Preparing Students for Success

Shweta joined BV Investment Partners, StraighterLine’s private equity investor, in June 2023 as an Operating Partner. Previously, she was the Vice President of Automation Solutions at Cognex Corporation. Prior to that, she was Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer of Kanha Technologies, LLC, a Manager at Bain & Company management consulting firm, and an Engineering Manager at Intel Corporation. Shweta earned her B.S. and M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Jeff brings more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience at high-growth organizations including education technology to the StraighterLine leadership team. Education has been a primary focus throughout his career whether through corporate training or higher education. Before StraighterLine, Jeff served as the chief revenue officer of Signal Vine, an AI-powered text messaging software for higher education and nonprofit businesses. During his time at Signal Vine, he helped lead the company to a successful exit while managing marketing, sales and account management teams over the course of his tenure. What he was proud of most about his role at Signal Vine was the positive impact his team had on the lives of millions of students along the way.

Jeff holds a Master of Business Administration from George Washington University and Bachelor of Arts in International Business and Spanish from Dickinson College. Previously, Jeff has served in marketing leadership roles at Signal Vine, 9Lenses, and CEB (now Gartner), and worked in product management and integration roles at Capital One.

Zach Wagner brings a decade of experience leading product strategy and development for consumer and business-to-business platforms in the education technology industry, most recently serving as senior vice president of Product Strategy and Operations for EVERFI.

His career path has long been shaped by his passion to change education for the better. Zach began his career as a full-time AmeriCorps volunteer in a Title 1 school in Philadelphia, and saw first-hand the effects of the opportunity gap that exists in communities across the country.

Zach regularly serves as an advisor to startups on operations, early revenue generation and product vision and strategy. He is a featured speaker for the Product School, a mentor for New Chip Accelerator, and continues to volunteer with City Year, an organization he served during his time as an AmeriCorp volunteer. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College and a master’s degree in Technology. Zach currently resides in Kensington, Maryland, with his wife Lindsay and their son Cole.

Gregory is responsible for the implementation, management, and execution of all financial activities for StraighterLine. This includes business planning, budgeting, forecasting, overseeing human resources, and maintaining investor relations and negotiations. He works with each member of the leadership team to help them successfully execute short- and long-term strategies.

Gregory was attracted to StraighterLine by the organization’s mission-driven atmosphere and because the company offered him the opportunity to significantly impact students’ lives by helping them achieve their dream of earning a college degree.

Gregory’s professional background includes senior and executive leadership roles at several business advisory and private equity firms, including Ernst & Young, American Capital, Cannon Capital, and Riveron. Gregory received his B.S. and Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Amy is an academic innovator devoted to increasing access to higher education for all learners. Her career spans many of the biggest institutions in the world of online higher education. She’s held senior leadership positions at University of Phoenix, Capella University, and Colorado State University (CSU) Online, which is ranked #11 in undergraduate education by U.S. News and World Report.

Before joining StraighterLine, Amy served as the associate provost of CSU Online, where she was responsible for significantly increasing access and educational opportunity to students by offering graduate and undergraduate degrees and certificate programs online. Prior to CSU Online, Amy was dean of the School of Education for Capella University, where she was responsible for innovation and optimization of 38 graduate education programs, including master’s and doctoral degree programs in P–12 education and leadership, adult education, corporate education, higher-education leadership, and instructional design and online learning.

Amy’s professional background also includes time as the curriculum, language, and literacy chair for Concordia University Chicago and academic dean for the College of Humanities and Sciences and College of Social Sciences at the University of Phoenix. She has held teaching positions at Western Oregon University and Kent State University, in addition to having broad experience in consulting, training, and development. She brings to StraighterLine extensive experience and success in organizational development, change management, human capital management, training, process improvement, and program development.

Amy has a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership: Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver, an M.Ed. in Public Administration and Supervision from National-Louis University, an M.A. in Secondary Education/English Education from the University of Akron, and a B.A. in English from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

With a track record of successfully leading technology and data teams for consumer platforms for more than 20 years, Dave joined StraighterLine as Chief Technology Officer in 2023.

Gardner’s career with high-growth education technology companies dates back more than a decade to when he joined his first edtech startup. Prior to joining StraighterLine, he served as the vice president of technology at General Assembly, the global education company that offers bootcamps, digital upskilling, apprenticeships, and other career onramps into in-demand jobs and fields like web development, UX/UI, data and design. Earlier in his career, Gardner was the chief technology officer at Legends of Learning, the world's largest developer of game-based learning experiences for K-12 students. In this role, he led a diverse team and played a vital part in the creation of a comprehensive digital learning platform.  

Gardner holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Duke University and completed graduate studies in computer science and artificial intelligence at George Mason University. Gardner is an active volunteer and mentor in the National Capital Region technology and startup community as a member of the DC CTO Club. He currently resides in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife Christina and their three children.