Leadership
LENA Leadership Team
Dr. Jill Gilkerson
Chief Research and Evaluation Officer
Dr. Gilkerson has been with LENA since January 2005 and was a co-developer of the original LENA system and norms. She holds a PhD in linguistics from UCLA and has spearheaded most of LENA’s key studies and data science insights.
Dr. Steve Hannon
President and CEO
Dr. Steve Hannon is a hybrid technical and business executive with a PhD in electrical engineering from MIT. Pivoting from a distinguished career in the aerospace industry, he now leads the LENA team’s mission to put early language research into action at scale.
Katharine Correll
Vice President, Impact
Katharine Correll joined LENA in July of 2019 and brings her expertise in partnership development and community organizing. She holds a B.A. from Brown University and a J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.
Rocy Gomez O’Keefe
Vice President, Growth
Rocy Gomez O’Keefe guides LENA’s growth team since April 2023 with expertise in business development and marketing. She holds degree in Spanish and Corporate Communications from Rutgers University.
Dr. Sahar Bou-Ghazale
Vice President, Technology Innovation
Sahar Bou-Ghazale holds PhD in electrical engineering from Duke University and brings deep expertise in digital speech and audio processing and associated technology advancement. She has been with LENA since March of 2020.
Vince Swartout
Chief Information and Operations Officer
Vince Swartout joined the LENA team in December of 2013. With a degree in applied math and computer science, he has broad experience leading operations and software development and IT orgs.
Carole Brite
Chief Financial Officer
Carole Brite holds a B.S. in accounting from Indiana University and has shared her expertise in finance, accounting, and administration since August of 2021. She is the former President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois and a former audit partner at RSM McGladrey.
Our Board of Directors
Ashley Mathis
Board Member
Ashley Mathis is the CEO of SmartLab and formerly President of Teaching Strategies, and has two decades of experience in key customer-facing roles that shaped several education technology companies. She has been with the board since 2023.
Alex Paul
Treasurer and Secretary
Alex Paul is the founder and CEO of Wealthgate Trust Company, co-founder of TIFIN Give, and holds a law degree from Northwestern. He has been a board member since formation.
Lee Marshall
Board Member
Lee Marshall has been with the board since 2017. He is the Litigation & Investigations Global Department Leader at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP/US, a highly-regarded attorney, and former participant in Parents as Teachers programming.
Carly Roberts
Board Member
Carly Roberts joined the board of directors in 2020. She is the Associate Program Director for Out-of-School Learning at Overdeck Family Foundation, leading their out-of-school portfolios, Early Impact and Inspired Minds, which focus on the areas of early childhood and informal STEM education, respectively.
Don Bossi
Board Member
Don Bossi is the General Partner at Technology Venture Partners, serving advisory and board roles across their portfolio, and former President of renowned STEM-focused nonprofit FIRST, now their board’s vice chair. He has been with the board since 2024.