The Insight Schools team is a leader in designing, building and
operating online high schools.

Our accomplished team consists of experienced educators and innovators who have led some of the largest online high school organizations in the country. All together, we’ve led the development of hundreds of online courses and worked with over one million students and families in all 50 states and throughout the world.

• Keith Oelrich, Founder and CEO

  Keith Oelrich is a pioneer of the virtual school movement. The virtual school programs he has led have collectively educated over 700,000 students. Prior to launching Insight Schools, Mr. Oelrich served as president and CEO of KC Distance Learning from 2002 until 2005. Mr. Oelrich was the architect of KCDL’s virtual school vision, and led the company through a period of tremendous growth and transformation. Under Mr. Oelrich’s leadership, KCDL became recognized as one of the leading companies in K-12 online learning and grew to become the largest private online high school in the nation. KCDL operates Keystone National High School, an accredited independent study program; in addition, while at KCDL, Mr. Oelrich launched iQ Academies, a national cyber-charter school management company that develops high quality high schools to educate students who are looking for outstanding educational alternatives to traditional schools.
  Read Keith’s full biography

• Elizabeth Ruis, Chief Operating Officer

  Elizabeth brings a unique combination of skills and experiences that are relevant for success in her role at Insight. Most recently, Elizabeth was the Chief Operating Officer at Acelero Learning, Inc. in New York, where she helped the company increase their revenue by over 250% over a 12-month period while significantly increasing the number of children who received services and improving quality of services provided. Before working with Acelero Learning, she was a Regional Vice President at KinderCare Learning Centers, the nation's leading private provider of early childhood and school-age education and care, serving more than 300,000 children. At KinderCare Elizabeth was responsible for managing over $100 million in annual revenues, 182 learning centers and 2,500 employees. Prior to KinderCare, she was an executive with Enterprise Rent-a-Car, where among other things she relocated to London, England and led the startup of the company's U.K. operations. Elizabeth graduated from Willamette University in Salem, OR with a Bachelor's of Science in Economics.

• Ed Harris, Executive Vice President, Finance & Strategy

  Ed Harris joined Insight Schools at the Company's inception in 2005. From 2002 to 2005, Harris was the founder and CEO of Razor Capital LLC, a private financial advisory company based in Bellevue, Washington, and also served as a member of the Board of Directors for several public companies, including Edison Schools, a New York based operator of charter schools. From 1998 to 2002, Harris was one of the senior members of a team of investment professionals at Seattle-based Vulcan, Inc., responsible for managing the portfolio of Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. While at Vulcan, he directed investments in numerous innovative technology and service companies, and served as Chairman of Apex Learning. From 1992 to 1998 Harris was CFO of three Seattle-area technology companies, including Starwave, which was acquired by the Walt Disney Company, and Claircom, which was acquired by AT&T. From 1985 to 1990, Harris was an investment banker at Salomon Brothers in New York, where he worked on numerous financing and merger and acquisition transactions for major global corporations. Harris moved to Seattle in 1990 and spent two years at Boullioun Aviation, an aircraft leasing company founded by the former President of Boeing, Tex Boullioun. Harris received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Rutgers University in 1982 and a Master in Business Administration from the Columbia University in 1985. He graduated from both schools with academic honors. Harris has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle.

• Dan Day, Executive Director, Insight School of Washington

  Prior to joining Insight Schools, Dan was a College President with Corinthian Colleges, a nationwide college group with over 90 schools in the United States. Dan has deep roots in Washington State; He worked as a public school teacher in the state Washington for a number of years, specializing in vocational education for Special Education students. Dan also spent some time as President of the Griffin Colleges as well as regional management of six other sister colleges in the Northwest. For the past two decades, Dan worked for a number of large proprietary vocational school companies in varying positions ranging from Campus President to regional management of sales and marketing. In1994 Dan founded his own vocation college, Software Education of America. Dan has a passion for educating and has served on various state boards related to the areas of adult, alternative and vocational education. Dan received his Bachelors in Education from Gonzaga University as well as his Masters of Education in School Administration from Whitworth College. Dan takes great pride in his work, and is very passionate regarding the success of the schools and students he has worked with throughout his career. Dan is very proud of his four older children who all graduated from the University of Washington. He and his wife, Betty, have two other sons currently in college.

• Clifford Green, Executive Director, iSucceed Virtual High School

  Cliff comes to Insight most recently from the Idaho School Board Association in Boise, Idaho, where he was Executive Director. In that capacity, Cliff worked on legislative, operations, program, and planning issues serving Idaho School Boards. While working for the Idaho School Board Association, Cliff supervised successful statewide and regional conferences, workshops and local board training sessions. Prior to that, Cliff was the State Technology Program Manager for the Idaho Division of Professional-Technical Education where he was able to secure millions in grants to fund award winning online information technology training programs in colleges and public schools. Cliff received his Doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction from Boise State University, his M.Ed. from the University of Idaho, and his BA in business from Boise State University with an emphasis in entrepreneurship.

• J.D. McMahan, Head of School, Insight School of Oregon

  J.D. McMahan has been in public education for the past 33 years, 25 years as a school administrator. He has served urban and rural communities as a principal, vice-principal, counselor, teacher and coach. His specialties are curriculum, conflict resolution, staff development, student guidance and creation of alternative and innovative programs. J.D. is a life time Oregon resident who loves the outdoors. He spends most of his free time on the slopes of Mt. Hood or sailing in the Pacific Ocean off the Central Oregon Coast. J.D. has a deep enthusiasm for learning as evidenced by his attendance in a Doctoral Program at Brigham Young University; earning his Master’s Degree in Counseling from Lewis and Clark College; completing a Bachelors Degree in Anthropology from Portland State University and Bachelors Degree in Education from Oregon State University. He completed his Associate of Arts Degree at Pierce Junior College. J.D. is committed to life-long learning both academic and experiential. He believes all people can learn and deserve the opportunity to experience success. ISOR represents a flexible, positive experience for the self-motivated student. A student is only limited by their own energy and commitment to achieve.

• Frank Walter, Vice President of Education

  Frank has served as a public school educator for over 35 years, as a classroom teacher, principal, district administrator, and superintendent. Prior to joining Insight, Frank was Superintendent of the Quillayute Valley School District (QVSD) in Forks, WA. During his tenure at QVSD, the district participated in a number of innovative online learning initiatives, in which members of the district staff won national awards for their online teaching. Frank was very active in the Forks community, serving as President of the Chamber of Commerce, Chairing the United Way Campaign, on the American Cancer Society “Relay for Life” Committee as well as hosting radio programs and writing for the local weekly newspaper. Prior to Quillayute Valley, Frank was a district-level administrator for Clover Park School District in Lakewood, WA. The 13,000- student district includes military dependents from Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base. Frank worked directly with the Fort Lewis School Liaison staff to help make a smooth transition for military dependents coming into the schools. He attended the first national conference on “Supporting the Military Child.” Frank earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees from John Carroll University, and did his superintendent certification work at Seattle Pacific University.

• Valerie McCullough, Executive Director, Insight School of Minnesota

  Valerie joins Insight most recently as the Director of Finance for the University of Phoenix campus in Minneapolis, in which she was among the original leadership team that opened the Twin Cities campuses. In addition to numerous accomplishments in this position, Valerie was able to successfully recruit nearly 150-campus faculty and co-developed a strategic plan that led to an enrollment increase of 1000 students within three years. Before her position as the director of finance, Valerie was the Executive Director for Dollars for Scholars in Minnesota where she established 32 community foundations/chapters in a three year period and consistently exceeded annual fund raising development goals. Valerie has her MBA from the University of Phoenix and, because of her love of learning, she is also in the in the process of getting her MA in Historic Preservation from Goucher College. Valerie can also be found teaching evening courses at her local University of Phoenix campus.

• Brian Rose, Vice President, School Development

  Brian joins Insight Schools from Fios Inc. where he served as Director of Business & Corporate Development. Brian was the steward of Fios' go-to-market strategy, specifically responsible for industry analysis, strategic plan development, investor relations, and development of business partnerships and alliances. Brian was also a key member of the executive team that successfully closed a $6.5 million dollar venture round resulting in key operational investments that positioned Fios to exceed market average growth. Prior to Fios, Brian engaged in a decade of entrepreneurial ventures including roles as Vice President of Business Development for Tangis, a start-up focused on voice recognition software applications, Vice President of Sales, eBusiness Solutions Group, an internet company, and Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Intrinsyc Software (TSX: ICS). Brian currently serves as the Committee Chair for Portland Central Young Life, an urban ministry serving inner city kids. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering from Oregon Institute of Technology.

• Kirt Nilsson, Vice President, Marketing & Operations

  Kirt joins Insight Schools from KC Distance Learning, Inc., where he was Director of Marketing. At KCDL, Kirt led the building of a marketing infrastructure and the company’s successful expansion of its direct-to-family and cyber charter school segments through Keystone National High School and iQ Academies utilizing a mix of channels that included the web, television, radio, print, events, direct mail, and public relations. Kirt was also instrumental in leading the development of Keystone National High School’s virtual and on-the-ground community efforts. Prior to KCDL, Kirt was Director of Professional Services at @Once, a full-service eMessaging firm in Portland, Oregon that was acquired by InfoUSA. In that role, he directed a team that developed online marketing strategies to drive sales for major retailers that included Home Shopping Network, JC Whitney, Orvis, and Ritz Cameras, specializing in applying direct marketing techniques and segmentation to performance-based contracts. Prior to that, Kirt was the Director of Marketing at Household Credit Services, where he and his team originated over one million credit card accounts annually accounting for over $200m in receivables. Kirt received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from George Washington University and both his Masters in Economics and a Master of Business Administration from Boston University. Kirt has volunteered with SMART (Start Making a Reader Today), a volunteer program dedicated to early literacy, and is a member of NETImpact, the American Marketing Association, and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.

• Roger Hanley, Vice President, Academic Development

  Roger comes to Insight Schools most recently from Elluminate, Inc., a leading provider of web conferencing and eLearning solutions where he was the Vice President / Director of Academic Strategies. At Elluminate, Roger worked with academic and not-for-profit agencies to promote and support synchronous, real-time collaboration within the academic landscape and virtual classroom modalities. Roger's career in public education spans twenty years, during which he conceived of, initiated and began operating the Rocky View Virtual School – Canada’s then-largest virtual school. Roger's experience in starting Canada's premier virtual school led to a number of speaking engagements, including various teachers' conventions and education/technology specialist councils. Roger went on to become General Manager of Virtual High Schools at Apex Learning, a leader in the eLearning industry. Roger sat on the Board of Directors of the Alberta Online Consortium for 7 years, sits on the Board of the California Consortium of Virtual Educators and is a frequent speaker at distance learning conferences. Roger holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Toronto.

• Bill Finkbeiner, Director of Special Projects

  Bill, a former Washington State Senator and former Senate Majority Leader, won his Senate seat in 1994 after serving in the Washington State House of Representatives beginning in 1992. Bill was previously a member of Governor Gary Locke's Digital Education Task Force (2003) and Ranking Member of the Senate Education Committee. Bill served on the board of the Digital Learning Commons, and was a contributor to the Smart Tools Academy (1999-2000), an organization that provides tools for principals and superintendents to facilitate an understanding of the ways that technology can support and improve student learning and academic achievement. A property manager and small business owner, Bill earned his Bachelor of Art degree in Anthropology from Whitman College, and his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Washington in 2006.

• Jeff Bush, Executive Director, Insight School of Wisconsin

  Jeff joins Insight Schools from the School District of Grantsburg, where he served as High School Principal for the past three years. At Grantsburg High School, Jeff led a team in the creation of the Grantsburg Virtual School and the expansion of programming through virtual education for Grantsburg students, as well as other students from around the state. Jeff was also instrumental in leading the development of the Peers Assisting, Tutoring, and Helping to Ensure Success (PATHES) program. This program assists incoming high school freshman through mentoring and encouragement. He is also very active in helping at-risk youth reach their potential with the development of Save One Student (SOS) programming, pairing students with high school staff members for daily encouragement. Prior to Grantsburg High School, Jeff’s educational background includes two years as a Jr/Sr High Principal at Tri-County Schools in Thornburg, Iowa, and a teacher at CAL-Dows Community Schools in Latimer Iowa for 7 years, where he also coached football, basketball, and boys track. Jeff also worked in the private sector as an electronic technician with UNISYS Corp. in Clear Lake, Iowa for 8 years prior to embarking on his education career. Jeff received his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Iowa State University, his Masters in Educational Leadership and his Specialist Degree from Drake University. Jeff is a member of AWSA, NAASP, ASCD, and Rotary.

• William J. Roden, Executive Director, Insight School of California – Los Angeles

  Bill joins Insight as a former Chancellor of the Louisiana Technical Colleges, where he oversaw the reorganization of 42 campuses throughout the state. He has more than thirty-five years in higher education, with experience ranging from community/technical college through undergraduate, graduate and professional school levels. He served as Vice-President and General Counsel for one of the largest community/technical colleges in the country (over 60,000 students, $314 million dollar budget) at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Bill is a former Army Reserve Staff Judge Advocate (military attorney) serving in the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He established the first behind-the-walls prison college education program in the state as well as fostered high school and university partnerships for students for whom college was never considered an option in Louisiana and elsewhere. Bill also worked in the urban environment at Lansing Community College where he developed nontraditional business training programs long before that model was recognized. His recent experience in the Middle East (the United Arab Emirates) as a senior academic leader, further illustrates his ability to find opportunities to enhance the teaching-learning process in diverse as well as international settings. Bill holds an Associate in Liberal Arts degree from Union College, a Bachelor of Arts in English with an Education minor from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, a Master of Arts degree in English from Central Michigan University, and a Juris Doctor in Law from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

• Lisa Gillis, Executive Director, Insight School of California – North Bay

  Lisa joins Insight Schools most recently from K12, Inc., a leader in virtual learning solutions to over 30,000 students nationally, and the California Virtual Academies (CAVA). During her tenure on the management team, she was instrumental in the successful development, launch and management of virtual schools resulting in an increase from 1,200 to 6,000 students in CA. Nationally, for K12, she initiated and developed the “blended model” of integrated instruction and served as a key contributor on the K12 National Hybrid Task Force, expanding the program to several states. Lisa spearheaded the effort to recruit, train and develop the Board of Governors for several schools and as the spokesperson for CAVA worked with media to generate positive stories on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, radio talk shows and local publications. Since 1982, Lisa has spanned both the educational and business worlds as a teacher and case manager in the traditional, GATE and Special Education classrooms, Director of Independent Study for the Mark West Union School District, consultant for the California Department of Education and as a Chamber of Commerce Executive Director working in government affairs. In 2000, Lisa piloted the first virtual education program for home-educated students through the Sonoma County Office of Education. She is a graduate of the California School Leadership Academy (CSLA), holds both Administrative and Teaching credentials and has earned a Bachelor of Science in Institutional Management from Oregon State University and a Master of Arts in Education from Sonoma State University.

• Rich Maye, Director of Operations & Technology

  Rich joins Insight from KC Distance Learning, Inc. where he was the Senior Manager of Information Technology. In that role, Rich developed a state-of-the-art proprietary student information system for over 50,000 students, oversaw the operational model and technical infrastructure supporting iQ Academies, and deployed KCDL’s learning management system. Prior to KCDL, Rich worked for the American Academy of Independent Studies, a leading distance education culinary school and developed software for an aluminum manufacturer while attending classes at Pennsylvania’s Bloomsburg University. Rich has attended training or received certifications in Visual Basic Programming, Advanced Database Design, Systems Integration, Project Management, Unix Administration, Business Intelligence, IP Telephony, and LMS Systems. Rich holds an instructor Black-Belt in Japanese jiu-jitsu and rank of Blue-Belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Rich is a registered jiu-jitsu instructor through the American Federation of jiu-jitsu.

• Michael Hosking, Director of Curriculum

  Michael most recently was the Founder and President of Renaissance Education Group, where he developed PersonalProfessors.com, an online learning system that uses the unique properties of the Web to deliver high level instruction and individualized tutoring to high school learners. Prior to founding Renaissance Education Group, Michael was a Professor at Davidson College, a top-ten national liberal arts college, where he taught a variety of courses including Introductory Biology and Ecology. Michael was also a Visiting Professor at Indiana University. Michael earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Evolutionary, Ecological and Behavioral Biology with a minor in History and Philosophy of Science from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Creighton University.

• Kimberly Bonniksen, Director of Instruction

  Kim joins Insight Schools from Apex Learning Inc. where she has been an online teacher and contributor to a wide variety of projects, including credit recovery, advanced placement, and developing high schools. Kim has also served as the Assistant Director of US Learning Online/Colorado Online Learning, working with the expansion of Colorado Online into the national arena. She possesses teaching credentials in English, Communication, Political Science, History and Business in six states. While teaching English in California, Kim chaired the WASC Accreditation process for Vincent Memorial High School. She helped Arizona Virtual Academy, K12, Inc., launch their online high school and worked on the development and implementation of online curriculum in Elluminate. Kim is a dedicated advocate of equalizing educational opportunities for underserved student populations and was able to co-present with the immediate past President of the American Indian/Alaska Native Caucus of the National School Board Association at the National Indian Education Association Convention on the subject of “Improving Academic Performance for Native American Students by Expanding Opportunity through Technology.” Kim was the Owner/Consultant of Visions Consulting, where she specialized in instructional design, curriculum evaluation, and school political processes. She has earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication/Political Science/Secondary Education from Southern Utah University and a Masters of Humanities in Literature from California State University Dominguez Hills.

• Karla Pollich, Director of Marketing

  Karla comes to Insight Schools most recently from Xerox Corporation (NYSE:XRX), a leading document management technology and service enterprise where she served as a Manager for Segment Marketing Programs, Marketing Planning & Product Integration, and Customer Loyalty and Retention. At Xerox, Karla managed several key marketing programs including a thought leadership marketing lead generation webcast series entitled IT Xchange, as well as a highly successful customer relations Web site called Color Connection, which served Xerox customers worldwide. Prior to Xerox, Karla was a Director of Database Marketing at Compass Learning, an educational software company. Karla is a Lean Six Sigma certified Green Belt and currently volunteers at Rosemont School, a residential treatment facility and school for teenage girls, where she teaches a monthly cooking class. Karla holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Diego State University.

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