is skilled at creating high-functioning teams and is committed to fostering individual and professional successes. Megan is also passionate about digging into current operations and driving improvements that result in a scalable an exceptional customer experience.

ā€¢ B.A. in Media Arts and Design from James Madison University in Virginia

Product Director

Julie Martinez

Director, Learning Design & Development

Rusty Brandt

As the Director of Learning Design & Development, Rusty Brandt oversees workflow and production processes, ensuring the delivery of quality content that follows instructional design principles.

As the Director of Learning Design & Development, Rusty Brandt oversees workflow and production processes, ensuring the delivery of quality content that follows instructional design principles. Prior to joining StrongMind, Rusty spent 16 years in the classroom, teaching students in grades 4 through 8, with several of those years being on the Navajo Reservation in northeastern Arizona. In addition to the classroom, he spent several years overseeing district curriculum and staff development. He went on to join Pearson, where he started out as a content writer, and eventually moved into instructional design, applying sound instructional principles to a variety of literacy products. Rusty also spent five years at Pearson as part of the research and innovation department and was responsible for overseeing and conducting a multitude of research studies with teachers and students to help improve the efficacy of digital products.

ā€¢ BA in Education from Arizona State University
ā€¢ MA in Curriculum and Instruction from Doane College

People Solutions Director

Lindsey Odegaard

As the Executive Director of Human Resources, Lindsey Odegaard brings 18 years of HR experience, enriched by her background as a D1 collegiate softball player, 2004 Olympic athlete and professional player.

As the Executive Director of Human Resources, Lindsey Odegaard brings 18 years of HR experience, enriched by her background as a D1 collegiate softball player, 2004 Olympic athlete and professional player. Her role involves overseeing HR operations and driving strategic initiatives, focusing on change management, workforce management and full-cycle recruiting. Her leadership style, which blends data-driven decision-making with empathetic leadership, fosters inclusive, high-performance workplace cultures. This approach is instrumental in aligning HR strategies with StrongMind's business objectives, ensuring effective management across multiple states and international locations.

ā€¢ BA in Psychology from Cal State University, Fullerton
ā€¢ MS in Human Resources Management; Chapman University

Executive Director of Product Marketing

Jessica Jenkins