Management Team
Istation's exemplary team of content developers, animators, programmers, and advisors is led by a leadership team that is passionately devoted to elevating the standards of US literacy and education.
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Meet the Team
Meet the Team
Meet the Team
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Meet the Team
Executive Team
Richard H. Collins
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Richard (Dick) H. Collins is chairman and CEO of Istation, a global leader in education technology. With over 4 million students enrolled in all 50 US states and eight other countries, Istation is impacting teachers and students through groundbreaking learning programs. Istation blends online instruction to help students excel in reading, math, and science with animation, game-like interactions, and real-time reporting of student data.
Philanthropy and community are very important to Collins. His philanthropic endeavors in the areas of education, criminal justice, and historic preservation have significantly and positively impacted the greater Dallas community and the state of Texas. His experiences in business and education have motivated him to serve on the board of numerous charitable organizations and help thousands of disadvantaged children advance their educational opportunities through mentoring, counseling, and financial assistance.
From 1981 to 1989, he served on the Texas Historical Commission, and his efforts include long-term initiatives to preserve and utilize historic structures of Jefferson, Texas, including the building of an ecological park to teach students about the environment and how business and conservationists can work together for a better America. From 1990 to 1991 he served as a member of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, the entity which oversees the prison and parole systems in Texas.
Collins is a proud father of two highly accomplished daughters and grandfather to a granddaughter, born in 2014. He attended Trinity University in San Antonio and is a graduate of Southern Methodist University. Collins has received numerous awards and was recently honored with the SMU 2015 Dean’s Award for Personal Achievement, Service, and Leadership.
"It is critical that today’s students receive the most innovative education so that they are prepared to compete in the world. I believe technology is the key."
— Richard H. Collins
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ossa Fisher
President and Chief Operating Officer
Ossa Fisher is the president and chief operating officer of Istation.
She has extensive expertise in technology, marketing, and media. With previous roles as senior vice president of strategy and analytics at Match, Inc. and as partner at Bain & Company, she brings a wealth of strategic thinking and operational experience to Istation.
Ossa is active in her community, serving on the board of directors for Uplift Education, one of the largest not-for-profit charter school networks in Texas. Ossa also serves as president of the Yale Club of Dallas and formerly served on the board of directors of Rackspace Hosting, Inc., a leading provider of managed cloud services.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Yale University, a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, and a Master of Arts in Education from Stanford University. She is married with two children.
Monika Flood
Chief Financial Officer
Monika joins Istation with almost 20 years of business experience spanning finance, planning, strategy, and corporate development. Most recently, she was senior vice president of finance and strategy for a restaurant-chain holding company.
Monika has held positions in both privately held and publicly traded companies and has also served as a management consultant for multiple Fortune 50 organizations. She is a driven, dedicated, and results-oriented leader with a passion for consumer industries and transformational environments.
Her education includes an undergraduate degree in business honors and finance from University of Texas at Austin as well as a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Bill Lowrey
Chief Technology Officer
Driven by a desire to make a difference in the lives of children, Lowrey helped found Istation in 1998. He believes that combining innovative technology with engaging content and research-based educational principles is the most effective way to reach and help students from all walks of life.
Bill has over 20 years of experience in software development with a concentration on developing massively scalable and reliable systems that serve millions of people.
Before co-founding Istation, his past experience included cross-platform application development, process optimization, solution consulting, and even a stint in restaurant management. He has worked with large and small companies in the telecommunications, banking, insurance, energy, and health care industries, including GTE, NationsBank, and other Fortune 500 companies.
Lowrey is a proud Aggie, attended Texas A&M University, and has a degree from University of Houston–Clear Lake.
Robert Rubin
Chief Information Officer
Robert Rubin, Istation’s Chief Information Officer, has been with the educational technology firm since 1998 as one of its founding members and the original chief architect of Istation’s many information systems.
An advocate for software’s ability to automate tasks and make educators’ lives easier, Rubin has been a key contributor in developing the company’s data-collection and reporting features as well as its server infrastructure that supports the more than four million students using Istation’s products.
Robert holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He is married and the proud father of two independent adults.
Steve Jordan
Chief Product Officer
As CPO, Jordan is responsible for driving Istation’s product vision, strategy, design and development. He leads the company’s product management and design teams. Jordan focuses on innovation and growth of the product portfolio, building on the Istation mission of empowering kids and supporting educators.
Jordan brings more than 25 years of experience in the technology industry. Previously, he was Vice President of Product Management at Flywheel Building Intelligence, a cloud solution optimizing building operations, where he led product strategy, product development and marketing across web, mobile and native applications. Prior to Flywheel, he held product leadership roles at Dealertrack, Mozido, CoreLogic, and GHR Systems.
Assessment Authors
ISIP Early and Advanced Reading Assessments
Istation's Internet-based assessment, ISIP™, combines modern test theory with current educational standards to provide an adaptive assessment that reaches the ability levels of an entire classroom. Listed are the distinguished educational researchers who authored the items for our comprehensive early reading progress monitoring assessment.
Patricia Mathes, PhD
Dr. Mathes is the Texas Instruments Chair of Reading; a professor of teaching and learning; and the Director of the Institute for Evidence-Based Education within the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. A former classroom and reading teacher, she received her PhD in 1992 from the Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University and has served on the faculties of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, the College of Education at Florida State University, and George Peabody College for Teachers at Vanderbilt University. Since 1991 she has been conducting large-scale classroom-based reading intervention research with funding from multiple sources including the US Department of Education, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the National Science Foundation, as well as state agencies and foundations. She is also the recipient of several prodigious awards including the 2005 Albert J. Harris Award from the International Reading Association, the 2002 Interpretive Scholar Award from the American Educational Research Association, the 2001 Distinguished Early Career Researcher Award from the Council for Exceptional Children, and the 1999 Samuel A. Kirk Award from the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Learning Disabilities. She is the author of numerous articles, chapters, books, and curricular materials related to reading and reading disabilities, differentiation, response to intervention, continuous progress monitoring, coaching, and best practices for struggling readers. She serves as an editor for the Annals of Dyslexia and is on the editorial board of several scholarly journals.
Dr. Mathes is an author on Istation's Early Reading and Advanced Reading assessments. Istation's Reading curriculum product is a separate product from the Early and Advanced Reading assessment products and Dr. Mathes is not an author on the Reading Curriculum product.
Joe Torgesen, PhD
Dr. Torgesen is a distinguished research professor of psychology and education, emeritus, at Florida State University. He is also the Director Emeritus of the Florida Center for Reading Research. He has been conducting research with children who have learning problems for over 30 years and is the author of approximately 190 articles, book chapters, books, and tests related to reading and learning disabilities. His research interests have included reading development, reading disabilities and intervention, and assessment. He is a past member of the National Board for Education Sciences and was given the Samuel T. Orton Award from the International Dyslexia Association in 2006 for his contributions to the science of reading and dyslexia.
Dr. Torgesen is an author on Istation's Early Reading assessment. Istation's Reading curriculum product is a separate product from the Early and Advanced Reading assessment products and Dr. Torgesen is not an author on the Reading Curriculum product.
Jeannine Herron, PhD
Dr. Herron is a research neuropsychologist who carried out NIH-funded dyslexia research at the University of California, San Francisco, for ten years. As Director of California Neuropsychology Services, she helped produce more than 50 conferences around the United States on the relationships between the brain and learning and taught continuing education in technology for teachers at Dominican University. As Director of Talking Fingers Inc., she has been the principal investigator on four SBIR grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to develop research-based software and educational toys for early reading.
Dr. Herron is an author on Istation's Early Reading assessment. Istation's Reading curriculum product is a separate product from the Early and Advanced Reading assessment products and Dr. Herron is not an author on the Reading Curriculum product.
ISIP Math Assessment
Leanne Ketterlin Geller, PhD
Associate Professor and Director of Research in Mathematics Education Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
Dr. Leanne Ketterlin Geller is an associate professor in education policy and leadership and the director of Research in Mathematics Education (RME) at Southern Methodist University. Geller's research focuses on the development and validation of formative assessment systems in mathematics that provide instructionally relevant information to support students with diverse needs. Her work centers on using technology to provide flexible assessment systems through the integration of accommodations and principles of universal design. She disseminates her research findings through publications and presentations in the areas of mathematics education, measurement and assessment, and special education. Her experience as a science teacher in public high schools and her training as a K–12 administrator inform her research.
Dr. Ketterlin Geller is an author on Istation's Math Assessment product. Istation's Math curriculum product is a separate product from the Math Assessment product and Dr. Geller is not an author on the Math Curriculum product.
Advisory Council
Scholarship from several Spanish-speaking researchers was used to develop the foundation and blueprint of ISIP Lectura Temprana. The following researchers met several times with Istation Spanish Curriculum representatives to discuss the development of ISIP Lectura Temprana.
Dr. Iliana Alanis
Associate Professor
Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching
The University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio - DEPARTMENT OF INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING AND TEACHING
Dr. Igone Arteagoitia
Research Associate
The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)
Washington, DC
The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) - Projects
Dr. Kathy Escamilla
Professor of Education
School of Education
The University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado at Boulder - Faculty page
Dr. Gilda Evans
Retired Assistant Superintendent over the Multi-language Enrichment Department of Dallas ISD
Former Vice President of The Bilingual Education Association of the Metroplex (BEAM)
Dr. Eugene E. Garcia
Professor and Vice President
Education Partnerships
Arizona State University
Arizona State University - Faculty page
Kathleen Leos
President and Cofounder of The Global Institute for Language and Literacy Development (GILD)
Former Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director to the US Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA)
Dr. William Pulte
Director of Bilingual Education Programs and Associate Professor
Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University - Faculty page
Dr. Luis Rosado
Professor of Bilingual Education and Director of the Center for Bilingual Education
College of Education
The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington - Faculty page
Lisa Saavedra
Vice President and Cofounder of the Global Institute for Language and Literacy Development (GILD)
Former Bureau Chief for the Bureau of Academic Achievement through Language
Acquisition for the Florida Department of Education
Dr. Annette Torres Elias
Assistant Professor of Education
School of Education
Texas Wesleyan University
Annette Torres Elias Academia.edu Web page
External Research Advisors
Dr. Reid Lyon, Distinguished Professor of Education Policy and Leadership at SMU and Distinguished Scholar in Brain and Behavior Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, was formally the Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch at the National Institutes of Health and the director of the largest reading research program nationally and internationally.
Dr. Vicki Gibson is one of the country’s leading experts on how children learn to read. She has operated three schools for children aged 2 to 12 where she could put principles of education into practice. She is an author of several books about different aspects of reading and is a national speaker on education reform. She was the Vice President of Curriculum Development for Istation from 2005 to 2007 and led the team designing the reading program. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where she received her BS, MS, and PhD, and was a lecturer and an adjunct professor.
Consultants
Researchers who consulted with our company during design and development include:
- Dr. Marilyn Adams, visiting scholar at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, research scientist, and internationally renowned author in the field of literacy acquisition with contributions including the landmark book Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print
- Dr. Douglas Carnine, Professor of Education at the University of Oregon and Director of the National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators
- Dr. David Francis, Chairman of the Department of Psychology at the University of Houston, Director of the Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, and a recognized authority in the assessment of reading skills and the effectiveness of courseware
- Dr. Jan Hasbrouck, educational consultant and trainer, author of The Reading Coach, and national expert in the fields of reading fluency, coaching, and assessing and teaching struggling readers
While working with these and other researchers and educators, our company analyzed decades of research related to literacy acquisition to develop a comprehensive understanding of a successful reading program that focuses on essential reading skills and incorporated that understanding into a data-informed approach to teaching students to read.
“It is critical that today’s students receive the most innovative education so that they are prepared to compete in the world. I believe technology is the key.”
— Richard H. Collins
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Richard H. Collins
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Richard (Dick) H. Collins is chairman and CEO of Istation, a global leader in education technology. With over 4 million students enrolled in all 50 US states and eight other countries, Istation is impacting teachers and students through groundbreaking learning programs. Istation blends online instruction to help students excel in reading, math, and science with animation, game-like interactions, and real-time reporting of student data.
Philanthropy and community are very important to Collins. His philanthropic endeavors in the areas of education, criminal justice, and historic preservation have significantly and positively impacted the greater Dallas community and the state of Texas. His experiences in business and education have motivated him to serve on the board of numerous charitable organizations and help thousands of disadvantaged children advance their educational opportunities through mentoring, counseling, and financial assistance.
From 1981 to 1989, he served on the Texas Historical Commission, and his efforts include long-term initiatives to preserve and utilize historic structures of Jefferson, Texas, including the building of an ecological park to teach students about the environment and how business and conservationists can work together for a better America. From 1990 to 1991 he served as a member of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, the entity which oversees the prison and parole systems in Texas.
Collins is a proud father of two highly accomplished daughters and grandfather to a granddaughter, born in 2014. He attended Trinity University in San Antonio and is a graduate of Southern Methodist University. Collins has received numerous awards and was recently honored with the SMU 2015 Dean’s Award for Personal Achievement, Service, and Leadership.
Ossa Fisher
President and Chief Operating Officer
Ossa Fisher is the president and chief operating officer of Istation.
She has extensive expertise in technology, marketing, and media. With previous roles as senior vice president of strategy and analytics at Match, Inc. and as partner at Bain & Company, she brings a wealth of strategic thinking and operational experience to Istation.
Ossa is active in her community, serving on the board of directors for Uplift Education, one of the largest not-for-profit charter school networks in Texas. Ossa also serves as president of the Yale Club of Dallas and formerly served on the board of directors of Rackspace Hosting, Inc., a leading provider of managed cloud services.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Yale University, a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, and a Master of Arts in Education from Stanford University. She is married with two children.
Monika Flood
Chief Financial Officer
Monika joins Istation with almost 20 years of business experience spanning finance, planning, strategy, and corporate development. Most recently, she was senior vice president of finance and strategy for a restaurant-chain holding company.
Monika has held positions in both privately held and publicly traded companies and has also served as a management consultant for multiple Fortune 50 organizations. She is a driven, dedicated, and results-oriented leader with a passion for consumer industries and transformational environments.
Her education includes an undergraduate degree in business honors and finance from University of Texas at Austin as well as a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Bill Lowrey
Chief Technology Officer
Driven by a desire to make a difference in the lives of children, Lowrey helped found Istation in 1998. He believes that combining innovative technology with engaging content and research-based educational principles is the most effective way to reach and help students from all walks of life.
Bill has over 20 years of experience in software development with a concentration on developing massively scalable and reliable systems that serve millions of people.
Before co-founding Istation, his past experience included cross-platform application development, process optimization, solution consulting, and even a stint in restaurant management. He has worked with large and small companies in the telecommunications, banking, insurance, energy, and health care industries, including GTE, NationsBank, and other Fortune 500 companies.
Lowrey is a proud Aggie, attended Texas A&M University, and has a degree from University of Houston–Clear Lake.
Robert Rubin
Chief Information Officer
Robert Rubin, Istation’s Chief Information Officer, has been with the educational technology firm since 1998 as one of its founding members and the original chief architect of Istation’s many information systems.
An advocate for software’s ability to automate tasks and make educators’ lives easier, Rubin has been a key contributor in developing the company’s data-collection and reporting features as well as its server infrastructure that supports the more than four million students using Istation’s products.
Robert holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He is married and the proud father of two independent adults.
Steve Jordan
Chief Product Officer
As CPO, Jordan is responsible for driving Istation’s product vision, strategy, design and development. He leads the company’s product management and design teams. Jordan focuses on innovation and growth of the product portfolio, building on the Istation mission of empowering kids and supporting educators.
Jordan brings more than 25 years of experience in the technology industry. Previously, he was Vice President of Product Management at Flywheel Building Intelligence, a cloud solution optimizing building operations, where he led product strategy, product development and marketing across web, mobile and native applications. Prior to Flywheel, he held product leadership roles at Dealertrack, Mozido, CoreLogic, and GHR Systems.
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