Academic and Advisory Faculty Members

Mr. Blackwell has extensive teaching and financial planner practitioner experience. He has been teaching the CFP® comprehensive examination topics since 1993 as academic coordinator for Rollins College (1993–1997) and the University of Central Florida (1997–2007). Since 1997, he has been an instructor for Kaplan Continuing Education (formerly BISYS and Dalton Publications), and is well-versed in all the exam topics, having taught in both live and virtual classroom settings.

For more than 20 years, Peter was co-owner of Aegis Financial Advisors, a full service financial planning firm and Registered Investment Adviser. He previously held series 7, 63, 24 and insurance licenses. Currently, he is a Certified Financial Planner ™ and also has a Certified Estate Planner designation. Education includes an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from Cornell University.  

Ms. Bonnem has been involved in the financial services industry for more than 20 years. Her experience includes working for the Resolution Trust Corporation (the government agency that liquidated the failed S&Ls), for a benefits company working with employer sponsored retirement plans, and as part of a team working with high net worth clients.

Mr. Devore is a Certified L6SMBB, Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Lean Leader, and consultant; he is the owner of CIPA Inc. Lean σ Solutions. Currently, he is consulting with GE Healthcare and GE IS/IT global infrastructure, where he developed their Lean Six Sigma and Six Sigma training and testing program for self-paced and classroom training. Previously, he has worked for Energy Planning Associates (EPA) as the director of organizational development and Lean manufacturing; Champion Homes as the national Lean manufacturing manager responsible for the development and implementation of Lean manufacturing processes for 32 plants; Watkins Motor Lines; Polk State College; Presbyterian Homes; Trinity Health; and Applebee’s. His expertise has resulted in millions of dollars in cost savings and cost avoidance. At Kaplan Continuing Education, he teaches Lean Six Sigma and Environmental Sustainability courses.

Mr. Devore brings more than 16 years of leadership experience in Lean manufacturing and Lean Six Sigma/Continuous Improvement. He is a graduate of the University of Phoenix where he received his master's degree in organizational management; he received a dual Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Bachelor of Science in Police Science from the University of the State of New York. He also attended Villanova University where he received formal qualifications as a Certified Lean Six Sigma and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Master and a Master Certificate in Project management IS/IT. Mr. Devore is a Gulf War veteran and is retired from the United States Air Force.

Mr. Edwards graduated from The College of Engineering Technology at the University of Maine with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology. He has more than 16 years of experience in the automotive, aerospace, marine, military, and service fields. He holds a Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma and has trained and certified over 100 Six Sigma candidates. Ralph currently works for RTE Consulting Incorporated where he serves as the president and chief executive officer. In addition, he is a former United States Army officer and disabled American veteran.

Dr. Kallman is president of Kallman Consulting Services and an adjunct professor of risk management at several universities. He was the graduate coordinator at The College of Insurance where he also taught a variety of courses in risk management and insurance. He is regarded as an expert in enterprise risk management and risk control; his seminars are presented internationally to organizations in Bermuda, Canada, China, Croatia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and France. Dr. Kallman is the author of journal articles, risk management texts, and professional education courses. Prior to teaching, Dr. Kallman was an insurance agency owner.

Mr. Keller comes to Kaplan Continuing Education with more than 25 years of progressive knowledge in quality-based IT consulting and IT leadership. His professional experience includes joining General Electric Healthcare as a consultant and hired on as the support mainframe and web application process leader, directing multiple global application teams to support and enhance existing application portfolios in a dynamic 24/7 environment. Promoted to a Lead Black Belt role then quality manager, Mr. Keller currently provides management to GEHC cross-functional business teams in the planning and execution of Lean, Six Sigma, Change Acceleration Process, and Net Promoters Score strategies to process problems and measure the sustainable improvements. Prior to joining GEHC, Sam owned and operated an IT solutions consulting firm for 10 years.  

Mr. Lane is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Financial Planner™ certificant. He received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Southern California and a Master of Accountancy-Taxation degree from Arizona State University. He has served as president of the North-Central Chapter of the Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants and previously chaired its statewide Financial Planning Committee from 1995 to 1998. Mr. Lane is host and producer of Bisk Publishing's "Monthly Audio Financial Planning Report" and is a frequent speaker and published author on financial planning topics.

Mr. Longoria received a Master of Science in Financial Planning from Texas Tech University and earned the CFP® certification. He has held several positions in the financial services industry and currently manages his own financial practice specializing in comprehensive planning and investment management for a variety of clients, including offshore clients (mainly Mexican nationals). He is also beginning to focus his practice on settlement planning for personal injury victims.

Dr. Rathgeber has an extensive professional and academic background with more than 27 years in the aerospace, defense, and aviation electronics industries accompanied by a Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership from the University of Phoenix. Professional highlights include demonstrated transformational leadership of organizational functions through development of innovative solutions for achieving business objectives. Positions held include varied leadership roles in quality assurance, program management, new product introduction, process engineering, and systems engineering. He often acts as an internal consultant to evaluate an organization's structure, culture, and systems, providing recommendations for efficient and effective performance. He has a demonstrated specialization in aligning process competencies with organizational strategy.

Dr. Rathgeber's dissertation, Speaking with Mindful Intent: A Phenomenological Study of the Affects of Oral Communication in Leadership, exposed a phenomenon linking oral communication proficiency to organizational performance. He holds a Master of Science in Management and Administration from West Chester University and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering Technology from Eastern Kentucky University. Other training and certifications include; Lean Six-Sigma Black Belt, ISO 9001:2008, Lead Auditor, Certified Program Manager, Microsoft Certified Professional, Certified Instructor for Empowered Workforce, and Certified GPS Spacecraft Systems Engineer.  

Quoted as one of today's leading motivational speakers by Essence magazine, Felicia T. Scott is a Certified Empowerment Coach™ with over 10 years of experience coaching industry leaders from diverse backgrounds to achieve peak performance in their professional and personal lives. A graduate of Northeastern University, she holds an MEd in Adult and Organizational Learning and a Certificate in Distance Education. She completed her undergraduate studies at New York University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. As a weekly columnist and coach for several national publications, she is a sought after conference speaker on coaching, mentoring, personal development, and leadership. She is a member of the American Society of Training & Development and serves as the Director of Coaching & Mentoring for the Center for Emerging Female Leadership—a nonprofit organization. Her greatest passion is to teach, touch, and transform lives. Coach Scott is the author of From My Window and Thrive! 7 Strategies for Extraordinary Living.  

Mr. Wilson, CFP®, is the owner of Integrity Financial Planning in Orland, Indiana. Previously, he was a faculty member at the College for Financial Planning in Denver, training other financial advisors. He has extensive experience in the mutual fund industry, having worked for 10 years with Fidelity Investments and Invesco Mutual Funds. He has an MBA in finance from Baylor University and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant. Mr. Wilson is also a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC) and Certified Retirement Planning Counselor (CRC).

Dr. Adams graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001, and went on to complete an internship in small animal and emergency medicine in Mesa, Arizona, followed by a position as an associate veterinarian in Small Animal General Practice in East Tennessee. In 2003 she entered into the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine’s Comparative and Experimental Medicine program, and received a Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Virology and Epidemiology in 2007. She is a board certified Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, with specialties in epidemiology, infectious disease, public health and policy, environmental health and toxicology, and food safety. She is currently preparing for board certification in the American College of Veterinary Microbiology.

Ms. Ashraf graduated with a master’s degree in administration from California State University, Bakersfield. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an associate’s degree in health information technology. She has more than 17 years of experience in the health care field and holds two certifications: CPC® and RHIT. Ms. Ashraf currently works as a senior quality specialist in the area of accreditation, regulation, and licensing for a large hospital. She also works as a consultant for a medical billing and coding company.

Ms. Bird obtained both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing from University of Phoenix. She is currently working on her PhD at the University of San Diego. Ms. Bird is certified in case management, rehabilitation nursing, and is a disability specialist. She has been in nursing over 30 years and is an independent medical-legal and nursing consultant and nurse case manager.

Ms. Brown completed the post-graduate course study of Life Care Planning for Advanced Catastrophic Case Management in 1995 through the Rehabilitation Training Institute and the University of Florida, Department of Rehabilitation Counseling. She became a Certified Life Care Planner in 1996. After completing all requirements outlined by the Commission for Case Manager Certification, Ms. Brown became a Certified Case Manager in 2006. She began working with Paul M. Deutsch & Associates, PA, in 1992, and has 18 years of experience in the research and preparation of life care plans detailing anticipated costs of care services for catastrophically injured individuals. Additionally, she is experienced in the assessment of vocational handicap and its impact on vocational development and wage earning capacity related to an individual’s pre- and post-accident earning capacity. Ms. Brown authored a chapter on organ transplantation in A Guide to Rehabilitation (AHAB Press) and Damages In Tort Actions, (Lexis Nexis).

Dr. Bucholtz received her undergraduate degree in nursing from Bowling Green State University and her medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Bucholtz has served as the Chief Medical Examiner for Nashville, as well as an associate medical examiner for Cochise, Pima, and Maricopa counties in Arizona. Currently, Dr. Bucholtz is in private practice and focuses on teaching and consulting. She reviews autopsy reports and case records interpreting injuries and causes of death. Dr. Bucholtz also instructs courses in forensic medicine, pathophysiology, criminalistics, and biological evidence at universities and has authored a book on biological evidence (LawTech Publishing, 2005).

Dr. Carey is a registered pharmacist with more than 15 years of experience in clinical practice as well as in education, training, and consultation. He has worked in a wide array of clinical settings, including as clinical pharmacist at a large university hospital, a community hospital, and within a nursing home/hospice practice. He has also served in various supervisory and administrative positions in pharmacies. In 2001, Dr. Carey moved into medical education as a senior medical information specialist at an international "med-ed" firm, where he was responsible for medical writing, review of medical literature, and faculty presentations. Most recently, he moved full time into teaching within the medical profession. He teaches pharmacy students, physician assistant students, nurse practitioners, and medical coding professionals. He has been responsible for the coordination and lecturing of courses such as pathophysiology, pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics, and clinical reasoning skills. He also serves as a reviewer/contributor of drug information, nursing, and patient education for a national publisher.

Ms. Castellon has been involved with coding for several years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in health sciences and is also a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA). She has taught medical coding and billing as well as medical terminology, and has also worked in data quality management, impacting the achievements of business objectives. Ms. Castellon uses past experiences to help her students succeed in future endeavors.

Ms. Cimino-Ferguson is a certified rehabilitation counselor as well as a certified life care planner. She has worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, helping individuals with many varying degrees and types of disabilities to facilitate their return to work. She has worked at Shands Cancer Center and Shands Rehab Hospital and as a client advocate for women victims of domestic abuse. She currently serves as a Volunteer Wish Granter with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of East Tennessee. For the past several years, she has provided research support at Paul M. Deutsch and Associates.

Mrs. Conley received her bachelor’s degree in medical office administration at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas, and then later obtained her Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) credentials from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), Chicago, Illinois. 

Ms. Chambers graduated from the Concord Law School, part of Kaplan University, with an Executive Juris Doctorate in health law. Ms. Chambers is also a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist with a Master of Science of Nursing in Nurse Anesthesia from the University of Texas Houston Health Science Center. Ms. Chambers earned her baccalaureate degree in nursing from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She is also a military veteran achieving the rank of Major in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps.

Ms. Chambers has been a nurse for over 20 years, and an advanced practice nurse/independent practitioner for over 10 years. Ms. Chambers combined her clinical expertise with her formal legal preparation to create the Lex Terrae Medico—a legal research, consulting, and services firm. In this capacity as owner and lead consultant, Ms. Chambers provides many services to her clients from providing information on the ever changing legislative impact to the health care profession, to providing lectures on clinical issues as requested. Ms. Chambers also provides clinical lectures and webinars on behalf of Eisai Pharmaceuticals as a subject matter expert clinical provider for the anesthetic drug Lusedra.

Ms. Chambers continues to practice clinical anesthesia in Texas and occasionally nationwide as an independent contractor. Ms. Chambers also volunteers her time to teach anesthesia nursing to graduate students at Asmara University in the capital of Eritrea (eastern Africa); and basic and advanced cardiac life support in the U.S.  

Ms. Cowart, MPH, RHIA, CCS graduated from Augusta State University with a bachelor's degree in business administration. She went on to graduate from the Medical College of Georgia with an associate’s degree in health information technology and Master of Health Informatics in Public Health. She has more than 17 years of experience in the health care field as an inpatient and outpatient coder, auditor, coding manager, and coding educator. She holds the RHIA and CCS coding certifications from AHIMA. Ms. Cowart currently works as a health information management (HIM) consultant providing both inpatient coding and audit support. She also is an adjunct instructor teaching in the HIM associate's degree and coding programs. 

Ms. Degrate graduated from The University of Phoenix with a master’s degree in business administration. She has 13 years experience in the health care field and holds three certifications: RHIA and CCS from AHIMA and a CPC from AAPC. She currently works as a senior billing compliance consultant providing support and guidance to departments involved in revenue cycle. She also works as a health data coordinator (coder), coding inpatient, outpatient (day surgeries), and emergency room (ER) records.

Dr. Deutsch is a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida and holds board certifications as a case manager, rehabilitation counselor, and life care planner. He is a founder of the first national training program leading to life care planning certification and is president of the Foundation for Life Care Planning Research. In addition, he holds the position of clinical professor of rehabilitation on the faculty of the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University and is an adjunct professor of rehabilitation in the Department of Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Florida. He has authored 11 books on life care planning and over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters in textbooks.

Ms. Dougherty is a graduate of Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She holds a Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) certificate from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). With more than 12 years of experience in health information management, Ms. Dougherty has served as a rehabilitation coding consultant and is currently a lead medical coder providing inpatient, outpatient, observation, and ER coding services in a clinical setting.

Ms. Drake is coauthor of Saunders Pharmaceutical Word Book and Sloane’s Medical Word Book. She is currently a development editor for Health Professions Institute (HPI) located in Modesto, CA, where she helped develop two highly acclaimed medical transcription training programs: The SUM Program for Medical Transcription Training and Medical Transcription Fundamentals and Practice. She has contributed to several textbooks and wrote numerous articles for Perspectives on the Medical Transcription Profession. Additionally, she is an editorial consultant and contributor to Dorland’s Medical Speller and Taber’s Medical Dictionary. Ms. Drake has presented in many venues, including Health Professions Institute and Prentice Hall conferences for health care instructors; American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Assembly on Education for HIM and Medical Transcription Educators; national, state, and local conferences and symposiums for medical transcriptionists for the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI); Medical Transcription Industry Association conferences for medical transcription service owners; and the California Association of Medical Assisting Instructors (CAMAI) conference. Ms. Drake has owned a medical transcription service and previously served as director of education and credentialing for AHDI (previously known as AAMT). She is a former medical transcription program director and adjunct professor at Seminole Community College in Sanford, Florida. Ms. Drake has a Bachelor of Arts in English Education and taught high school English for 5 years.

Dr. Gibson was a neonatal ICU nurse for 7 years prior to completing medical school. Initially a pediatrician, she developed an interest in forensic pathology and eventually became a medical examiner. She also holds master's degrees in business and in human behavior. As a member of the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT), Dr. Gibson responds to mass fatalities on the federal level and to federal medical disasters. She is also a member of DMORT-WMD, a specialty disaster team responsible for decontaminating bodies following weapons of mass destruction incidents.

 Ms. Harrington serves as president and chief executive officer of ComplyCode, a health care compliance consulting firm, and has more than 17 years of experience in the health care profession. She has extensive background in health care compliance and both the professional and technical components of CPT/HCPCS and ICD-9-CM coding. Ms. Harrington holds a bachelor's degree in health care administration from Empire State College and a master's degree in health systems administration from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), a former member of their National Advisory Board and current president of the Southern Tier chapter, a member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA), and is an associate of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).  

Ms. Heck graduated from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in business administration. She has more than 20 years experience in the health care field and hold four coding certifications: a CCS from AHIMA, a CPC from AAPC, and a FCS and PCS from ACMCS. Ms. Heck currently works as a Health Information Management (HIM) consultant providing both inpatient coding and audit support. She also manages two private family practice offices where her responsibilities include billing, coding, and accounting. In addition, Ms. Heck is an adjunct faculty member teaching college-level medical terminology for allied health students.

Ms. Henry graduated from Davenport University with a Master of Business Administartion in Health Care Administration and from Strayer University with a bachelor's degree in business administration. She has more than 20 years of experience in the health care field as a charge master analyst, health informatics analyst, medical coder, and auditor. Ms. Henry holds two coding certifications: a CCS-P from AHIMA and a CPC-H from AAPC. She currently works as a health information management (HIM) consultant providing training in medical coding and billing and preparation class for coding certification.  

Dr. Renee L. Hornsby graduated from the Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy at Palm Beach Atlantic University with a PharmD. She also holds an MBS from Florida Atlantic University. She has more than 12 years teaching experience in the biological sciences. Dr. Hornsby has worked with professionals in her field at various institutions including Palm Beach Atlantic University, Palm Beach State College, Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, Homeland Security, and Patrick Air Force Base, along with community, mail order, and compounding pharmacies and long-term care facilities. Currently, she works as a pharmacist and has licensure in Florida, Missouri, and Virginia. 

Ms. Hurley has been a medical transcriptionist, educator, compliance officer, consultant, and has served in a variety of transcription management roles for nearly 40 years. She has been a member of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) since 1981, and has been credentialed as a CMT for over 26 years, receiving the designation of Fellow of AHDI in 2002. She served on the AHDI Board of Directors for a total of 12 years, and as its president in 1988 and in 1995. In 2005, Hurley was honored as the first recipient of the AHDI Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award. She has been a member of ASTM International since 1995. In addition, she is the current Secretary of the E31 Executive Committee and Chair of the E31.15 subcommittee, Health Information Capture and Documentation.

Ms. Miller has been a nurse for over 30 years with clinical experience concentrated in critical care settings and management. Her passion for the nursing profession is combined with her equally strong passion for health law into PAM Medical Legal Consulting where she has served in a consulting capacity for the last 10 years.

Ms. Miller further combines her professional passions by speaking to nursing students and instructors regarding legal considerations in nursing throughout her home state. Clinical competency is maintained by continuation as an emergency department RN in her hometown. Ms. Miller holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a JD with a focus on health law from Concord Law School.  

Ms. Molumby graduated from Gateway Technical Institute with a diploma in dental assisting; she also holds an associate's degree in dental hygiene from Milwaukee Area Technical College, a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene from University of Maryland, and a Master of Business Administration from Concordia University. She has more than 28 years of experience in the dental field as a dental receptionist, assistant, and hygienist working in private dental practices and education. She maintains a license to practice dental hygiene in Wisconsin and Florida and maintains a certification in dental assisting.

Ms. Molumby is a member of the Dental Assisting Association and the American Dental Hygienist Association. She teaches full-time in a dental hygiene program where she is responsible for the coordination and lecturing of courses such as radiology, dental hygiene, state licensing, and dental assisting. She currently serves as an accreditation consultant with the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation.  

After entering clinical practice as a home health nurse, Ms. Preston had the opportunity to work with university students who had many different disabilities. She received postgraduate training in neurorehabilitation, worked at a major center for inpatient rehabilitation as a rehabilitation nurse, and was introduced to the concepts of case management and team functioning. Later, she developed a clinical nurse specialist position for a large, multi-office home health agency where case management was an integral part of the work. She is now co-owner of RNS HealthCare Consultants, which provides case management and life care planning services. Ms. Preston has contributed to several professional associations, authored journal articles, and taught classes.

Dr. Sadik received her undergraduate degree in pharmacy and her PhD in pharmacy administration from the University of South Carolina and is a registered pharmacist. Dr. Sadik has worked in the health care field for over 20 years. She has worked as a pharmacy technician and as pharmacist in both the hospital and retail pharmacy setting. Dr. Sadik has taught classes for both nursing and pharmacy students in the area of pharmacology and over-the-counter medication. Dr. Sadik currently works in the pharmaceutical industry focusing on health economics.  

Ms. Schiavone has been working in the health care field for over 30 years. She currently holds four coding certifications: a CCS from AHIMA, a CPC from the AAPC, and a FCS and PCS from the ACMCS. She is currently employed at an inpatient facility providing medical coding for inpatient, ambulatory surgical, observation, emergency department, and interventional radiology services. 

Ms. Schiff holds certifications as a Certified Healthcare Reimbursement Specialist and a Certified HIPAA Information Specialist. As a medical reimbursement specialist, Ms. Schiff has been installing computer systems for medical and dental providers since 1978. For two years in the mid-1980s, she was IBM’s only authorized installer for its medical software. She has helped design several medical claims packages and has been selling and training in this specific market for many years.

Ms. Sommer graduated from Broward Community College with an associate's degree in nursing; she graduated from Barry University with a master's degree in nursing. She has worked in diverse clinical nursing settings, including spinal cord injury, home health, long term care, home telehealth, hospice, and quality management. She holds a certification in case management from the Commissions for Case Management (CCM), and currently works as a case manager for a large federal health care agency. She serves as the facility champion for the development of Care Coordination for the national initative known as the Home Medical Model. Ms. Sommer is a member of the Academy of Certified Case Managers. 

Ms. Wilt has dedicated her career to working in the hospital world, from supervising the clerical aspect of a hospital radiology department, to medical transcription, and now focusing on medical coding in a health information department. She has nearly 37 years of experience in the field.

Ms. Wilt earned a Certified Coding Specialist credential in 2002 and for many years has been a member of AHIMA and its state affiliate NJHIMA. She attends annual coding conferences to keep current on the latest news in the field of medical coding, and frequents Princeton, New Jersey, to attend seminars through the Center for Health Affairs. In addition to these opportunities, she completes tutorials and webinars on the latest topics regarding the evolving issues in medical coding. Ms. Wilt lives in Williamstown, New Jersey.

Ms. Wilson is a certified pharmacy technician with 20 years of experience in the pharmacy field. Her career began in the U.S. Air Force. She has worked in retail pharmacy (both independent and corporate/chain stores) and hospital pharmacy, including several years as a specialized IV technician. She also serves the Indian Health Service, where her current role is third-party billing and inventory management. She is a member of the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA) and has served as both a state coordinator and senior national coordinator before being appointed as an advisory board member. After becoming certified through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) in 2000, Ms. Wilson wanted to help others reach the same horizon.

Mr. Etienne holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, a master's degree in technology from Georgia State University, and industry certifications from CompTia, Microsoft, Checkpoint, and Cisco. He is pursuing final degrees in Information Systems at Nova University and in Education at Walden University. He is currently a computer information systems instructor in Atlanta, Georgia.

Mr. Murphy holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer and Management Science from Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colo. His professional certifications and continuing education include the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer for .NET, Personal Software Process and Object Oriented Development. Since obtaining his BS in 1985, Murphy has worked in the communications, insurance and government sectors and has done private consulting for small business. He is currently employed as a senior engineer for the Department of Defense.

Mr. Nicolajsen holds a master’s degree in educational technology from East Carolina University and industry certifications from Cisco and CompTIA. He is a Cisco Certified Academy Instructor and has been working with Cisco routers and switches since 1999. Since 2000, he has been involved in education as a Web and computer technology instructor in Morehead City, NC. Mr. Nicolajsen also owns his own computer consulting business in eastern North Carolina.

Ms. Phillips has more than 14 years of progressive information technology experience, working both as an independent consultant and for private and nonprofit organizations. She is the founder of Data Radiance, an information technology consulting firm providing software solutions, consultation, training, and data services. Ms. Phillips was the owner/operator of a graphics design firm for over 7 years, providing digital imaging services and software and hardware installations. She was the database administrator for the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association during a time of conversion from a manual system to a shared client/server application, responsible for user training, reporting, and documentation.

Ms. Phillip’s diverse experience has provided her the capability to take on many consulting positions in various areas of information technology, which included the development of several certification preparation courses for Kaplan Continuing Education. Ms. Phillips will complete her Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with an emphasis in database systems from Western Governors University in the fall of 2011. 

Mr. Richardson is a computer scientist and consultant with over 25 years of experience. His personal adventures have included researching robotics, virtual reality, advanced computing, and expert systems for space exploration and real-time flight simulation. He is the founder of Highlander Technologies, Inc., a technology engineering and consulting firm.