Arjan Khalsa, CEO
Arjan Khalsa has devoted his professional life to education and the development of educational materials for over 25 years. In the 1980s he served as a teacher in grades 2-6, he served on faculty at the Lawrence Hall of Science at U.C. Berkeley where he was a contributing author on the FOSS project, and he even worked briefly with his close colleagues at Key Curriculum Press. In 1990, he followed a passion to help people with disabilities and build a business by taking on the role of CEO at IntelliTools, Inc. He invented the IntelliKeys keyboard, developed a range of software programs, and led the company to a position of leadership in assistive technology. He helped start the Assistive Technology Industry Association, serving as its first conference chair and second president, and served in many other volunteer positions to promote assistive technology. Mr. Khalsa was also the Principal Investigator on a number of research and development grants, including an unprecedented number of projects in math technology for students with special needs. He and his partners sold IntelliTools in 2006. Arjan started Conceptua with the goal of making a significant, positive impact in the lives of students and teachers of elementary and middle school mathematics.

Edward Murphy, Chief Technology Officer
Ed Murphy has been a leader in educational technology development for over 20 years. In the late 1980’s and 1990’s, he was the President of Presage Software Development, where he led the development of popular educational programs like KidPix® Studio Deluxe and Mario® Teaches Typing. Ed started working with researchers ten years ago, specializing in reading and math in elementary school. He was the Director of Software Development for Talking Fingers, Inc., where he developed Read, Write, and Type products, and was the Vice President for Product Engineering at IntelliTools, Inc., where he led the creation of Classroom Suite Version 4. Ed did post-graduate work in software engineering at Harvard, and his intelligent approach to engineering is manifest in his close attention to the relationship between research and software development.

Terry Gilligan, Vice President of Sales
Terry Gilligan has almost two decades of success in creating and executing sales strategies in K-12 education. Prior to Conceptua Math, Terry led large-scale adoptions of leading curriculum and intervention programs with Scholastic’s enterprise technology solutions. Terry was also Vice President of Sales at Tom Snyder Productions where he built and led all sales activities to school districts nationwide. With his combination of successful sales management and his deep understanding of school district dynamics, Terry is adept at empowering peak performance from sales and implementation teams. He holds a B.A. from Boston College and lives in Massachusetts with his family.

Lauri Susi, Director of Professional Development
Lauri Susi has over 20 years experience as a classroom teacher in grades pre-k through high school. Throughout most of those years, she taught at the university level as well, and she continues to hold a university post today. Lauri has a masters degree in special education and educational technology. She is an expert in matters involving students with special needs, students who struggle, and the strategic use of technology within school districts. She has co-directed a research project on fractions software for upper-elementary students, and has co-directed the implementation of a large-scale research project on technology to teach math to second grade students. Lauri is an excellent teacher-trainer and consultant to district administrators. She lives in Orlando, Florida.

David Robertshaw, Vice President of Project Management
David Robertshaw has over 15 years of experience in sales, product management and marketing. After several years in sales, David spent 11 years at IntelliTools, where, in addition to managing technical support, QA and localizations, he served as Director of Product Management, overseeing the development of many educational software products for elementary school students. His math-oriented projects included MathPad Plus: Fractions and Decimals (published by InfoUse), Number Concepts 1 & 2, IntelliMathics and Classroom Suite 4. David has a keen interest in helping students with disabilities. He has presented at national and international disability conferences and has a certificate in Assistive Technology Applications from CSUN. A graduate of UCLA, he is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), has an MBA in international business, and speaks Spanish and Japanese.

John Laskarzewski, Director of Implementation
John “Laz” has close to 40 years of classroom teaching experience. He was a middle school science teacher before serving for ten years as the instructional leader for technology in the Plainville Community Schools in Plainville, Connecticut. John has also taught at the university level for four years. An avid practitioner of educational technology with a passion for developing math interactions using technology, John has co-directed a research project on fractions software for upper-elementary students, and has co-directed the implementation of a large-scale research project on technology to teach math to second grade students. He is also a diligent software developer, data collector, and analyst, and is the kind of person who makes district administrators and teachers feel confident that their computers really can work.

Fred Ross-Perry, Vice President of Product Development
Fred Ross-Perry has 30 years of experience developing technology products, the last 13 of which have been devoted to educational software for elementary and middle school students. Fred is particularly interested in developing math software and has been a lead participant in developing such titles as IntelliMathics® and Classroom Suite, published by IntelliTools/Cambium Learning, along with MathPad® and MathPad® plus: Fractions and Decimals, published by InfoUse. Fred also led the development of IntelliKeys® USB, published by IntelliTools/Cambium Learning. Fred has a unique ability to work with educators, listen to their needs, and create software that addresses their spoken and unspoken requirements.

Key Consultants

Rodger Kobayashi, Part time CFO
Rodger Kobayashi is a Chief Financial Officer specializing in preparing and executing operating plans, building financial and operational infrastructure, securing early stage financing, leading productive, effective teams, and building strong relationships with investors, board members, employees and outside advisers. He serves as a part time CFO for growing businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, with special emphasis on high-potential technology and education enterprises.

Marci Goldberg, MBA., K-12 Market Advisors
Marci Goldberg, MBA., is a key leadership advisor with a variety of educational organizations. Marci was VP of Marketing at Tom Snyder Productions, setting company strategy, spearheading marketing efforts, and managing budgets. For seven years, Marci worked with Educational Systemics, driving marketing, product, and business development projects in the publishing, curriculum, and administrative systems side of K-12 education. Additionally, Marci served as a Management Consultant to Chicago Public Schools, helping with the district-wide implementation of a new Student Information System. Marci is currently a co-author of the MDR State of the K-12 Market Report, a comprehensive analysis of the K-12 marketplace.