Our people

Marion Kennedy Amos, CEO, is a strategic leader with deep expertise in supporting educators and English learners. A former teacher, she has spent over a decade at Ellevation shaping solutions that empower schools and communities. She holds a BA from Duke and an M.Ed from Boston University.

Nathan Papazian, Chief Product Officer, leads the product management, design, and education teams that develop Ellevation’s suite of products. He has 15+ years of SaaS experience in Boston. He graduated from Tufts University with degrees in Political Science and Economics.

Aakash Kothari, VP of Marketing, leads teams that grow Ellevation’s brand, product awareness, and revenue. With 15+ years at Meta, Google, GE, and Rokt, he excels in product strategy, customer insights, and leadership. Aakash holds a B.S. from Boston College.

Alyssa Jean, VP of Product, Instruction, leads teams building Ellevation’s instructional products that drive impact in the classroom. She has a decade of experience in public education teaching MLLs and in EdTech. She holds an M.S. in Curriculum & Instruction with an ESL focus.

Leah Foerster, VP of Product, leads Ellevation's Flagship and Platform products. In a career across startups and scaled SaaS companies, she’s built highly productive global teams and launched numerous platform and data products. She holds a BA from Brown University and an MBA.

Lisa McCusker, VP of Engineering, leads the engineering teams that develop Ellevation's products.  With a decade of experience in Ed Tech, she holds a BS in Mathematics and an MS in Economics.

Leslie Thomas, VP of Sales, leads teams driving new business and  long-term partnerships. Her career in private and nonprofit sectors has focused on supporting underserved communities and equitable student outcomes. She holds a BA in Education and began as an educator.

Tyler McNally, VP of Customer Success, leads teams ensuring districts launch quickly and realize ongoing value. He has deep expertise at the intersection of technology and client service. He holds a BA from Boston College and an MA in Education and MBA from Stanford University.

Winston Tuggle, VP of People, leads teams responsible for attracting, retaining, and developing a diverse and high-performing team. He has extensive experience leading HR teams in high-growth SaaS environments. He holds a BA from Trinity College and an MBA from Boston College.

Jordan Meranus, Co-Founder & Senior Advisor, has a rich background in education innovation. He co-founded Jumpstart and was a Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund. He holds a history degree from Duke and master's degrees in Education and Public Administration from Harvard.

Dr. Tim Boals is the Executive Director of WIDA. He holds a Ph.D. in curriculum from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with an emphasis in the education of ELs. His background includes language education, educational policy for ELs, and Spanish language and literature.

Dr. José Medina, founder and Chief Educational Advocate at Dr. José Medina: Educational Solutions, provides dual language technical assistance, PD, and job-embedded support to dual language programs. He is a former dual language school principal and district leader.

Dr. Sonia W. Soltero, Professor and Chair at DePaul University, has 30+ years as a dual language teacher, university professor, professional developer, and researcher. She’s authored numerous works and has extensive experience in dual language program design and implementation.

John Seidlitz, an independent educational consultant and author. He has been a member of the SIOP® National faculty and guest lecturer for many regional and national language development conferences. Mr. Seidlitz is a former social studies and ESL educator.

Jeff Zwiers is an author and senior researcher at Stanford focusing on improving the education of academic English learners. He co-directs the Academic Language Development Network, which focuses on accelerating students' literacy, language, cognition, and conversation skills.