The GradLeaders team includes top experts in the world of student recruitment, focused on providing superior service to our school, professional association, and corporate partners.

Executive Team

Jack Gainer  
Chief Executive Officer

As Jack’s 4th entrepreneurial growth business, he brings nearly two decades of senior management experience in information technology, recruiting and consumer products to the firm.

College: Marietta College

Experience: 25+ years in Senior Management

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Born in: Huntington, West Virginia

Outside of Work, Find Me: On the golf course

Darrell Dewese   
Chief Technology Officer

Darrell, a co-founder of GradLeaders, began his career within the MBA recruiting industry in 1999 as an applications developer at Resume-Link, and now has total oversight of all aspects related to product development provided by GradLeaders.

College: The Ohio State University

Experience: 27 years in Software Development and Management

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Favorite Destination: Colorado

Outside of Work, Find Me: Coaching my cross country team

Amber Driver  
Chief Financial Officer

Amber has over 20 years of professional services experience principally in public and industry accounting, as well as human resources and teaching.

 College: The Ohio State University

Experience: 20+ years in professional services

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Handedness: Right

Born in: Chicago, Illinois

I’m a Trivia Expert at: Music, Art and The Princess Bride

Technology Team

Mo Al-Badah
Entry Level Software Engineer

College: Green Mountain College, Community College of Vermont

Experience: 5 years in Customer Service

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: I’m not taking sides

Born in: Stanford, California

Outside of Work, Find Me: Riding the streets on my skateboard

Mark Blum
Quality Assurance Lead

College: The Ohio State University

Born in: Hartford, Connecticut

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Dream Destination: Australia

Outside of Work, Find me: In the gym

Patty Godfrey  
Business Analyst Lead

College: Salem College, M.Ed. from Salem Teikyo University

Experience: 20+ years in Technical Writing

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Dream Destination: Prague

Outside of Work, Find Me: At home gardening, baking, knitting and being a domestic goddess

George Goslin 
Quality Assurance Analyst

College: Full Sail University

Experience: 6 Years in the US Air Force

Handedness: Left

Dream Vacation Spot: Italy

I Can't Live Without: Pizza

Ask Me About My: Subaru WRX 

Dave Hoy   
Business Intelligence Specialist

College: John Carroll University, Franklin University

At GradLeaders: 14 years

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Favorite Destination: Las Vegas

Ask Me About: My poker addiction

Sasi Ikkurti    
Senior Software Engineer

College: Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University

At GradLeaders: 10 Years

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Born in: Repalle, Andhra Pradesh, India

Ask Me About: My gardening

Nick Johnson  
Intermediate Software Engineer

College: Franklin University

Experience: 15 years in Software Engineering

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Handedness: Left

Outside of Work, Find Me: Playing with my kids, playing guitar, working on cars or fishing

Nicole Kuebler  
Business Analyst

College: Valparaiso University

At GradLeaders: 13 years

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Favorite Destination: Bora Bora

Ask Me About: Cats, U2 concerts, Arrested Development

John Oates
Senior Network Engineer

 Experience: 18 years in Network and System Engineering

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: I’m not taking sides

Handedness: Right

Born in: Birmingham, Alabama

Ask Me About: Kuvasz dog

Scott Simmons
Senior Software Engineer

College: Franklin University

Experience: 18 years in Software Development

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Handedness: Right

I’m a Trivia Expert at: Space and military

Kent Utterback
Customer Support Associate II

College: Ohio Northern University

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Handedness: Right

Born in: Columbus, Ohio

Outside of Work, Find Me: Dominating in corn hole

Ken Ward 
Entry Level Software Engineer 

College: University of Oregon

Experience: 2 years in Tech

Born: Nago, Japan

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Ask Me About: My summer internship in Ghana

I Can’t Live without: Clif bars

HuaShyr Wu
Senior Software Engineer 

College: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Experience: 18+ years in Software Development

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Born in: Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Outside of Work, Find Me: Reading tech-related books

Customer Support Team

Tami Scott 
Vice President, Customer Support

 College: Miami University

Experience: 20+ years in Customer Support, Project Management & Process Improvement

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Dream Destination: Savannah, Georgia

I’m a Trivia Expert at: Yoga

Nick Carney 
Lead Customer Support Specialist  

College: Columbus State

Experience: 4 years in IT support

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Dream Destination: Japan

Outside of Work, Find Me: Playing video games or building something

Aaron Clark    
CRM Manager

Experience: 10 years in Customer Service/Sales, 7 years in Tech

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Handedness: Right

Born in: Columbus, Ohio

I’m a Trivia Expert at: Video games, Seinfeld and cars

Jessica Fertel 
Senior Customer Relationship Manager 

College: Undergrad and MA from Bowling Green State University

Experience: 11 Years in Software Consulting and Implementation

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: Mac

Favorite Destination: Stowe, Vermont

I Can’t Live Without: Coffee, my husband’s sarcasm and slobbery kisses from my daughters

Aaron Greider
Customer Support Specialist

College: Antonelli College

Experience: 5 years in IT Support

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Favorite Destinations: Alaska and Orlando

Ask Me About: My music experience

Rob Hageman
Customer Relationship Manager 

College: The Ohio State University

Experience: 15 years in Marketing Management

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Born in: Lima, Ohio

Ask Me About: The time Ohio State thought I was a football player so I got season tickets

Matthew Hall 
Customer Relationship Manager

College: Muskingum University

Experience: 2+ years in Marketing & Advertising, almost 2 years Recruiting IT

Mobile: iPhone

When I Retire, I Want to Live In: South Carolina, close to the beach

Ask Me About My: One and only concussion in a Little League World Series game

Kevin Mbugua
Customer Support Associate - HL2

Experience: 6 years in Customer/Tech Support

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Handedness: Right

Born in: Nairobi, Kenya

I Can’t Live Without: The Internet

Jim Morton 
Customer Support Associate

 College: The Ohio State University

Experience: 8 years in Customer Services and Business Development, 3 years in IT

Born in:  Mason City, IA

Ask Me About: My cigar and scotch collection

I'm a Trivia Expert at: Metal and Classic Rock Music

Ellie Ringler 
Customer Relationship Manager

College: Franklin University

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: I’m not taking sides

Born in: Male Kozmalovce, Slovakia

Coffee: Often

I Can’t Live Without: Coffee and lipstick

Alex Salmon 
Customer Support Associate 

 Experience: 7 years in Customer Service

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Dream Destination: Ireland

I Can't Live Without: Movies

Outside of Work, Find Me: Spending time with my wife, cooking, or playing video games

James Simmons
Customer Support Associate

Eddie Thomas
Customer Support Associate - HL2

College: ITT Technical Institute

Experience: 13 years in Customer Service

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Handedness: Left

Outside of Work, Find Me: You won't find me. Hide and Seek Champion 2011-2017

Alexander Ulery
Customer Support Associate

Bob Wedemeyer
Customer Support Associate

Carlina Wong
Lead Customer Support Specialist

College: University of Incarnate Word

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: Mac

Handedness: Right

Born in: San Antonio, Texas

Outside of Work, Find Me: Doing yoga or shopping

Josh Zeise
Customer Support Associate

Experience: 4 years in IT Support

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Handedness: Right

Born in: Columbus, Ohio

I Can’t Live Without: The Internet

Implementation Team

Amy Jones 
Senior Manager, Implementations

College: Elon University

At GradLeaders: 13 years

Experience: 16 years in MBA and Recruiting

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Outside of Work, Find Me: In my kitchen

Rachael Thompson 
Implementation Manager

 College: Saint Bonaventure for Undergrad & MBA

Experience: 5 years in process improvement and Customer Services

Born: Buffalo, NY

Ask me about: My rescue pup, Kona and running marathons

I'm a trivia expert at: Random animal facts

I can't live without: PHO. And Tacos.

Sales Team

Bill Donnelly   
Vice President, Sales

College: The Ohio State University

Experience: 7 years in Sales Leadership

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Favorite Destination: Any beach along the Gulf of Mexico

I Can’t Live Without: The Sunday morning newspaper

Kate Barton  
Manager, Customer Success – Schools

College: The Ohio State University

Experience: 20+ years in Higher Education

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: Mac

Dream Destination: Fiji

Ask Me About: My obsession with cooking and travel shows

Bryan Furler  
Director, School Consulting

College: Buena Vista University, M.Ed. from Texas State University

At GradLeaders: 9 years

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Handedness: Left

I’m a Trivia Expert at: Geography

Amy King    
Director, Customer Success – Employer

College: Ohio University

Experience: 14 years in Recruitment Technology

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Favorite Destination: Paris

Outside of Work, Find Me: Reading, gardening or watching my son run track

Sean Nelms  
Manager, New Partner Sales – Employer

College: Ohio Wesleyan University

Experience: 10 years in Sales

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Born in: Chicago, Illinois

Ask Me About: My love for lacrosse or my sneaker collection

Andy Richardson 
Manager, Customer
Success – Schools

College: The Ohio State University

Experience: 6 years in Business Account Management

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: Mac

Dream Destination: Maui

 When I Retire, I Want to Live In: Marathon, Florida

Kyle Stull 
Manager, New Partner Sales – Schools

College: Otterbein University

Experience: 7 years in Sales

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: I'm not taking sides

Born in: Parma, Ohio

When I'm not at work, find me: At Progressive Field or on the golf course

Meghan Swonger 
Senior Manager, Customer Success – Graduate Business Schools

College: Ashland University

Experience: 9 years in Sales and Customer Relationship Management

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Born in: Orlando, Florida

Outside of Work, Find Me: Chasing my sons, cooking, crafting or hitting golf balls

Marketing & Research Team

Ryan Pratt   
Vice President, Marketing & Research

College: The Ohio State University

At GradLeaders: 8 years

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: Mac

Favorite Destination: Aruba

Ask Me About: Star Wars

Michael Bell  
Research & Analysis Associate 

College: Master’s from Texas State University

Experience: 5 years in Survey Research

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Coffee: Hot chocolate mix as the sweetener

Ask Me About: My preferred game in the Halo series

Michelle Dranschak   
Graphic Design & Visual Brand Manager

Experience: 10 years in Design

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: Mac

Favorite Destination: The woods or someplace with big water

Outside of Work, Find Me: In my ceramics studio

I Can't Live Without: My sewing machine

Catie Ewen    
Content & Digital Marketing Manager

College: Miami University

Experience: 4 years in Marketing and Journalism

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: I’m not taking sides

Coffee: With sugar and cream

Outside of Work, Find Me: Cooking, hitting the Columbus food scene or doing yoga

Chelsey Gold 
Training and Events Manager

College: Concordia University, Texas

Experience: 6 years in Marketing Management

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Born in: Santa Barbara, California

Outside of Work, Find Me: At the dance hall with my husband

Esme Smith  
Customer & Technical Support Manager

College: Austin College, MA from St. Edward’s University

Mobile: Android

PC or Mac: PC

Born in: Temple, Texas

Coffee: Black and cold-brewed

Outside of Work, Find Me: At home on my PC being snuggled by my cats

Finance Team

Jeri Seabaugh
Controller 

College: Ohio State University, Arkansas State University

Experience: 16+ years in Accounting

PC or Mac: I'm not taking sides

Coffee: Heavy cream, no sugar, raspberry syrup on special occasions

Favorite destination: Any place with a lot of history, art and good food

Outside of Work, Find Me: In my craft basement

Sean Arata   
Director, Sales & Netsuite Operations

College: University of Cincinnati, New Mexico State University

Experience: 5 years in Sales, 3 years in Operations

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: PC

Born in: Cincinnati, Ohio

Ask Me About: My singing with the Worthington Chorus

Paul Gault
Manager, Accounting & Administration

Experience: 10 years in Accounting and Human Resources

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: Mac

Born in: Detroit, Michigan

Coffee: Black

Ask Me About: My musical instrument collection

Courtney Steele
Manager, Accounts Receivable 

College: Baylor University

Mobile: iPhone

PC or Mac: Mac

Coffee: Cream and sugar

Born in: Houston, Texas

Ask Me About: My creepy doll collection

Board of Directors

Jack Gainer  

As Jack’s 4th entrepreneurial growth business, he brings nearly two decades of senior management experience in information technology, recruiting and consumer products to the firm.

Bob Fisher 

Bob, a successful entrepreneur with several decades of executive experience, serves as an advisor and board member for early stage firms which he advises in key activities including launch, raising capital, business development, and growing effective management teams. He is chairman of Modalist, an online multi-vendor fashion e-marketplace. Bob received his M.S. degree from Ohio State and his A.B from Washington University in St. Louis.

Randy Fortener

Randy founded Cozzins Road Captial after retiring as President of Crane Investment Company in 2014.  During his 25 years with Crane he directed over 40 private equity transactions with outstanding results.  Prior to joining Crane, Randy was a Partner with Deloitte, specializing as a mergers and acquisition advisor.

Steve Swartzman

Steve is co-founder of C3 Capital. He is a past President of the Midwest chapter of the Small Business Investment Alliance and has served on this organization’s national Board of Governors. Prior to C3 he spent 4 years structuring and managing subordinated debt investments at KC Venture Group and 7 years as a Vice President with Citibank in New York. Steve received an MBA from Columbia Business School and a AB from Harvard College.

Mark Shary

Mark, the founder of several high-growth start-ups, is an advisor and board member for several firms. He has provided growth and transaction consulting to more than 20 early stage and mid-market companies, and has been interim CEO of two software companies.