Talent War to Talent Creation: Why Solving Healthcare’s Labor Shortage Requires a New Playbook

I am a Venture Partner at Humanist Venture Studio, where I focus on building AI companies that create economic opportunity and purposeful work.

My career has been driven by a passion for improving access to opportunity. Most recently at Guild, I played a key role in building solutions that expanded equitable access to education for millions of working adults. Over six years of hyper growth, I served in various leadership positions across the commercial, product, and operations teams, contributing to Guild’s evolution from a Series A company to a $4.4 Billion value at Series F. Prior to Guild, I honed my expertise in finance, strategy, and global business operations at General Electric, helping to bring life-changing technologies to communities around the world. 

As an interdisciplinary leader, I believe even our most complex societal problems can be solved with the right combination of technology, people, and funding. Generative AI is poised to play a transformative role in addressing these challenges, but its impact will only be revolutionary if we ensure people from all backgrounds have the skills and access to leverage it fully.

I live in rugged Western Colorado with my husband and dog, where I spend my free time climbing up or skiing down any mountain I can find.

I am an Entrepreneur in Residence at Humanist Venture Studio, where I’m focused on leveraging advancements in AI to create transformative experiences for learners.

As a six-time edtech founder, I have dedicated my career to building category-defining companies and products that unlock human potential. As the founder and CEO of Civitas Learning, I pioneered a new category of student success solutions, helping institutions improve outcomes at scale and empowering millions of students to achieve meaningful results.

Beyond founding companies, I’ve been privileged to support exceptional education entrepreneurs as a mentor, board member, and advisor, contributing to ventures that have enhanced learning and outcomes for students from K-12 through higher education and beyond.

Today, I’m applying the lessons from my entrepreneurial journey to address persistent challenges in education. Energized by the potential of AI and large language models, I’m focused on creating tools that will help more of us thrive in our rapidly evolving world.

My family and I are currently on a worldschooling adventure, drawing endless inspiration from learning and exploring together across continents.

CEO at Manifest, a platform providing just-in-time business intelligence, industry specific embedded education, and personalized coaching for the small business owner. Manifest is the first Humanist portfolio company. 

I am a founder and entrepreneur who has spent over two decades in the world of higher ed, specifically focused on improving college graduation outcomes with non-traditional learners. During that time, I built and led teams at companies including InsideTrack, Altius Education, and Helix Education. I then co-founded and served as CEO at ReUp Education (an Entangled company), which focused on improving success rates for college students who have dropped out. I built and scaled ReUp over the course of six years to a successful exit. 

I believe that small business is the heartbeat of our communities. In my city of Toledo, Ohio, I’ve seen small business owners entirely revitalize a community left decimated by the automotive industry. But these business owners don’t get the time, attention, and investment from the technology and education industries they need to help them succeed in the long term – despite there being an almost-universal appetite for it, across verticals. I am here to serve them. 

I love learning through service to my community, and especially at my childrens’ school - enriching my community with resources and connectedness provides context and inspiration for Manifest.

Co-Founder at Humanist, where I specialize in all things technical zero-to-one build. 

I’ve been a technical co-founder in the human potential sector three times over, most recently as Managing Partner at Future of Work Studios, where I helped launch Learn In (recently acquired by Degreed) and BookClub, an enterprise solution for developing readers and leaders. I am most proud of co-founding and building Degreed, currently valued at $1.4B, where I led the technical team. I relish building products from scratch – and then managing a scaling technical team throughout multiple iterations and stages of growth. 

I believe that AI is poised to revolutionize how everybody works, learns, and lives - if it’s designed to do so. If AI is only accessible to a few, there will be multitudes left behind in this fundamental shift. We have the power, and the obligation, to change that. 

I am insatiably curious, and believe there’s something to learn from anyone, anywhere. I credit curiosity with helping me find opportunity within and without my rural upbringing in Utah and Wyoming that propelled me into software development, company building, and now AI innovation. I wish for every learner the opportunity to be deeply interested and inspired. 

When I’m not reading, researching, and teaching, I’m traveling and making memories with my beautiful family of eight.

Co-Founder and General Partner at Humanist, where I specialize in new product innovation and management. 

I am a serial entrepreneur in the human potential space, steering numerous ventures including Academic Engine, Hobsons, Altius Education, Practice, and Ivy Bridge College. I am most proud of co-founding Entangled, the first ed tech venture studio. Entangled managed 21 portfolio companies, including Yellowbrick, Course Hero, RaiseMe, ReUp Education and Pathstream. Entangled was acquired by Guild, the market-leader in the human potential space, in 2020. I then stayed on at Guild as President, Learning Marketplaces. 

We are witnessing the next great technological solution – and is changing the nature of humans, work, and life. There’s an opportunity for this innovation to go incredibly right – or for it to leave many individuals and communities behind. We are founding Humanist to make sure that AI works for everyone. 

I earned a BA in public policy from the University of Chicago, where I picked up a passion for empowering people. I became an entrepreneur to do that work through the private sector, where change is faster, more iterative, and often more human-centered. I am also the founder and CEO of the Oakland Ballers, an independent baseball team competing in the Pioneer League, and based in Oakland, CA.

I am Founder & CEO of Humanist Venture Studio, where I focus on partnering with exceptional founders and building category-defining companies. 

In our first venture studio, Entangled, we launched six edtech companies that either steered to positive growth or successful exits. When Entangled was acquired by Guild in 2020, I served on the leadership team at Guild through a four year period of hyper growth and a Series F fundraise and $4.4 billion valuation. My expertise is creating category-defining brands and building go to market teams. 

With roots in the liberal arts, I believe every person has an innate hunger for purposeful work. Thanks to generative AI, we have a powerful new toolset for more people to find both economic stability and purpose, especially those who have historically been left behind. We founded Humanist to attract the best entrepreneurs to this vision -- and to stack the odds in their favor -- so we can build solutions that enable more people to thrive in the age of AI.

I am a mom of three little kids and live in the beautiful Presidio of San Francisco where I spend my free time learning new sports out on the ocean.

I regularly share what I am learning in my column on Forbes.