Dr. Appu Kuttan, NEF Founder & Chairman
Appu Kuttan has been an advisor
to many national and world leaders, including three US Administrations — Clinton,
Bush and Obama, U.S. Congressional leaders, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
(in helping to make India a global IT power) and Mauritius Prime Minister (on
transforming Mauritius into an IT-focused nation). He is also the author of many
innovative concepts such as MBS (Management By Systems), CyberLearning, Total Tennis,
Win-Win-Win, Happy Executive, Holistic Executive, Kuttan Preschool (Mind-Body-Soul Life
Style Development), and acclaimed books such as “From Digital Divide to Digital
Opportunity,” and Happy Executive – Nurturing Mind, Body and Soul. He is a
Philanthropist who donated most of his personal funds from the sale of the World-famous
Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy to the National Education Foundation (NEF), described as
a “Dedicated Difference Maker;” 2006 Global Digital Literacy Champion, and most
recently the 2011 University of Wisconsin Distinguished Achievement Award Recipient. He
has been a mentor to many people, including world tennis champions Andre Agassi, Monica
Seles, and U.S. Presidential Honoree Roger Kuttan.
Supt. Art Stellar, NEF Vice-President
Dr. Stellar is a seasoned superintendent. He is nationally known as an author of 60 plus articles on education, and a former national president of ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development). He has served as a superintendent in many states including MA, OK and NC. Dr. Stellar provides QZAB assistance to school superintendents and their curriculum, business, technology and facilities deputies. He knows how to structure the QZAB. His loyalty is to the profession and fellow superintendents. He understands their world, and how difficult it is for them to find funds. He has an open invitation to superintendents across the US and their deputies to invest 5 minutes with him to learn about receiving millions of QZAB dollars to meet their urgent priorities.
Prof. Anthony Betrus, NEF STEM+ Academy Program National Director
Prof. Tony Betrus, a national expert in digital education
system, is a professor of Educational Technology at the State University of New York
(SUNY) at Potsdam. With funding support provided by NEF to SUNY Potsdam and Dr. Betrus,
Tony and his team implement the NEF CyberLearning STEM+ Academy Total Solution programs
in the Nation’s schools. Tony and his team, guided by NEF Chairman Dr. Appu Kuttan,
developed a digital literacy course that has been successfully completed by over 1,900
students worldwide since 2012. He and his team at SUNY Potsdam also provide completion
certificates for the Digital Literacy and CyberLearning online courses.
Prof. M.B. Gururaj, NEF Vice-President
Prof. Gururaj is a well-known expert in empowerment and
education, especially blended learning, elearning and personalized learning, He
specializes in implementing cost-effective world-class education system solutions in IT,
business, desktop, management, soft skills and digital literacy in schools and colleges
as well as public and private sector organizations. As an active member of the USIBC (US
India Business Council), Rotary International and Governing Councils of various
Educational Institutions in India, Prof. Gururaj has unique expertise in developing CSR
(Corporate Social Responsibility) programs in education and training for entities in
India and US.
Supt. Mike Lannon, NEF Vice-President
Mike has been a public educator for 45
years, serving school districts ranging from the inner city to the Navajo Nation and
Florida.
Mike served seventeen years as a Superintendent of the Florida Keys, and St. Lucie County, Florida.
As the Past President of both the Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS) and the Urban Superintendents Association of America (USAA),and as a current member and past Governing Board Member of AASA, Mike devotes his time now to assist superintendents to find funding such as QZAB and cost-effective programs for STEM, Digital Literacy and Professional Development.
Patricia Dengel, NEF Advisor
Pat Dengel retired recently as the state QZAB director at the PA Department of Education PDE). Pat has the unique distinction of issuing all of PA’s QZAB allocations ($290 million) since the inception of the QZAB program. Working with NEF, she also made sure that the PA QZAB school districts implemented QZAB academies that “prepared students better for college and workforce,” as required by the Federal QZAB law. In her capacity as an NEF advisor, Pat She assists school districts with their QZAB applications. She also advises state QZAB directors.
Sushant Mohanty, NEF Chief Technology Officer
Sushant Mohanty has vast experience in IT and technology applications, elearning
and
ecommerce. He is the former CTO of several IT companies, including Register.com.
M. Shahadat Hossain, NEF Director of Marketing
M. Shahadat Hossain is a
marketing professional who teaches marketing at SUNY Potsdam. He began teaching in 2001
at the Sprott School of Business, Carleton University and has also taught at Clarkson
University as an Adjunct Professor. His research was published in the Global Journal of
Business Research as well as various conference proceedings. He received the Outstanding
Research Award from The Institute of Business and Finance Research in 2009. Prior to his
academic career, Shahadat worked in Sales and Marketing both in manufacturing and
service industries, spanning over a decade, from mid to senior levels of management. M.
Shahadat Hossain is a member of the American Marketing Association.
Robert Eichorn, NEF K-12 Learning Advisor
Bob Eichorn is a national expert in alternate, at-risk and high school education & turn-around schools. He is also a national expert in differentiated digital education and standards-based learning. Bob is the recipient of several national, regional and local awards and he is the principal of New Directions Alternative Education Center in Manassas, VA where he has improved at-risk student graduation rates from 61% to 97%.
Roger Kuttan, NEF VP for Strategy and General Counsel
Roger Kuttan is a U.S Presidential honoree and graduate of Stanford with a JD and MBA. Roger has vast experience in business and investment strategies.
Carey Kriz, NEF Software Applications Platform Expert
Carey Kriz has over thirty years of experience in higher education, healthcare and technology, including substantial experience with IBM, a variety of health care and technology enterprises, and Web 3.0 interactive secure video platform development. He is the former CIO of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and is also the author of “The Patient Will See You Now” (2009) series, a view on the future of healthcare, featured weekly on the CISCO website.