The LearningMate Podcast

Meet Our Guest
Mark Anderson, Education Business Leader & Strategist
Mark Anderson is an education business leader and strategist with more than three decades of experience spanning publishing, higher education, assessment, and education technology. He spent 22 years with Pearson, serving in a range of senior leadership roles, including Managing Director of Pearson UK, where his responsibilities included Edexcel, BTEC, Pearson College, and the company’s university partnerships. He also held leadership roles focused on Pearson’s international strategy and education businesses.
Following Pearson, Mark developed a portfolio career across higher education and EdTech. He served as Chair of the Board of Governors at London Metropolitan University from 2016 to 2022 and has worked as a chair, non-executive director, and adviser to a range of education and technology organizations. His roles have included Chair of BibliU and current leadership with Macat and Edify, giving him a broad perspective on the evolution of digital learning, education technology, and the changing higher education landscape.
Mark is also the author of The Leadership Book and has held an affiliation with Hughes Hall, Cambridge. His career brings together perspectives from traditional publishing, universities, assessment, technology, and emerging models of learning—making him a particularly insightful voice on how education has evolved and where it may be heading next.

Meet Our Guest
Geri Gillespy, Educator, EdTech Leader & Researcher
Geri Gillespy is an educator, education technology leader, and researcher with extensive experience helping schools and educators use technology to create more engaging and meaningful learning experiences. A longtime advocate for innovative teaching and learning, she has worked across K–12 education as a teacher, school leader, and Microsoft education expert.
Her work focuses on student engagement, emerging technologies, and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in education. Geri is passionate about helping educators thoughtfully integrate tools such as AI while ensuring that learning remains human-centered, relevant, and connected to the skills students need for college, careers, and lifelong learning.

Meet Our Guests
Stuart Vanorny, VP Learning Design Group, Straive LearningMate
As the VP of Learning Design at Straive LearningMate, Stuart oversees all learning design for the largest learning design services and digital enablement company in the world. Over his 28 years of ideating and building learning design solutions, he has seen and done it all. He has built thousands of online courses and learning solutions, and has been witness to incredible change in the industry over the years, with AI being the latest plot twist. Stu is at the forefront of AI. Where others might be talking about integrating AI into course developments and workflows, Stu and his team of 100+ learning designers are actually doing it. Despite all of this change, he always puts the learner at the center of the learning design solution, and, when it comes to the world of work, he is a passionate advocate for creating a culture of care and continuous improvement.
Dan Klosterman, Ed. M, Sr. Director of Learning Design, Straive LearningMate
Dan Klosterman is the Senior Director of Learning Design at LearningMate where he leads strategic design solutions clients in Higher Education and Workforce Development. Over a 20 year career Dan has worked with organizations across higher education, healthcare, financial services, and professional associations. His focus has been on developing the systems that enable effective learning experiences to drive better learning outcomes. He is currently focused on the intersection of AI and learning, advocating for AI as a powerful “co-pilot” that empowers learning professionals to build once impossible solutions. He is an enthusiastic champion of new learning technologies but tempers that enthusiasm with a pragmatic, evidence-first approach to adoption, rather than hype.

Meet Our Guest
David Ferreira, Ed.D, Provost, Charter Oak State College
Dr. David Ferreira is Provost of Charter Oak State College, where he drives academic innovation and workforce development through industry-aligned curriculum and stackable credentials. In 2025, he launched the Connecticut Online AI Academy, a statewide initiative advancing AI literacy and practitioner training for Connecticut residents. He also chaired Charter Oak’s AI Advisory Group, shaping academic policy around emerging technologies. Widely recognized for his leadership in higher education and workforce transformation, Dr. Ferreira brings expertise in integrating cutting-edge technology into learning environments and creating scalable pathways that align with the needs of the evolving economy.

Meet Our Guest
Andrew Lippert, Independent Technology Executive and Consultant
Andrew Lippert is an independent technology executive and consultant with deep experience leading digital transformation in education and enterprise SaaS. Most recently, he served as Chief Technology Officer at Edmentum, where he led technology strategy, platform modernization, software delivery, and global operations in support of digital learning at scale. Previously, he served as Chief Technology Officer at McGraw Hill and held senior leadership roles at Redbird Advanced Learning, Ednovate, Apex Learning, and ZooKazoo. Across a career spanning product strategy, systems architecture, and executive leadership, Andrew has helped education and technology organizations modernize platforms, improve operating leverage, and translate innovation into meaningful learner impact.