Executive Management

Nate Davis, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Stride Inc., is a seasoned corporate transformational leader across industries with a record of improving operations, launching innovative new products and building beneficial relationships with legislative and regulatory authorities.

Mr. Davis, joined the Stride Board of Directors in 2009, was named Chairman of the Board in June 2012, and added the role of Chief Executive Officer in February 2018. He joined the company from the position of Managing Director of RANND Advisory Group, a consulting group advising venture capital, media, and technology-based firms. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President of XM Satellite Radio and was a member of the company's Board of Directors, where he drove growth and innovation as well as improved financial performance and led the company through its merger with Sirius Satellite Radio.

From 2000 to 2003, Mr. Davis was President and Chief Operating Officer, and board member of XO Communications Inc. Mr. Davis has also held senior executive positions at Nextel Communications (EVP, Network and Technical Services), MCI Telecommunications (Chief Financial Officer and various other management positions) and MCI Metro (Founder, President and Chief Operating Officer).

Mr. Davis currently serves on the Board of Directors of Unisys Corporation and the Board of Trustees for RLJ Lodging Trust. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Washington Boys and Girls Club and the Progressive Life Center, an agency that places foster children in homes in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington DC. He also served on the Northern Virginia Roundtable and the Northern Virginia Community Foundation.

With a personal passion for serving children and helping them achieve higher levels of success, Mr. Davis founded the JANDT Foundation to aid minority children in attending private and parochial schools in the Washington, DC area.

Mr. Davis received an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an MS in Engineering Computer Science at the Moore School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a BS in Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.

James Rhyu, Chief Executive Officer, joined Stride in June 2013 and became CEO in January 2021. He has more than 20 years of financial management experience in various global industries

Mr. Rhyu works with leaders across the company to expand the market for Stride and reach new students. He also drives product innovation and improvements in the customer experience that are designed to attract more students to the company’s services. Prior to his CEO role, Mr. Rhyu served as Stride’s President of Corporate Strategy, Marketing, and Technology, Chief Financial Officer, and President of Product and Technology. In these positions, Mr. Rhyu led the development of marketing and messaging to support market expansions and executed on merger and acquisition opportunities that support Stride’s growth strategy.

Before his tenure at Stride, Mr. Rhyu served as CFO and Chief Administrative Officer of Match.com, a subsidiary of publicly traded IAC/InterActiveCorp. In those roles, he was responsible for overseeing a broad range of functions, including human resources, legal, information technology and operations, and certain international operations and product development.

Prior to his roles at Match.com, Mr. Rhyu was a SVP of Finance at Dow Jones & Company where he ran the global financial function. Previously, he served for three years as the Corporate Controller of Sirius XM Radio Inc. and its predecessor company, XM Satellite Radio, as well as serving in the same role for Graftech International. Mr. Rhyu also spent six years with Ernst & Young LLP in the United States and South America.

Mr. Rhyu holds a bachelor’s degree from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from London Business School.

Mr. Chavous joined us in January 2017 and currently serves as President, Academic Policy and External Affairs. He was a member of our Board of Directors from January 2017 to October 2017 before resigning to take his current position. Previously, he was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Chavous Group, an educational consulting firm, a position he held from January 2012 until January 2018 and was a founding board member of the American Federation for Children (“AFC”). He served as AFC’s Executive Counsel from 2012 to 2016. Previously, Mr. Chavous was a partner at the SNR Denton law firm from 2002 to 2012 and served as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia from 1993 to 2005, where he was Chair of the Council’s Education Committee. He also has served on the boards of various charter schools across the country, including the Friendship Charter Schools in Washington, D.C. Mr. Chavous holds a B.A. from Wabash College and a J.D. from the Howard University School of Law.

Mr. Medina joined us in April 2020 and serves as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Medina served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of TPx Communications, a premier managed services company. Before that, Mr. Medina served as CFO of ECI Conference Call Services, an audio and web conferencing services provider, as well as CFO of, and in senior leadership positions for, Independent Wireless One Holdings, Verizon Communications, CTI Holdings, CANTV, and GTE Corporation. Mr. Medina holds a B.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University and an M.S. in taxation from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

Mr. Mathis joined us in September 2018 and serves as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. In this role, he has executive responsibility for providing comprehensive legal counsel for our business, including matters relating to securities, litigation, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, contracts and licensing, and corporate governance. Mr. Mathis has more than 20 years of legal experience counseling diverse global businesses. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Mathis served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Corporate Secretary and Chief of Staff to the CEO at The AES Corporation where he earlier was Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. Prior to his roles at The AES Corporation, Mr. Mathis was an Executive Vice President and General Counsel at ContourGlobal, LLC, a private international energy company. Previously, Mr. Mathis worked for Venable, LLP, Shearman and Sterling, LLP, and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Mathis formerly served on the board of directors of Indianapolis Power and Light Company Enterprises, Inc., AES Tietê Energia S.A., and AES Elpa S.A. In addition, he previously served on the board of directors at IPALCO Enterprises, Inc., DPL Inc. and The Dayton Power and Light Company and was Chairman of Eletropaulo Metropolitana Eletricidade de São Paulo S.A. Mr. Mathis holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from The University of Richmond.

Valerie Maddy, Senior Vice President, Human Resources at Stride Inc., brings more than 20 years of global leadership and innovation in the full range of human resources disciplines. At Stride, Ms. Maddy is leading the development and implementation of new systems, processes, policies and programs aimed at maximizing every employee's contribution to student academic success. As part of that effort, she is working with business teams to drive alignment, clarity and competitive advantage across the company and plan, acquire, develop and retain the talent required to achieve organizational goals.

Prior to joining Stride, Ms. Maddy was Vice President, Global Human Resources Operations for Ciena Corporation, a global leader in next-generation network infrastructure, where she introduced reliable automation to HR systems, significantly increasing efficiency levels, and led the HR due diligence efforts and integration activities of eight acquisitions. Before rising to this position, Ms. Maddy served in a number of leadership roles at Ciena in the areas of Global Total Rewards and Global Risk Management.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Maddy held leadership roles in Human Resources and Finance at Crown Vantage, a specialty paper manufacturer and distributor. Prior to that, she served in Human Resources and Auditing roles at SAFECO and American General, both providers of financial and insurance services.

Ms. Maddy is a graduate of Humboldt State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She holds a certificate in Global Benefits Management, a designation from Fellow Life Management Institute, and is also a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist and Certified Internal Auditor.

Todd Goldthwaite, Chief Marketing Officer at Stride Inc., has more than 25 years of experience in technological innovation, marketing, operations management, and enterprise sales. At Stride, Todd leads enrollment, marketing, and sales efforts designed to improve the overall student experience. He’s also focused on expanding the company’s capacity to provide personalized digital learning options that are accessible and engaging.

Todd previously served as Senior Vice President of School Services for Stride’s Managed Public Schools. In this position, he amplified best practices and drove improvements in academic performance, teacher effectiveness, and student retention.

Prior to joining Stride, Todd managed operations for Blackboard Student Services. He also spent 18 years in the telecommunications field. This includes a position at MCI Communications where he launched operations for the company’s emerging telemarketing and customer service business, established call centers across the country, and expanded the company’s global sales and service footprint to five international locations.

Les Ottolenghi, CITO, has had a remarkable 30-year career designing and implementing digital service strategies. At Stride, Mr. Ottolenghi is leading the company into a new era of IT solutions. In his role, he is responsible for establishing a best-in-class technology experience for Stride customers. This includes ensuring that applications, platforms, infrastructure, processes, and operations are efficient, reliable, scalable, and secure.

Previously, Mr. Ottolenghi served as CIO and Executive Vice President of Caesars Entertainment where he led the company’s digital business strategy, developed seven cloud transformation platforms including the "zero trust" cybersecurity program, and implemented the first cybersecurity readiness program at Caesars. Prior to that role, he was the Chief Information and Innovation Officer for the Sands Corporation where he improved regulatory compliance on data privacy and gaming, oversaw a global IT staff, and built strategic relationships with tech leaders in Silicon Valley, among many other accomplishments.

Mr. Ottolenghi currently serves as an advisor for the MIT Technology Review Global Panel and the Nevada Governor’s Advisory Board. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Technology Business Management Council where he advises on best practices for enterprise technology leadership. He was recently recognized as an innovator in the Artificial Intelligence and data analytics space by The Economist and Harvard Business Review.

He earned a Master of Business Administration from Emory University and a bachelor’s degree from Duke University.

Dr. Charles "Tony" Bennett, Senior Vice President, School Management, has more than three decades of experience in school management, strategic planning, and operations. As one of the nation's foremost experts in education policy, he manages and implements a diverse portfolio of initiatives and programs that support, measure, track, and ultimately improve student academic achievement and growth across schools powered by Stride K12.

Dr. Bennett began his career as a high school science teacher and rapidly ascended to leadership roles in two of the country's pioneering education reform states: Florida and Indiana. He served as Commissioner of Education in Florida before starting TBX2, Inc./Education Reform Strategies, a consulting company that focuses on supporting education reform across the country.

Prior to TBX2, Inc., Dr. Bennett served as State Superintendent in Indiana. During his tenure, the state saw record high- school graduation rates and participation and success rates in Advanced Placement® courses and exams, student achievement on the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP) assessment rose dramatically, and improvement in the state's National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) results was ranked among the top three in the United States.

Dr. Bennett previously held roles in Indiana as School Corporation Superintendent for Greater Clark County Schools and Assistant Superintendent for Administration and Operations at New Albany Floyd County Schools. He also served on the board of the Council of Chief State School Officers, the governing board of the Partnership for the Assessment for Readiness for College and Career (PARCC), and was a founding member and former chair of Chiefs for Change.

Dr. Bennett holds a doctoral degree in education and a superintendent license from Spalding University. He earned his certification in secondary administration and supervision, a master's degree in secondary education, and a bachelor's degree in secondary education from Indiana University Southeast.

Donna Blackman, CAO and Treasurer, brings more than 20years of experience in accounting, finance, and strategic planning. In her role at Stride, she oversees procurement, receivables and cash management, accounts payable, school and corporate accounting, other controller functions, and treasury.

Most recently, Ms. Blackman served as the SVP of Business Operations at BET Networks, where she oversaw finance, strategy, research, live events, security, facilities, and operations. During her tenure at BET, she also held roles as SVP and Head of Finance, SVP, Financial Planning and Analysis, and SVP Finance and Controller.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Blackman worked for Marriott International and KPMG in a variety of leadership roles in accounting and finance.

Ms. Blackman earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, a bachelor’s degree in accounting from North Carolina State University, and is a certified public accountant.

Bryan W. Flood, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, joined Stride in 2002. Mr. Flood previously served as a public affairs strategist, consultant, and spokesman for corporations, interest groups, and senatorial, gubernatorial, and presidential campaigns.

As Vice President at the MPGH Agency, a Virginia-based public affairs consulting firm, he advised clients ranging from high tech start-ups to Fortune 500 firms, including several leading education companies. Mr. Flood helped clients like MCI, The Learning Company, and Achievement Technologies win complex public policy and opinion battles by designing and managing advocacy campaigns at the local, state, and national levels. While serving at MPGH in 1999, Mr. Flood helped direct a sweeping review of the military recruitment process for the United States Department of Defense.

Mr. Flood was chief spokesman for Michigan Governor John Engler's successful reelection campaign in 1994, and was national spokesman for United States Senator Lamar Alexander's presidential campaign in 1995-96.

Mr. Flood holds a BA in Public Policy from New College of Florida.

Karen Ghidotti, Senior Vice President of Customer Experience, joined Stride in 2002. She leads efforts to drive a positive experience for students and their families—from their first interaction with Stride, through their entire school journey to graduation day. Ms. Ghidotti also spearheads initiatives across teams and departments to design and implement new tools that will help strengthen the customer experience.

In her most recent role as the Senior Vice President of the Southern Region, Ms. Ghidotti was instrumental in launching nine Stride-powered schools and an active member of numerous teams that changed state code guidelines across the South to pave the way for Stride's signature, personalized approach to education. Under her leadership, enrollment for the Southern Region grew to more than 30 thousand students. She was also the Operations Manager and then Head of School for Arkansas Virtual Academy.

Throughout her career, Ms. Ghidotti has demonstrated a consistent, passionate devotion to professional development and to strengthening the hiring process. She led the development of the first-ever Stride Heads of School Boot Camp. She also supported the creation and pilot implementation of HireVue as a hiring tool.

Prior to joining Stride, Ms. Ghidotti worked with the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.

As Senior Vice President of K12 Learning Solutions, Dr. Jodi Marshall manages a diverse range of flexible, customizable academic programs. One of the country’s foremost online education executives with more than twenty years of experience in K-12 and higher education, Marshall also leads initiatives that support Stride’s career learning programs and strengthen online administrator, teacher, and parent trainings.

Marshall most recently served as Senior Vice President of Regional School Services for Stride K12-powered schools in the southern region of the country. Previously, Marshall was President and Chief Executive Officer of Florida Virtual School (FLVS). At FLVS, she oversaw an organization that supported more than 300,000 full and part-time students, with revenues of more than $220 million. During her tenure at FLVS, Marshall also held roles as Executive Vice President of Business and School Solutions, Chief Academic Officer, Vice President of Instruction, Instructional Leader, as well as a variety of other positions.

Earlier in her career, Marshall was a middle school literacy teacher and reading specialist—in Florida and California respectively—and worked with underserved students who read below grade level. During her tenure in California, she was the first person in her district to earn National Board Certification and authored a book on Sustained Silent Reading (SSR).

Marshall earned a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Florida, a master’s degree in English education from the University of Central Florida, an EdS in educational leadership and administration from Nova Southeastern University, and a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Miami. Additionally, Marshall earned an MBA in innovation and entrepreneurship from Florida International University.

Doug McCollum joined Stride as Senior Vice President, Products in May 2017. As the head of the Stride’s Curriculum and Products organization, his focus is on delivering strong student outcomes by producing and implementing standards-aligned solutions that will significantly accelerate students' growth—especially in math and reading--and drive success on high-stakes assessments. Other key areas of focus include providing strong teacher, parent, and administrator support; increasing student engagement; supporting flexible usage models; and facilitating collaboration.

Prior to joining Stride, Doug worked at Pearson, where he held many different roles, serving as Senior Vice President for 6-12 and Pre-K-12 Product Development, as General Manager of the Literacy business, and most recently as the General Manager of Intervention, ELL, Supplemental, and Pre-K businesses. He has extensive experience in all grade spans and curriculum areas including reading/ELA, math, social studies, science, special education, world languages, CTE, and AP. Throughout his career, much of Doug's focus has been on digital solutions. He has designed and developed dozens of digital courses--releasing his first suite of digital solutions in 1995, producing many award-winning programs, and building adaptive solutions proven to deliver strong student gains.

Doug holds a BA degree in English writing from St. Lawrence University.

Darren Reed, Senior Vice President, Regional School Services for the Northern Region, has nearly three decades of educational teaching and leadership experience in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, he was Stride's Vice President of School Leadership Development and School Support where he led the design, development, and implementation of programs and resources to help build world-class leadership across the schools we serve. Earlier in his career, Mr. Reed served as the original Vice President of Blended Schools, where he designed innovative school models in Chicago, San Francisco, and San Jose, California.

Prior to his current employment with Stride, Mr. Reed served as Executive Director for the Aspiring Principals Program at New Leaders in New York. He also served in school leadership roles within the Alexandria City, Fairfax County, and Newport News Public Schools earlier in his career.

Mr. Reed has received numerous recognitions as an award-winning teacher and school leader. He is a guest lecturer at The George Washington University where he holds an EdS in educational leadership. He also holds a master's degree in educational leadership, policy, and planning from The College of William and Mary and a bachelor's degree from Hiram College in Ohio.

Megan Sandoval, Senior Vice President of Regional School Services for the Western Region, has two decades of experience in education, customer service, and business management. In her current position, Ms. Sandoval supports various academic, operations, and compliance programs for Stride-powered schools in California, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, and Washington State.

Ms. Sandoval has held multiple leadership roles at Stride. Prior to her current position, she served as Vice President of Students First, in which she led programming efforts that focused on student persistence and academic success. Ms. Sandoval also served as Deputy Regional Vice President for the Southern Region and Head of School for Arizona Virtual Academy, where she spearheaded the development of blended learning sites in 18 locations across the state and played a pivotal role in launching Insight Academy of Arizona.

Prior to Stride, Ms. Sandoval was the Principal of Primavera Online High School in Chandler, Arizona. She credits her seven years of experience as an English and social studies teacher in both public district and charter schools for helping her learn the importance of meeting students' individual needs.

Ms. Sandoval earned a master’s degree in educational administration and supervision with a focus in business from Arizona State University and a bachelor’s degree in history and English from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

Peter Stewart, Senior Vice President of School Development, works with parents, teachers, community groups, school districts, school boards, departments of education, and policy makers across the United States and internationally to start new high-tech schools that use the Stride academic program.

In the past seven years Mr. Stewart has helped develop large-scale, public e-learning programs in sixteen states that currently serve over 100,000 courses annually.

Prior to joining Stride in 2000, Mr. Stewart was a Head of School, a teacher, a school principal, and a curriculum director with ten years' experience working in urban, rural, and international schools.

Mr. Stewart holds a BA in English from Williams College, and an MA from Columbia University Teachers College.

Todd Thorpe, Senior Vice President, Regional School Services for the Central Region, has held a variety of leadership roles at Stride over the past 13 years. In his current position, he leads multiple operations and compliance initiatives for Stride's Managed Public Schools in the central region.

Mr. Thorpe previously served as Stride's Senior Director of Business Development. In this position, he played an instrumental role in creating new business ventures across the country, developed training opportunities for partner boards, and strengthened key relationships with policymakers.

Mr. Thorpe has also served as the Director of Operations of Stride's Western Region Schools, provided support as the interim school leader at three different Stride-powered schools, managed the transition of school leadership in various states, and successfully negotiated several charter school renewals and new charter applications.

Prior to earning a master's degree in project management from Colorado Technical University, Mr. Thorpe earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Whittier College.