InsideTrack Management

Alan Tripp, CEO and Founder

Alan Tripp has made a career of enhancing student motivation, success, and achievement. With InsideTrack, his attention is now focused on the success of college students, as reflected in academic performance, persistence and graduation rates. Previously, Alan launched SCORE! Educational Centers, a national system of K-12 centers aimed at helping students strengthen their academic skills and love for learning. As the founder, CEO, and General Manager of SCORE!, Alan helped to grow the company to nearly 100 centers with more than 1,500 employees. The company is now a unit of The Washington Post Company. Prior to his time at SCORE!, he was a management consultant with Boston Consulting Group and worked as an analyst for H&Q Technology Partners. Alan has also worked as a reporter and editor for the Wall Street Journal. Alan was a Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate Schools of Business and Education from 1999-2004, where he co-taught the core course for education entrepreneurs. He holds a B.A. in Economics and an M.B.A., both from Stanford University.

Shanda Bahles, Board Chair

Shanda Bahles has served as a Director of InsideTrack since 2004, contributing significant experience as an investor and veteran of several successful early-stage companies. Currently she is a General Partner with El Dorado Ventures, where she has been focusing on investments in software, service and communications companies since 1987. Prior to joining El Dorado, Shanda was a co-founder and/or early employee of several key start-ups, including Fortune Systems, Infotek, Magnuson Computer Systems, and Millennium Systems. She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and in 2002 was named to Forbes' annual "Midas List" of top-performing venture capitalists. Shanda received a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Kai Drekmeier, President and Co-Founder

Kai Drekmeier has made a life commitment to helping others as a leader and innovator in the field of education. At InsideTrack, Kai is responsible for a variety of key functions, including performance management, professional development, and recruiting. Kai also plays an important role in managing the growth and strategic direction of InsideTrack. Prior to InsideTrack, Kai co-founded SCORE! Educational Centers, where he helped to develop the concept and served in a number of key operational roles crucial to the success and growth of the organization. Previously, Kai worked in secondary education and received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Zheila Pouraghabagher, Regional Vice President of Operations

As Regional Vice President, Zheila leads operations for a number of InsideTrack partner colleges and manages a large team of campus directors and coaches. She has also developed training materials for the company, presented at national conferences, consulted with client institutions and coached students. Before joining InsideTrack, Zheila worked extensively in education. She has served as an academic advisor, career counselor, program director and associate faculty member at a number of different institutions including Allan Hancock College and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She has also been a business consultant. Zheila graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, with a B.S. in Psychology and an M.A. in Education, with an emphasis in Higher Education, Counseling & Guidance.

Bobby Hernandez, Regional Vice President of Operations

As Regional Vice President, Bobby leads operations for a number of InsideTrack partner colleges and manages a large team of campus directors and coaches. Bobby brings a diverse set of experiences to InsideTrack. He is responsible for the operations management of several InsideTrack client universities including private, public, and for-profit institutions. Prior to InsideTrack, he was a Center Director for Score! Educational Centers in the San Francisco bay area. Prior to Score!, he held various positions in the public school sector focused on special education needs. He also played professional soccer and led a number of Northern California soccer campuses. He holds a bachelor degree from University of California at Davis.

Alby Salsa, Regional Vice President of Operations

As Regional Vice President, Alby leads operations for a number of InsideTrack partner colleges and manages a large team of campus directors and coaches. He has also been deeply involved in developing the company’s coaching systems and best practices. Prior to his role as Regional Vice President of Operations, he held a position as Director of Client Consulting and Implementation. Before that, he trained and managed a large team of coaches as a Campus Director and was an Enrollment Success Coach. Prior to joining InsideTrack, Alby managed multiple Score! Educational Centers and helped develop a regional management training program. A four-year starter in college baseball and All Conference team player, Alby has also coached traveling baseball teams in California. Alby holds a B.A. in Government and History from Claremont McKenna College.

Lois Bukowski, Vice President, Recruitment and Staffing Services

Lois Bukowski has over 18 years of experience in secondary and higher education, recruiting, coaching, training and performance management. Lois is responsible for managing our recruiting and hiring process, maintaining our selectivity and assigning coaches to appropriate campuses, and overseeing our coach leadership development programs. Prior to InsideTrack, she worked in the Technology, Education and Non-Profit sectors as a manager, recruiter and coach. She has a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences, was a Charter Corps Member of Teach for America and has been very involved with USA Rugby for decades as a player, referee and coach.

Paul Reddy, Vice President, Business Development

Paul Reddy brings a range of experience in helping to build businesses, leveraging experience in sales, business development, corporate strategy, and strategic planning. At InsideTrack, he is responsible for developing new customer relationships and business partnerships, as well as for ongoing account management. He joined InsideTrack from Spoke Software, an enterprise-software company he co-founded in 2002. At Spoke, Paul developed and executed the company's initial sales strategy, securing its first pilot relationships and selling its first software licenses. Prior to his time at Spoke, he managed the business development team at People PC. Previously, Paul worked as a management consultant with A.T. Kearney and in corporate finance for Jones Lang LaSalle, a real estate investment company. Paul holds an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. from Northwestern University.

Joseph McFadden, Vice President, Marketing

Joe McFadden has launched several venture-funded companies with a focus on taking new companies and products to leadership positions in their market space. Prior to joining InsideTrack, Joe was the Vice President of Marketing at Nuasis (purchased by InterVoice, a leading provider of automated voice systems for customer service sold globally across commercial, government, and education markets). Prior to Nuasis, he was the co-founder of Latitude Communications, a collaboration software company that provided voice and web conference systems for a wide range of applications including distance learning. The company was ultimately purchased by Cisco Systems. Joe has developed and executed strategic marketing programs for a number of business-to-business companies within the customer service and communications industries. As Vice President of Marketing, he is charged with developing market opportunities for InsideTrack’s enrollment and success coaching services. He holds a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh.

Derald Sue, Vice President, Software Development and Technology Infrastructure

Derald Sue has spent his career designing, implementing, and managing technology solutions for mission driven companies. At InsideTrack, he is responsible for software development and information technology infrastructure. Prior to joining InsideTrack, Derald was the Director of information technology and customer service at Niman Ranch, a consumer products company. Derald built Niman Ranch’s infrastructure and implemented an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and electronic scanning/tracking system to improve operational efficiency by integrating inventory, logistics, and back-office information into a single system. Prior to Niman Ranch, Derald was a technical project manager for Quokka Sports’ technology development group and was a senior consultant for Arch + Beam Global, a strategic IT consulting firm. Derald received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern California.

Ari Blum, Chief Financial Officer

Ari Blum brings a range of experience with mission driven, rapidly growing, and successful businesses. At InsideTrack he is responsible for the company's finance and accounting functions - supporting profitable growth, operational excellence, and strategic direction. Prior to joining InsideTrack, he was the Director of Finance and Planning at Niman Ranch, the nation's leading brand for natural meats of exceptional quality, integrity, and sustainability. He has experience in early stage venture investing with Investors' Circle and in investment banking with Houlihan, Lokey, Howard, and Zukin. Ari graduated Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania's College of Arts and Sciences.

Elena Wealty, Corporate Controller

Elena Wealty is responsible for the financial accounting, managerial reporting, and HR functions of InsideTrack. Elena earned her BBA and MPA through the top-ranked Professional Program in Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin. She passed the CPA examination and worked in the Houston and San Antonio offices of Ernst & Young LLP before heading east and gaining more public-accounting exposure. She was the Assistant Controller at Razorfish and then a Senior Accounting Manager for Centre Solutions in New York City. While living in New York, she worked with at-risk teens as a volunteer mentor and mentor manager and became a true believer in the value of coaching.