MIDAS Education
Meet Our Team
MIDAS, the Massively Integrated Data Analytics System, provides all of the functionality of 13 different software systems schools traditionally buy. We provide curricular and assessment resources, parent communication and accountability, assessment analytics, and district and student information management all in ONE platform designed with individualized instruction in mind.
Megan Harney
Founder & CEO
Megan Harney is the founder and CEO of MIDAS Education. She is a teacher whose experiences in the classroom — which included building her own applications — showed her the power of student performance analytics. She subsequently invested 12 years in developing the MIDAS platform.
Megan has previously conducted and published neurodegenerative research and managed developers at Microsoft. She earned her A.B., cum laude, and Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from Harvard University.
My Why
Patrick Leonard
Chief Operating Officer
Patrick is the Chief Operating Officer of MIDAS Education. He brings nearly three decades of experience in K-12 Education. He started his career as a high school English teacher and basketball coach before becoming an education technology executive. Patrick has as served as a VP of Curriculum Development, VP of Business Development, Regional Manager of Sales, and Director of US Sales. In every role, he has held one, very basic belief: kids are individuals, and teachers know them best. The goal is to provide the resources, training, and tools to help teachers help kids!
My Why
Jason Brown
Chief Technology Officer
Jason is the Chief Technology Officer of MIDAS Education. He has nearly thirty years of experience spanning K-12 and Higher Education. He has served as the Director of Educational Technology at Duquesne University, Senior Software Engineer and Architect at Apple, Pearson, and Parchment, as well as CTO at MIND Research Institute.
Jason received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Math from Duquesne University, earning the University’s first-ever award for Excellence in Computer Science. He also holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Management and a doctorate in Instructional Technology, also from Duquesne University.
My Why
Brent Husson
Chief Strategy Officer
Brent Husson is the Chief Strategy Officer of MIDAS Education. He is also an entrepreneur and the president of Nevada Succeeds, a non-profit that focuses on the development and implementation of education policies that support systemic reform. In his role with Nevada Succeeds, Brent has learned firsthand how students and teachers suffer because states and districts don’t have good data systems. Brent’s close work with district and state education personnel also gives him unique insight into the process and politics of working in this space. Brent is in contact daily with a wide range of educators that inform his understanding of how to work best within the system. He currently serves on several local and State committees in Nevada including: The State Professional Development oversight committee, The Nevada State ESSA Plan Advisory Committee and several of the sub-committees that informed their work, The Committee to write the Nevada State Literacy Plan, The Committee on Nevada Academic Content Standards, The Committee to Study the Reorganization of CCSD, the Community Implementation Council for the Reorganization of CCSD, and several others.
As an entrepreneur, Brent has played a critical role in building several businesses, including three that he owns or has owned, over the last 20 years. Brent has worn every hat in business from customer facing sales to back office accounting, from raising capital to warehouse management, and everything in between.
Brent studied business at Arizona State University. He loves building organizations that solve problems and is committed to making education work for students again.
My Why
Willie Alberty
Director of Application Development
Willie is the Director of Application Development for MIDAS. He began his education technology career in the mid 1990s as a technology coordinator in the Arizona public school system. In the height of the dot-com era, he was recruited to work for Apple as a Senior Software Architect, bringing his years of hands-on K-12 experience to their then-flagship education product, PowerSchool. After five years with Apple, Willie left to start his own consulting company where he leveraged and honed his data modeling, database, and development skills, building sophisticated Web applications for corporate, non-profit, and educational organizations large and small that now serve tens of thousands of users daily.
In early 2017, Willie returned his focus to the education community, and is now applying his extensive experience towards the creation of the next generation of MIDAS functionality. Today, Willie is responsible for programming critical product features as well as mentoring and growing the product development team. He is also a regular presenter at educational technology user group and training events across the country. When not lurking behind the keyboard in his Lancaster, PA office, Willie enjoys swimming, photography, and playing board games with his wife and two sons.
Lee Hinde
Senior Software Engineer
Lee is a Senior Software Engineer for MIDAS. He has 27 years experience using computers to solve customer problems. He’s done this while running his own business as well as when working for Apple and Pearson on their education software product. Lee lives in Elk Grove, CA and has two daughters who completed their education at public schools there. He also has three cats who don’t get out much.
His degree is in government. Lee is excited to be part of MIDAS and to help educators make a difference in their students’ lives.
My Why
Matt Pickering
Vice president, Data Partnerships
Matt is the Vice President of Data Partnerships for MIDAS Education. He brings over two decades of experience in K-12 Education. He started his career as a middle and high school social studies teacher and coach before working as a leader in Professional Development, Assessment, and Technology.
Matt has served in both large, established and start-up organizations as well as in the for- and non-profit space. Matt loves building and supporting businesses and is a firm believer in the power of business and the whole community supporting learners. Still, he knows there is simply no substitute for the relationship between a professional educator and a student. Matt considers it his life's work to support that professional.
When he is not buried in that work and mission, you can find Matt spending time in the mountains of Colorado with his wife and two kids.
My Why
Juan Manuel Garcia
Vice President, Equity Solutions
Juan Manuel Garcia serves as Vice President of Equity Solutions for MIDAS Education. He brings a history of strong partnerships with schools, businesses, and state education leaders. In this capacity, Juan partners with education leaders to address equity issues to better serve ALL students, using actionable data to position students for academic and life success.
At ACT, Juan was responsible for Strategic Partnerships, working with existing and creating new partnerships fulfilling ACT’s non-profit mission of helping people achieve education and workplace success. As a polished communicator, Juan has represented many organizations in multiple settings, ranging from sales presentations to keynote addresses at the national and international level.
Prior to joining ACT, Juan served as Executive Director and champion of college access and readiness for the Iowa College Access Network (ICAN). As the Executive Director of ICAN, Juan established relationships with school and district administrators, state and local leaders, and other nonprofits to reach at-risk students, ensuring that these students were aware of the support that was available to them for pursuit of higher education.
Before working to improve educational opportunities for our students, Juan led marketing and promotions for the launch of a new Spanish magazine published by Meredith Corporation and served as an Account Executive in Latin America for the Hispanic Marketing Division of Donnelley Marketing, Inc.
Juan is originally from Lima, Peru and is fluent in English and Spanish.
Eric Merchant, M.A.
Director of Sales Operations
Eric is the Director of Sales Operations for MIDAS Education. He has spent the past 25 years working in K-12 education, both as a credentialed school counselor and as a classified manager. In addition to working in schools, Eric spent 10 years consulting with hundreds of school districts across 14 states on assessment and accountability. He is committed to working with all kids from any background. Eric believes that every student deserves the opportunity to receive an education. Just as every student deserves the opportunity to receive an education, Eric also believes that every teacher should have the tools they need to provide that education to their students. Eric is truly dedicated to helping teachers and students realize and exceed their maximum potential.
My Why
Nedda Amini
Software Engineer
Nedda is an experienced Software Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry prior to joining the MIDAS team. Nedda is a strong engineering professional with a Bachelors of Science (BS) focused in Computer Science and Bachelor of Arts (BA) focused in Art/Art Studies, from University of California, Santa Barbara.
My Why
Michael Shotter
Software Engineer
With over twenty years as an IT professional, copious time spent in various education technology roles, teaching experience, and a degree in journalism, Michael brings a wide range of skills and experience to his position as an Implementation Specialist at MIDAS.
My Why
Dustin Moore
Software Engineer
Dustin spent nearly a decade working in various parts of the automotive industry, spending the majority of that time developing software and technologies in that space. He spent the 2 years before joining the MIDAS team developing technolgies for E-Commerce platforms.
Recently, he has began developing IOS apps, having launched 3 games on the Apple App Store with 3 additional titles in development.
My Why
Anna Conner
Marketing Director
Anna is the Marketing Director of MIDAS Education. She brings over a decade of experience working in the K-12 setting as a High School Math and Marketing Teacher. Anna earned her Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing degree from Western Washington University and went on to earn her teaching credentials from Central Washington University. Besides teaching, Anna has spent the last decade coaching Gymnastics , Cheerleading.
When not working, you will find Anna spending time with her husband and two children in Washington.
Steve Anderson
Senior Adviser to the Executive Team / Board & Investor Liaison
After careers in commercial and investment banking and eight years as treasurer of a major U.S. brewery, Steve Anderson managed a $50 million Milwaukee private equity and venture capital firm. Since retiring, he has consulted with and been on several private and non-profit boards with revenues up to $400 million. Steve was educated at Harvard College and Harvard Business School and has resided in Milwaukee for 45 years. He continues to be active in his church and in civic affairs.
Steve’s wife is a retired technical college teacher. They have four married adult children.
Jason Feldman
Jason Feldman is CEO/Co-Founder of Vault Health, a venture-funded startup elevating a concierge experience for men’s healthcare. Preceding the launch of Vault Health, Jason was Head of Prime Video Direct, Amazon’s self-service marketplace for major studios, distributors and content creators to make their content available on Prime Video in over 200 countries, and during his tenure, also served Amazon customers as Director of Global Innovation and Head of Global Vendor Management supporting international expansion.
Formerly, Jason was President, Direct-to-Consumer businesses for Hanesbrands leading five websites and the company’s B2B wholesale platform serving over 15,000 small business customers. Before joining the company, Jason was President of The Body Shop (a division of L’Oreal) for the US and Mexico, responsible for leading retail, e-commerce, wholesale, and franchise growth in North America. Jason held leadership roles with The Home Depot for 14 years including merchandising, operations and new concept development responsibilities for retail and digital businesses.
Prior to his retail experience, Jason was a management consultant and also worked for the American Foreign Service Association at the US Department of State. A father of teenage triplets, Jason has led global organizations across retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and public sectors. He studied international communications and has a Master’s in Public Administration from The George Washington University.
Monty Hitschler
Monty received his B.S. in Business Administration Management from San Diego State University and his M.S. in Information Technology Management from Brandies University. He is currently in his eighth year as the Director of Information Systems and Technologies for Rockport Public Schools and the Town of Rockport. Before landing in Rockport, he worked for several other school systems in Massachusetts, including Salem, Winchester, and Belmont.
Monty takes pleasure in leading a strong department that is able not only to meet the needs of RPS and the Government Departments employees but also improve the overall town productivity and the student experience. He is currently implementing a district-wide Makerspace / STEM program, which includes robotics, coding and fabrication labs.
Monty was an early MIDAS customer and is proud of the work he and his district have done to help shape the development of the MIDAS platform.
Kathy Hurley
Kathy Hurley is a 40+ year veteran of the education industry. Throughout her career, Kathy has served in top positions in both publishing and technology companies, which includes executive positions with Pearson and IBM. In December of 2014, Kathy retired from Pearson where she spent ten years and served as Executive Vice President Education Alliances, for the Pearson Foundation. Kathy utilizes her expertise in education policy, sales, marketing and business development to help further the work of top businesses, executive level customers, associations and foundations.
In 2013, Kathy was selected as a Fellow of the Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) at Harvard University for 2014. Upon completing the ALI at Harvard, Kathy co-founded a global non-profit organization called Girls Thinking Global, which has as its mission to connect global change-makers to empower adolescent girls around the world.
In April 2015, Kathy published her first book, Real Women, Real Leaders (Wiley) with co-editor, Priscilla Shumway. Kathy currently sits on the Board of Directors for Nervanix, an edtech neuroscience company; the Center for Teaching Quality, a non-profit that connects, readies, and mobilizes teacher leaders to transform schools; the Concord Consortium, a non-profit educational research and development organization; and the Advisory Board for the New York Academy of Sciences.
Kathy holds a B.A. degree in special education from the University of Dayton and a Master’s degree in education from Jersey City State College. She is a former NJ teacher. She is married to Charles Blaschke and resides in Arlington, Virginia.
Wendy LaDuke
Wendy LaDuke is the former Group Publisher of eSchool Media and the former President of the Education Division and Group Publisher for 1105 Media. With more than 30 years in the education technology publishing market — and a father widely considered as the founder of the industry itself — she has a profound love for, and appreciation of, the education technology arena. In 2013, the Folio 100 awards honored her as an “Under the Radar” agent of change, a testament to her equally avid admiration and vision for the publishing industry.
LaDuke began her career in education technology at her father’s publication, T.H.E. Journal, eventually becoming the publication’s Chief Executive Officer and Co-Publisher in 1995. When the publication was acquired in 2005 by 101 Communications (now 1105 Media) LaDuke broadened her responsibilities, serving as Publisher of Campus Technology, and ultimately as President and Group Publisher for the entire Education Group. During her years with 1105 Media, she was responsible for multiple acquisitions of publications and events, including FETC — the largest national conference for the education technology industry. With the addition of products and services, she worked with multiple editorial staffs and media outlets. She led the editorial, creative, events, sales, and marketing teams during her tenure. She has a deep understanding of what constitutes a “good story,” which can help engage communities in the mission of their schools and a deeper understanding of the power of the tool that technology can play in accomplishing their goals.
In 2014, LaDuke joined the eSchool Media team as Group Publisher, bringing with her a deep understanding of how education has been transformed by technology, and a determination to not only continue her father’s vision to foster innovation, but to further establish and pursue her own belief that technology and innovation are two integral pieces of the education puzzle. LaDuke now spends her time and focus on programs that can successfully impact education for all students, especially those students with the highest need. She combines her 32 years of successful working relationships in the communities between content providers, educators, and industry to build best of breed programs that can be scaled and replicated for the good of all students and their families. She is an active board member for Power my Learning LA, serving the local communities’ families with access to technology for their students to support learning.
Daron Roberts
Daron K. Roberts is a former NFL coach and author of, “Call an Audible” (Greenleaf 2017). “Call an Audible” was named a #1 New Release and Best Seller by Amazon and Sports Illustrated selected the book as one of its “Best Sports Business Books of 2017.”
Currently, Roberts serves as founding director of the Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation (CSLi) at the University of Texas. He created CSLi in the fall of 2014. The Center is the first university-based institute dedicated to developing leadership and character curricula for high school, collegiate and professional athletes. Through the Center, Roberts teaches a course – A Gameplan for Winning at Life– to incoming freshmen student-athletes. In January of 2018, the Center received the commitment and financial support of NBA All-Star, Kevin Durant.
Roberts holds a faculty appointment in the Liberal Arts Honors Program. He has received the Silver Spurs Centennial Teaching Award, Creative Engagement Award and was named a distinguished faculty member by the School of Undergraduate Studies in 2015. His research revolves around issues of rejection, failure management and leadership.
After graduating from Harvard Law School (2007), Roberts served coaching stints with the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, West Virginia Mountaineers and Cleveland Browns. He holds a B.A. in Plan II Honors and Government from the University of Texas (2001) and an M.P.P. from Harvard’s Kennedy School (2004).
In 2010, Daron launched a nonprofit football camp – 4th and 1, Inc. 4th and 1 provides free SAT prep, life skills development and football training to at-risk youth in Michigan, Texas and Florida. The camp has served nearly 500 student-athletes since 2010.
Peter Storer
Peter has spent most of his life working with media and computer systems. Raised in the broadcast industry, Peter earned his BA in Economics from Harvard University in 1976 while working at the student-run Harvard Radio Broadcasting (WHRB) and the Harvard Video Center.
After graduation, Peter joined CBS Network Sales, where he developed one of the first computerized systems for sales planning. He subsequently served as Director of Research for Storer Television Sales, and later, as National Sales Manager for the Storer station in Milwaukee, WITI. In 1986, Peter started his own software firm specializing in systems for broadcast channels and cable networks. He sold his company to SintecMedia in 2012 and is now a consultant for MediAnswers specializing in broadcast system integrations for numerous major industry clients.
Peter serves on several non-profit boards and is chairman of the George B. Storer Foundation, which provides grants to support early childhood and nature-based education.
Peter and his wife Jean have been married for over 40 years. They have two daughters and three granddaughters. Peter also enjoys the outdoors as an avid golfer and fisherman, and he is an instrument-rated, commercial pilot. They live in New Hampshire.
John Whitcomb, M.D.
Dr. John Whitcomb has been an innovator in education for 40 years. At heart, John is an educator. He is also an inventor and business owner. As a physician, John was one of the first in Wisconsin to start Wellness University, an innovative platform for teaching preventative medicine. In his early years at Yale University, John was the prime medical student starting a longitudinal clinic for students, the first of its kind in America and now the model for over 120 others.
John has been on the Oprah Winfrey show as the author of the book Capitate Your Kids, Teaching Teens Financial Independence, and for many summers, he has taught teachers financial literacy at Wisconsin’s Financial Institute.
John and Holly have two children in San Francisco and Geneva, Switzerland. They have been married 42 years. Holly is a clergy woman in the United Church of Christ and an author/retreat leader. John gardens oaks and hosta. They live in Elm Grove, Wisconsin.
Joe Leonard
Joe has over 30 years executive management experience in the consumer packaged goods industry (CPG) RJR Nabisco, Curtice Burns Foods, CF Sauer, Inc.
The latest 12 years as CEO of Bonipak Produce, Inc. A fully integrated farming, processing and sales organization. Joe Oversees all operations with 1,200 employees, over $300,000,000 in annual sales and 25,000,000 cartons of vegetables grown, harvested, processed packed and sold annually.
Joe has a BA in Business administration from the University of Puget Sound and is a 3 time NCAA All-American team selection while also having played 2 years Professional Basketball in the German Bundesliga
