Meet the Team | Proximity Learning

Executive Team

Evan Erdberg

President

Chris Land

Director of Operations

Myken Caviness

Client Success & Support Director

Sefina Lucki, MaEd

Client Success & Support Manager

Charlotte Allen

Client Success & Support Manager

Alysha Landis

Client Success & Support Advocate

Aron Hill

Client Success & Support Advocate

Jimmy Molina

Admissions Officer

Taya Sturza

Sales & Operations Manager

Marcy Carruth

Manager of Teacher Effectiveness

Keith Lockwood

Manager of Special Projects

Eli Andrade

Marketing Manager

Jordan Blossom

Marketing Specialist

Diana Albiston

Senior Recruiter / Coaching Manager

Rubina Dwivedi, M.Ed.

Human Resources Manager

Dharma May, MBA

Human Resources Specialist

Ted Robinson

K-12 Partnership Director

Dr. Michael Robinson, PhD

K-12 Partnership Director

Jim Frenchak

K-12 Partnership Director

Jason Roppolo

K-12 Partnership Director

Sarah Hurley

K-12 Partnership Director

Department Chairs

Shanna Ayer

Department Chair- Core

Cindy Ivey

Department Chair- Core

Maria Hellard

Department Chair- Core

Linnae Janky

Department Chair- Core

Contact Us

Our Mission:

Equity of access to quality instruction from a certified educator.

Contact Us:

800-524-8570

plisupport@ess.com

600 Congress, 14th Floor, Austin, TX 78701

Helpful Links:

FERPA Information & Policies

Evan Erdberg

President

Evan Erdberg has over 16 years of online K-12 and Higher Education sales and Human Capital Management experience. He is the President and founder of Proximity Learning Inc., an industry leading K-12 virtual teacher staffing company that acts as the HR backup plan for over 100 school districts nationwide placing thousands of teachers in vacant classrooms. Prior to joining PLI, Evan held a Director level position at Teachscape, managing one of the largest implementations in the country of principal certification and teacher evaluation systems that incorporated student data.

Chris Land

Director of Operations

Chris is a Michigander, who has been slowly moving South and is lucky to say he is now an Austinite. He has been married 17 years, and has 2 daughters he adores. Isabella (15) and Adrianna (12). Chris worked for GE for nearly 15 years in varying operations related roles. He is certified in LEAN Six Sigma. His most recent role, as VP, Client Service focused on existing client growth (renewals!) where he grew the retainers 30% YoY and reduced client attrition. Chris works in a collaborative style and looks forward to collaborating with the team to continue (and further increase) the growth experienced in recent years.

Myken Caviness

Client Success & Support Director

Myken Caviness is the Client Success & Support Director for Proximity Learning Inc. Myken drives the full implementation life cycle as well as manages the implementation team along with managing over 100+ teachers for Proximity Learning. Myken brings more than 9 years of experience in working with educational institutions. Myken previously worked for JEM Resource Partners where she was the Account Manager and was responsible for the set-up and installation of all retirement plans administered by JEM. Myken has also served on a review committee for AdvancED. Myken graduated from the University of North Alabama with a Bachelors of Business Administrations degree specializing in Human Resources.

Sefina Lucki, MaEd

Client Success & Support Manager

Sefina Lucki is a Client Success & Support Manager for Proximity Learning, Inc. Her duties include managing the department chairs and lead teachers, overseeing day-to-day teacher activities and assisting in setting up and scheduling courses. Sefina brings over nine years of teaching experience, including four years of teaching Spanish to hundreds of students in eight different states through PLI and serving as World Language Department Chair. Sefina received her BA in Spanish and Economics from Wellesley College in MA, where she was also the captain of the basketball team. She also earned her MaEd in Foreign Language K-12 from Wake Forest University in NC.

Charlotte Allen

Client Success & Support Manager

Charlotte Allen is a Client Success & Support Manager at Proximity Learning Inc. Charlotte's duties include working closely with schools and clients on the East Coast throughout the life cycle of their PLI course implementation. She also collaborates closely with the Director of Implementation to help provide our clients with ongoing customer success. Charlotte has over 3 years of experience in the software industry delivering customer implementations and customer success. She has also worked in the education field as the Customer Engagement Manager for an anti-bullying app used in K12 schools nationwide. Charlotte graduated from Ole Miss with a BS.

Alysha Landis

Client Success & Support Advocate

Alysha Landis is a Client Success & Support Advocate at Proximity Learning, and works closely with schools throughout the Midwest and Texas. Her duties include overseeing setup and implementation of the program, as well as ongoing client relationships at the school level. Alysha brings over five years of teaching experience to her role, beginning her teaching career as a Teach for America corps member in Chicago, and continuing to teach secondary math in Dallas and Austin before joining the PLI team. Alysha is passionate about educational equity and is excited to be working in partnership with local schools to ensure that every child has access to a quality education from a highly qualified teacher.

Aron Hill

Client Success & Support Advocate

Aron Hill is a Client Success and Support Advocate. Her role is to ensure that the schools utilizing Proximity are able to run smoothly, feel supported and generally have the tools they need to be successful. She supports predominately with our Texas accounts. Before coming to Proximity, Aron taught 11th and 12th grade Pre-AP and AP Biology classes for 5 years. Aron earned her in BS in Dietetics from Texas State University where she was also a Anatomy & Physiology TA, a Chemistry tutor and supported outdoor education for the San Marcos Nature Center.

Jimmy Molina

Admissions Officer

Jimmy provides support to students and parents seeking to enroll in Proximity Learning Inc. virtual academies and private schools. He is a seasoned admissions specialist with a demonstrated history of working in secondary and post-secondary educational institutions for over eight years. Providing guidance to students of underserved populations has allowed him to recognize that each student’s needs are unique and identifying methods to bring down barriers between the student and their educational goals is vital. With a BA in English from The University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley and a focus on Social Impact in his MBA, Jimmy’s international experience at the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain continues to serve him well as he works to make a major positive impact on his community and beyond.

Taisia Sturza

Sales & Operations Manager

Taya is a fun loving, Russian speaking, Round Rock/Austin native. She majored in Sociology with a minor in Biology and is passionate about reaching gender parity through education equity. She loves to cook, dance, volunteer, read and engage in conversations that challenge the status quo. She also loves to travel and has been fortunate enough to explore 19 countries thus far.

Marcy Carruth

Manager of Teacher Effectiveness

Marcy Carruth is the Manager of Teacher Effectiveness for Proximity Learning, Inc. She will be leading initiatives to ensure quality across our product that we deliver to our customers. Marcy is born & raised in Buffalo, New York and studied math & education at Buffalo State College. She has 20 years of teaching experience teaching across all grade levels. She has been with Proximity learning for 4 years where she has been a teacher, mentor teacher, content writer, lead teacher, and core dept head. Marcy currently lives just outside of Georgetown Texas with her husband of 19 years and her 3 children.

Keith Lockwood

Manager of Special Projets

Dr. Lockwood is a recognized expert in the field of special education and is fluent in American Sign Language and Italian. Keith holds a Ph.D. from New York University in Special Education, Deaf Education and linguistics. Keith holds a Master’s degree from New York University in Administration Leadership and Technology. Keith was a Fulbright scholar who studied abroad in England and Sweden working with residential schools that provided educational support to deaf or hard of hearing students and Special education students. Keith holds numerous teaching and administrative credentials from both of the States of New York and New Jersey.

Eli Andrade

Marketing Manager

Eli Andrade has over eight years of experience in marketing and digital media. He began developing websites when he was 21 years old, with his first being a social media website for college students. By the age of 23, Eli Andrade successfully grew his website to over 10 million yearly visitors and sold his website to a private investor. His following venture brought him success in real estate as a realtor, where he utilized his marketing experience to quickly boost his home sales and social media presence. After three years in real estate, Eli decided to pursue his second business creating an Austin, Texas college-based website where students utilize their photos to grow a social media presence in Austin. Within two years he quickly grew the website to a million monthly visitors. His ultimate goal is to continue growing and learning about digital media and marketing tactics to further develop his skills.

Jordan Blossom

Marketing Specialist

Jordan Blossom is Proximity Learning’s Marketing Specialist. Jordan has five years of experience working in higher education and is excited about entering the innovative and fast-paced education technology sector. His duties at Proximity Learning include writing and planning digital communications, segmenting and organizing databases, and ensuring that Proximity Learning’s mission is conveyed clearly and effectively in everything we do. As a recent Boston-to-Austin transplant, he appreciates Central Texas’ relative lack of blizzards. Jordan received his BA in Digital Media and Professional Communications from the University of Pittsburgh.

Diana Albiston

Senior Recruiter / Coaching Manager

Diana is the Senior Recruiter / Coaching Manager for Proximity Learning, Inc. In this role, she is responsible for all functions within Human Resources, including advertising, recruitment, screening, selection, hiring, contracts, on-boarding, certification, and separations. Diana brings over 20 years of experience in the field of education including serving as a Teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, and HR Director. She has extensive knowledge regarding teaching and learning and the characteristics of excellent professional educators. Prior to joining PLI, she was the Director of Human Capital Management for the Clark County School District, the fifth largest school system in the country, where she provided human resources support and leadership to school principals, department leaders, and district administrators.

Rubina Dwivedi, M.Ed.

Human Resources Manager

Rubina Dwivedi is the Human Resources Manager for Proximity Learning. Her duties include hiring and training candidates, help set up schools, and assist staff and clients with any technology related concerns. Rubina brings over ten years of experience in the field of education including serving as a Lead Teacher, Instructional Coach, and a Mathematics Department Head. Rubina received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin and her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the Texas State University.

Dharma May, MBA

Human Resources Specialist

Dharma May is the HR Specialist for Proximity Learning. Her duties include candidate recruitment, hiring and onboarding, and to assist with certifications, payroll and other HR responsibilities. Dharma brings over 15 years of experience in the fields of education and Human Resources including serving as Employee Trainer, District I.T. Lead Teacher, Business Academy Lead Teacher, and District Director of Future Business Leaders of America Student Organization. Dharma received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from St. Petersburg College and her Master’s Degree in Human Resources from Saint Leo University.

Ted Robinson

K-12 Partnership Director

Ted has over forty years of success working in the K-12 education arena. He was Vice President of Sales & Partnerships for Kaplan K12 Learning Services. He was charged with moving Kaplan K12 into metro markets, developing partnerships with federal agencies and additional K-12 education partners to enhance Kaplan’s strong brand.

Ted has also held executive sales and marketing positions at Macmillan/McGraw Hill, Tribune, Creative Publications and Simon and Schuster. He also has done consulting work for Leapfrog; Achieva.com; CInnovations; Achieve Data Solutions; Scholar Centric; Quantum Learning Solutions;
ClassLink; Graduation Alliance; Civil Survival; Learning Upgrade and several other small, medium sized K-12 technology companies.

Dr. Michael Robinson, PhD

K-12 Partnership Director

My mission is to ensure that all students and educational practitioners receive the best experience in educational technology that will ensure immediate and future success in the real world. I am an educatonal professional with strong expertise in education software, and committed to meeting and exceeding the goals and objectives of my school parnters. I achieved a steadfast progression through a series of management roles in public education; which I have a passion for. I believe in forming long-lasting partnerships with school districts and educational professionals in order to meet all students’ individual needs, thus the continuous promotion of differentiated learning. I am extremely knowledgeable on developing and managing complex implementation of software and services in small, medium and large school districts. I have over 30 years of experience in the world of education, serving students in reading, mathematics, tutoring, supplemental educational services, and technology.

Jim Frenchak

K-12 Partnership Director

Jim Frenchak, K12 Partnership Director, has joined Proximity Learning and is responsible for sales in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. He brings over thirty years of diversified experience in the world of sales, marketing, service, and management of educational products. His leadership abilities have led him to be assigned the positions of regional manager at Computer Curriculum Corporation (ISI), regional vice president at Lightspan Partnership and vice president of sales and operations at a British based startup company in the US, SAM Learning.

Jason Roppolo

K-12 Partnership Director

Jason Roppolo is a Dallas Independent School District graduate finishing his Bachelor of Science within the Texas A&M College system. Growing up in the inner city of Dallas and a student with dyslexia internalized Jason’s passion to help inner city at risk students as well as special needs students. He worked in Dallas Independent School District for 13 years starting out as a youth action officer and working his way into special education administration. He made a transition into the K-12 industry with the goal to provide solutions that help solve district issues.

Sarah Hurley

K-12 Partnership Director

Sarah Hurley is the K-12 Partnership Director for the mid-Atlantic region. Sarah has been consulting with educators for over 16 years to find and implement technology solutions that provide students with high quality and engaging educational experiences. Sarah is passionate about education and the positive impact it has on individuals, communities, and society as a whole. Sarah delights in the opportunity to empower teachers and students to engage in the learning process through technology. Her joy comes from partnering with educators to ensure that students have access to the best education regardless of life circumstances.