The LearningMate Podcast

Meet Our Guest
Robert MacAuslan, Vice President of Artificial Intelligence | Southern New Hampshire University
Dr. Robert MacAuslan is Vice President of Artificial Intelligence at Southern New Hampshire University, where he works on institutional strategy for AI adoption, governance, and implementation. His work focuses on responsible deployment of AI across higher education, including policy, ethics, literacy, and emerging applications that support teaching, learning, and operations. He holds a PhD in Sociology, an MA in Economics, and undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Mandarin Chinese, bringing an interdisciplinary perspective to questions of technology, culture, and organizational change.

Meet Our Guests
Claus von Zastrow, Senior Policy Director | Education Commission of the States
As senior policy director, Claus oversees Education Commission of the States’ Policy Team and works with his colleagues to promote timely and relevant education policy and research. He has held senior positions in education organizations for 25 years and has spent much of that time helping diverse stakeholders find consensus on important education issues. Claus is dedicated to ensuring that state leaders have the information and guidance they need to make the best possible decisions affecting young people.
Travis Hurst, Senior Project Manager | LearningMate Double Line
Travis Hurst is a Senior Project Manager for Double Line and is leading the company's development of the E-W Framework Analysis Tool. Over the last 15 years, he has helped clients tackle tough problems related to managing their Education data.

Meet Our Guests
Sagarika Prabhakar, AI and Learning Solution Architect | LearningMate
Sagarika Prabhakar, an EDSAFE AI Alliance’s Women in AI Fellow (2025), brings 10+ years of experience in education curriculum development and AI-enabled learning design solutions to the EdTech industry. She has held diverse roles as an English Language Trainer, AI-Conversation Designer, and Instructional Designer, specializing in blended e-learning and instructor-led training (ILT).
By authoring and presenting at prestigious international conferences showcasing solutions focusing on AI’s impact in education, she has honed her expertise in AI technologies and led AI-driven projects and workflows in educational content platforms, assessment generation, and AI-based tutoring Chatbots, and much more.
Ninad Kochkar, Technology Solution Architect | LearningMate
With over 20 years of IT expertise, Ninad Kochkar specializes in architecting scalable, enterprise-grade AI solutions and large-scale microservices systems. As a leader in AI Solutions at LearningMate, he spearheads cutting-edge initiatives in Generative and Agentic AI, orchestrating multimodal content generation specifically for the EdTech domain. His deep technical proficiency spans cloud-native architectures and DevOps, enabling him to drive digital transformation by modernizing legacy systems and implementing intelligent automation for educational content quality and delivery.

Meet Our Guest
Geordie Hyland, President and Chief Executive Officer | American College of Education (ACE)
Geordie Hyland is the President and Chief Executive Officer of American College of Education. Geordie brings extensive industry experience and leads ACE as an accredited, fully online institution focused on delivering high-quality, flexible, and affordable programs in education, business, leadership, healthcare, and nursing.

Meet Our Guests
Christa Goge, Vice President of Learner Engagement Strategies | Penn Foster Group
Christa Goge is currently the Vice President of Learner Engagement Strategies at Penn Foster Group. She spent the last 15 years working in tech education with a focus on improving the student journey, starting from admissions through post-graduation. She cares deeply about leadership and fosters an environment focused on employee growth, development, and inclusion.
Priyanka Raju, Senior Vice President of Digital Transformation Solutions | Straive
Priyanka Raju is the Senior Vice President of Digital Transformation Solutions at Straive, where she leads the integration of advanced technologies and AI into Customer Experience and Enterprise Operations. With an extensive background in operations, transitions, research, mergers & acquisition, and organizational transformation, Priyanka brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her leadership. At Straive, she focuses on delivering scalable, tech-enabled solutions that drive efficiency and modernization for global enterprises.