Leadership
Michael Jackson Managing Principal
With over 30 years of senior-level sales and marketing experience, Mike specializes in strategic sales leadership, go-to-market strategies, market growth, and advocacy at state and district levels. He has held executive roles at companies like School Specialty, iLearn, and Focus Marketing, focusing on expanding market presence and developing competitive strategies. Mike is also the founder and managing principal of the Texas Education Alliance and US Education Market Advisory Group. He advises leading edtech companies and currently serves on the 2025 SXSW Launch Advisory Panel and as a presenter at BETT 2025 in England.
Wendy Erikson Managing Principal
Wendy Erikson is an accomplished business development and go-to-market (GTM) strategist with over 20 years of experience driving revenue growth through innovative partnerships in the education and EdTech sectors. As CEO and Co-Founder of Expert Atlas, Wendy has successfully expanded markets and launched high-impact programs by fostering strategic alliances between academia and industry. With extensive international experience across Europe, Latin America, and the U.S., Wendy has led initiatives that have secured over $30 million in revenue, leveraging her fluency in Spanish to build lasting global partnerships. She is known for her ability to quickly assimilate opportunities and potential partnerships that led to increased revenue, market expansion and high impact relationships. With her extensive global network, she has signficant reach and is considered a trusted advisor and operated in the education and workforce development sectors. Wendy holds an MBA from IESE Business School and a BS in Finance from DePaul University, and is a Certified Digital Event Strategist
Lauren Dibble Chief Strategist
Lauren Dibble is a seasoned strategist, researcher, and systems thinker with 15 years of experience and expertise in education and technology. She has worked as both an operator and consultant and is passionate about aligning the education/workforce systems and structures of today to meet the economic and societal needs of tomorrow. Lauren has worked broadly across the education and talent ecosystem, having led 50+ strategy consulting engagements across her time at Tyton Partners, Entangled Solutions, and an independent consultant, driving strategic insights and growth for her clients. Lauren has a particular interest in impact and outcomes measurement, having managed a team at Guild responsible for assessment and quality assurance of Guild’s Learning Marketplace. Lauren also spent five years on staff at Northeastern University where she launched a venture mentoring network for student and alumni startups and led marketing and communications for the Center for Entrepreneurship Education. She began her career in tech PR, supporting Global Fortune 500 technology clients at Weber Shandwick. Lauren holds a BS in Business Administration and a MBA from the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University.
Selective areas of interest and demonstrated success:
Strategic planning
Go-to-market strategy (including market sizing, positioning)
Competitive analysis
Voice of customer/user research
Partnership strategy
Multi-stakeholder engagement and facilitation
Experience design
Chad Cantella Government Affairs
Chad is a prominent figure in Texas politics, with over 20 years of experience as a nonpartisan consultant specializing in lobbying, political strategy, public affairs, and business development. His extensive background spans federal, state, and local government, as well as political campaigns. He is also a founding principal of the highly regarded lobby firm, Texas Star Alliance. Throughout his career, Chad has successfully lobbied and consulted for a diverse range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies and national industry groups. His expertise covers key policy areas such as education, healthcare, safety and security, criminal justice, and workforce. Some of his esteemed clients include Scholastic, Centegix, Kindercare, Powerschool, SAS, and the Texas Computer Education Association. Chad graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree from the Bob Schieffer School of Public Relations, where he received the TCU Newsome Award. He and his wife, Alison, reside in Austin, Texas, where they are active members of The Austin Stone Church and proud parents of two remarkable boys, Rex and Rowe.
Christy Stanford U.S. Market Strategist
Christy Stanford brings over two decades of leadership and expertise across the education and edtech sectors. Her expertise spans marketing, product development, customer experience, strategy, and operations, with a proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and initiatives that drive growth and innovation. As a seasoned advisor, operator, and executive, she has held pivotal roles across prominent K-12, higher education, and workforce development companies like Sylvan, 2U, Guild, and Stride Inc. Her experience extends to senior advisory roles at consulting firms where she contributed to strategic investments in education ventures, advised institutions and companies looking for education- and/or US-market entry, developed educational products and programs, identified product-market fit, and crafted go-to-market strategies. Christy is passionate about driving business success through innovative solutions that translate into meaningful impact for education, empowering educators, students, and families.