Leadership

Kevin Brueggeman has twenty years executive leadership experience as a President and CEO serving clients, team members, and stakeholders in the assessment, technology, and education industries. In addition to Scantron, he has held such leadership positions at other name-brand organizations like Educational Testing Service, Pearson, Sylvan Prometric, and Harcourt.  He has led companies with 100 to more than 1,000 team members and with dozens to more than 10,000 clients under a variety of ownership structures, including private equity, joint-venture, and corporate divisions.

He has extensive experience in business mergers and acquisitions, business turn-arounds, and leading organizational growth while improving customer satisfaction, team member engagement, and enterprise value. Kevin also has a long track record of attracting outstanding leadership talent and developing high-performing management teams.

Professional Highlights:

• Twenty years of leadership as a President, CEO
• Deep experience in educational assessment, certification & licensure testing, educational technology, managed technology services, and global markets.
• Completed the Minnesota Executive Program at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
• Long track record of attracting key leadership talent and developing high-performing management teams.

 LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/kevinbrueggeman/

Shaun Nugent is an accomplished finance leader with extensive experience managing hyper-growth, middle-market businesses in a variety of industries and organizational structures.  He has more than 25 years of experience in senior executive leadership and has led accounting, finance, M&A, IT, digital transformation, and business process re-engineering at numerous, successful firms.

Prior to joining Scantron in July 2020, Shaun served as the CEO and CFO of several major private and public companies, including Sun Country Airlines, Life Time Fitness, AllOver Media, and Champps Entertainment.  His most recent role was as Chief Financial Officer of Vireo Health International, a publicly held, specialty pharma company.

Professional Highlights:

• Raised and deployed more than $1B of capital through public and private equity, senior and subordinated debt and creative asset leases.
• Built and led two site-based brand rollouts from local to national footprint with more than 40 profitable units.
• Led the turnaround of a bankrupt regional airline with one old aircraft and no revenue into a profitable international commercial carrier with over a dozen 737-800 aircraft generating more than $350M in annual revenue.
• Managed teams from ten to several thousand in hyper-growth environments that resulted in revenue, margin, and EBITDA gain and increased shareholder value.
• Planned, managed, and executed three business sales that generated 4x to 20x returns on initial investment.
• Named ‘CFO of the Year’ in 2014 by Twin Cities Business in recognition of his many accomplishments.

Non-Profit Board Affiliations:

• Twin Cities Film Festival – Advisory Board Member (2015 – present)
• Common Hope – Executive Board Member (2009-2018)

Cathy Pickoski has more than 30 years of experience leading high performing sales, marketing and operations teams in environments of rapid growth and change. In her current role at Scantron, Cathy leads Technology Solutions and is responsible for driving strategy, execution, and overall performance of the business.

She began her career at Verizon establishing herself in progressive leadership roles within the Consumer, Commercial and Public Sector Markets, which culminated in leading the Field Segment Marketing team for Western Global Accounts with annual revenues in excess of $800M.  She then moved to Lumen running the North Texas/Oklahoma Region and growing revenues more than 400% during her tenure. In late 2005, she joined Edmentum to lead sales teams in the K12, post-secondary, and channel markets as the organization transformed to a Software-as-a-Service business. During this period, her teams exceeded annual revenue goals and secured key contracts at the state level along with winning multiple contracts at the district and post-secondary level.  Prior to her current role at Scantron, over the last eight years, Cathy has lead global sales, marketing, print operations, and customer support within the business.

Professional Highlights:

• More than 30 years of success in transforming sales and marketing organizations.
• Extensive experience in the technology and assessment market segments
• Expertise in global market development and operations

Email: Cathy.Pickoski@scantron.com

Twitter: @CathyPickoski

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cathy-pickoski-84a68ba/

Jay Whitchurch is an experienced leader with more than 20 years in executive leadership roles. Jay brings expertise in general management, growth, product innovation, digital transformation, operational excellence, partnerships, and acquisitions. Leveraging his 15 years in the Assessment industry, he is currently responsible for driving Scantron Assessment Solutions’ overall business performance, strategy, and operations.

Prior to Scantron, Jay led organizations and served in other senior executive roles in the Assessment and Education industries, including: Pearson’s Educational Assessment business as the Senior Vice President, Products/Services, and with Harcourt Assessment as the Senior Vice President/Chief Information Officer. He was also CEO and founder of campus2careers, an innovative education technology company focused on college and career readiness. After driving substantial growth for the business and winning various awards, campus2careers was acquired in January 2013. Before his work in the Assessment industry, Jay was a senior leader with Booz & Company as part of a successful career in advising C-level clients on key strategic growth initiatives.

Professional Highlights:

• More than 20 years in executive leadership roles
• 15 years of leadership experience in the Assessment industry helping organizations transform and grow
• Strong expertise in general management, growth, product innovation, digital transformation, operational excellence, partnerships, and acquisitions
• Successfully launched, grew, and sold an Education Tech company

Association and Affiliations:

• Assessment Solutions Group Advisor (2010–present)
• Board member – CTB McGraw Hill’s Innovation Board (2011–2013)
• Board member – Edfolio (2013–2015)
• Advisor – Subject Matter (2013–2015)
• Member – Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce Ed Tech Committee (2011–2015)
• Board member – Get Your Learn On (2010–2013)
• Board member – Moolah U (2009–2013)
• Board Chairman – Circular Energy (2009–2015)
• Advisor – Missionwell (2007–2008)

Email: Jay.Whitchurch@scantron.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jaywhitchurch/

With more than 22 year of experience in Payroll and Human Resources, Tracey Ellis leads all HR related activities for Scantron—overseeing HR needs for Assessment Solutions, Technology Solutions and Scanners and Forms. She began her HR career at Weyerhaeuser in Payroll and General Accounting then moved to ConAgra where she held several HR roles, including Payroll Supervisor for the Food Ingredients Division.  Eventually, Tracey joined Scantron where she has held progressive leadership roles during her 14 year tenure, specializing in employee relations. She has also developed significant experience with acquisitions and employee integration.

Tracey is certified in Human Resources through both the Human Resources Certification Institute and the Society for Human Resources Management.

Professional Highlights:

• Certified in Human Resources through both the Human Resources Certification Institute and the Society for Human Resources Management
• More than 22 years of experience working in Payroll and Human Resources as both a generalist and a specialist
• Super-user during major software conversions at three companies

Associations and Affiliations:

• PHR
• SHRM-CP
• Member of Society of Human Resources Management
• Member of Human Resources Association of the Midlands

Email: Tracey.Ellis@scantron.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tracey-ellis-hr

Maria Incrocci, PhD, is a psychometrician with more than 16 years of experience driving psychometric and test development activities for national credentialing and educational healthcare organizations. She has a diverse background leading a myriad of psychometric, content development, publishing, and credentialing teams as well as extensive work with expert panels and examination oversight committees. Capitalizing on her expertise, Maria will be responsible for leading our great team of psychometricians and providing overall direction on psychometric support for assessment measurement, design, administration, scoring, processing, and analysis all of which ensure the validity and reliability of Scantron’s off-the-shelf and custom solutions and services.

Prior to joining the Scantron team in 2021 as the VP of Psychometrics, Maria began her career in assessments with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, where she rose to a senior management position directing all aspects of psychometrics and test development. She then joined the American Osteopathic Association as the Director of Psychometrics and was promoted to the Associate Vice President of Certifying Board Services — overseeing 16 certifying specialty board credentialing programs. Maria eventually transitioned to the educational assessment arena with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons as the Associate Director of Assessment and Examinations, where she led teams to develop the residency Orthopaedic In-training Examination and a variety of self-assessment and specialty topic examinations.

Professional Highlights:

• More than 16 years of psychometric and test development experience
• Diverse background in senior positions leading psychometric, content development, publishing, and credentialing teams
• Extensive work with panels and examination oversight committees

Association and Affiliations:

• Association of Test Publishers (2008–present)
• Institute for Credentialing Excellence (2008–present)
• Certification Network Group–Chicago (2018–2020)
• American Educational Research Association (2010-2015)
• Federation of Association of Regulatory Boards Board of Directors (2011-2016)
• American Pharmacists Association (2006-2017)

Email: Maria.Incrocci@scantron.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-incrocci-62550a21/

For the last 29 years, Brian Janning has held various management roles in the field service and support operations field.  Leveraging seven years of prior manufacturing experience as a quality engineer, Brian has directly managed depot repair operations, technical support operations, technical training, and a nationwide field service organization. These teams supported a wide variety of products and services while serving a diverse customer base in many vertical markets.

Leading all operations at a national service organization, Brian has driven advancements in technology and process improvements creating cost savings and competitive advantages for his organization. His experience includes major involvement in multiple acquisitions, large-scale projects for national customers, technical sales support, systems and process conversions, along with profit and loss responsibilities.

Professional Highlights:

• Direct operational management of
  • Depot Repair and Logistics Operations
  • Help Desk and Technical Support Teams
  • Technical Training Programs
  • National Field Service organization
• More than 29 years of experience in the support of a wide variety of products and services in IT environments for a diverse customer base
• Demonstrated leadership in national IT service and solutions organization

Email: Brian.Janning@Scantron.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brian-janning-a567a122

Amanda Jewell has more than 20 years of experience in the assessment industry. She uses her expertise in item and examination development to assist clients in developing, maintaining, and implementing a variety of computer-adaptive and fixed-form exams to ensure reliability, equity, and validity of those exams. In addition, she works with technical and implementation teams to ensure that the integrity of Scantron-produced exams transition through to delivery, scoring, and reporting and to ensure the seamless execution of each exam program.  Amanda provides leadership and guidance to the organization, overseeing assessment activities related to all aspects of creating and maintaining valid, reliable, and high-quality exam programs. In her current role, Amanda leads both the assessment development and professional services teams across all markets.

Prior to joining Scantron, Amanda worked as an educational consultant for clients such as Parent Tutor Corporation, Sally Ride Science, Binary Labs, NCS Pearson, PLATO Learning, and Scholastic. Her past experience as both a high school mathematics and computer science teacher has given her unique insights into the education markets, which she leverages to provide superior solutions for Scantron clients.

Professional Highlights

• Assessment professional with more than 20 years of experience in the development and implementation of assessment programs in the K-12 Education and Certification & Licensure markets.
• Effective communicator with excellent planning, organizational, and negotiation strengths.
• Proven track record of providing onsite and remote leadership, establishing goals, and producing results, and ensuring that both client and internal projects are completed within established schedules and budgets.

Associations and Affiliations:

• Association of Test Publishers (2016–present)

Email: amanda.jewell@scantron.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-jewell-32118327

Vern Kathol has more than 35 years of leadership experience in the information technology space including expertise in the areas of Technical Support Operations, Depot Repair Operations, Purchasing, Inventory and Logistics Operations, and IT Governance.  The breadth of his experience has also allowed him to play key roles in M&A activity within the Scantron Technology Solutions brand.  As Vice President of Hardware and Managed Print Services, his responsibilities include the development of growth vision and strategy, the execution of that strategy via organic service development, the creation of strategic alliances and the support of acquisition strategy.

His development of strategic alliances has driven growth in Hardware Maintenance, Managed IT and Manage Print Services lines of business. Vern has also established Scantron Technology Solutions as a key producer for a number of strategic alliance partners. In conjunction with the organic development of services, his IT Governance responsibilities produced supporting systems which earned him and his team the company’s prestigious Pillar of Excellence Award for Innovation.

Professional Highlights:

• More than 35 years of experience in the information technology industry
• Skilled in the development of growth vision and the execution of strategy to achieve results and long term cultural evolution
• Successful integration of acquisitions in support of geographic expansion strategy
• Organic development of market-leading Managed IT and Managed Print product lines
• Development of top-producing strategic alliances with major OEMs

Email:  Vern.Kathol@scantron.com

LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/vern-kathol-69241414/

Kim Larsen has more than 28 years of experience and first-hand knowledge working in the SMB Marketplace. She has been responsible for the sales, purchasing and deployment of more than $150 million of IT infrastructure, including: IT Managed Services, Network Design and Implementation. Kim also brings a wealth of financial management expertise, business partnership acquisitions, financial reporting and budgetary oversight to Scantron.

Kim provides leadership and financial guidance for the continued development of an innovative, robust and secure Information Technology environment. During her time at WRK Systems, her guidance strategy on realignment of the Managed Services Support model helped grow the organization by 210% in three years. Additionally, during her realignment of support strategies, she was also able to grow gross profit margin on services by 15% during the same three year window.

Professional Highlights:

• Proven ability to implement Managed Services Support models and strategies to substantially grow business
• More than 28 years of experience working in the SMB market with extensive experience relating to IT Managed Services
• Expertise in financial management, business partnership acquisitions, financial reporting, and budgetary oversight.

Associations and Affiliations:

• Omaha Chamber of Commerce
• Trust X Alliance

Email: Kim.Larsen@scantron.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kim-larsen-1bb0b58a/

Tim Luukkonen has more than 15 years of experience driving communication and marketing initiatives for organizations ranging from privately held corporations to state universities. He has an extensive background leading teams in corporate communication, team member engagement, brand positioning, change management, and strategic planning. In his current role, Tim works with senior leadership to provide effective and efficient marketing support for each line of business. He also continues to lead all strategic communication initiatives across the enterprise.

Tim began his career in the Army, first working in military intelligence as a linguist, before eventually transitioning to Public Affairs. Following his military service, he worked as the managing editor for a San Antonio-based magazine where his primary role involved content management, marketing, and brand evolution. In 2011, he began work for the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he led marketing and communication strategies for the College of Engineering before being promoted and leading marketing and communication efforts for the Office of the Vice President of Research. By 2015, he joined Vericast (formerly Harland Clarke Holdings) as a director, where he has worked on a variety of projects including Scantron’s brand evolution, business continuity plan, employee value proposition, video strategies, and corporate communication.

Professional Highlights:

• More than 15 years of experience leading communication programs that actively drive change
• Success developing brand evolution and positioning initiatives
• Expertise in employee engagement strategies
• Extensive experience with communication metrics and data

Email: Tim.Luukkonen@scantron.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-luukkonen/

Mary Michael Pontzer, PhD is a strategic product and portfolio management executive passionate about innovation, growth strategy, and results-driven leadership. For the last 15 years, she has been committed to improving education through meaningful digital product experiences based on thoughtfully crafted strategy and customer-centric roadmap development and management. At Scantron, Mary Michael is responsible for all Portfolio and Product Management activities related to the Assessment market: Scantron’s Educational Assessment, Certification & Licensure Testing, Analytics, and Survey products. These responsibilities include establishing and driving existing and future strategic direction for the organization, as well as driving innovation, leveraging market insights to conceptualize new products, services, and assessment solutions to fill customer needs, and providing strategic lifecycle management of Assessment market products, services, and brands.

Before joining Scantron, Mary Michael served in other senior leadership roles in the Assessment industry, at organizations such as ACT, Inc. as the Vice President of Product, and Learning Ally, Inc. as the Vice President of Professional Learning Solutions. Additionally, she held progressively responsible positions at K12, Inc., including Director of New Business Planning. Prior to her work in the field of product and portfolio management, Mary Michael taught at community colleges and universities in Northeast Georgia and began her professional career as a high school English teacher in metro-Atlanta. Mary Michael earned a PhD in International and Comparative Education from the University of Georgia.

Professional Highlights:

• Adept at leveraging strong understanding of domestic and international markets, assessment technology trends, and market intelligence to drive competitive advantage.
• Deep expertise in strategic planning and execution, new product development and innovation, holistic portfolio management, and digital transformation.
• Track-record of building exceptional product teams passionate about customers, solving challenges, and the craft of product management.
• Repeated success devising and implementing product and portfolio strategies to diversify revenue and optimize operational excellence.

Email: MaryMichael.Pontzer@scantron.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmp11/

With more than 20 years of experience in the technology space and over 10 years of leadership experience, Justin Taylor leads the Information Technology and Compliance teams for Scantron.  In this role, he is responsible for Scantron’s IT Infrastructure, information security, and internal business systems to ensure they meet the needs of Assessment Solutions, Technology Solutions, and the Scantron enterprise. As Compliance Officer, Justin works with senior leadership to develop compliance and risk management programs for the organization.

Justin began his IT career at Pearson as a Systems Engineer.  He has spent the vast majority of his career in technical and leadership roles within Assessment Technology organizations.  Since joining the Scantron team in 2008, Justin has held several progressively responsible leadership roles all focused within the technology area.

Most recently, Justin was the Director of IT Infrastructure where he led the technology transformation and process excellence efforts for the company which have resulted in consistently exceeding availability targets and system performance objectives for customer-facing, Software-as-a-Service applications as well as back-office, internal business systems.

Professional Highlights:

• More than 20 years of combined experience in hands-on engineering and leadership roles
• Process and technology innovation leadership experience
• Proven track record in technical team building, talent acquisition, and retention
• Experienced in M&A activity pre- and post-process, including team and system integrations
• Extensive Information Security audit experience

Email: Justin.Taylor@scantron.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justintaylor79