Pioneer Academics 4th Annual Co-Curricular Summit

Esteemed Speakers

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  Brian Cooper

  Director of Academic R&D Pioneer Academics

  Brian Cooper, Director of Research & Development at Pioneer Academics, has extensive experience in gifted education. He spent 25 years at Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP), creating programs for talented students worldwide. He’s also an award-winning AP English teacher with a focus on engaging students in meaningful learning experiences. Cooper holds degrees in English and Secondary English Education and enjoys reading, theology, and disc golf in his spare time.

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  Melissa Rodriguez

  Admissions Counselor California Institute of Technology

  Melissa is an Undergraduate Admissions Counselor at Caltech. As a first-generation graduate, she is passionate about mentorship in higher education. In her current role, Melissa primarily oversees access recruitment for Caltech’s office, namely in rural recruitment. She is happy to be here today to talk about the ever-changing college application process.

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  Matthew Jaskol

  Founder & Director, Pioneer Academics

  Matthew Jaskol founded Pioneer Academics in 2012 with the intent of offering deep intellectual exploration to outstanding young people of geographic and cultural diversity. He is a strong proponent of Pioneer’s social mission to offer need and cause-based scholarships; the company has therefore developed numerous partnerships with leading non-profit organizations.

  Graduating with a BA from Skidmore College, Matthew’s early professional roles were in business advisory and technology consulting services. Matthew was a consultant at Accenture in the US and at Deloitte Consulting in China. For the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) corporate networks in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, he developed research and briefings for executives of multinationals. He has also been a correspondent for the EIU’s Business China publication.

  Since completing his MBA at the Yale School of Management in 2008, Matthew has been a successful entrepreneur and early-stage company executive. A previous internet venture earned the 2010 Red Herring Asia Top 100 and Global Top 100 awards.

  With his wife, Amy Li, Pioneer’s Founding Director of Outreach and Communications, he enjoys caring for their little daughter and encouraging her to explore the world.

  Matthew believes that passionate young scholars, if properly guided, can reach remarkable heights through their intellect, imagination, and determination. Dedicated to that belief, he drives Pioneer to create opportunities for such students. He trusts that pivotal academic experiences will empower them to create the world they envision.

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  David Gatchell, Ph.D.

  Clinical Professor and Director the Manufacturing and Design Engineering (MaDE) Program, Northwestern University

  David is the current director of the Manufacturing and Design Engineering (MaDE) program, the undergraduate degree-granting program within Northwestern University’s Segal Design Institute. In addition to his leadership role within Segal, David holds the position of Clinical Professor in the McCormick School’s BME and ME departments. In 2020, he was awarded the Meshii Award in Design Education, and in 2016, he received the Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Clinical Professor award.

  At NU, David co-instructs the capstone sequences in the MaDE and Mechanical Engineering programs. Prior to 2019, he also co-instructed the capstone sequence in Biomedical Engineering. In addition, his DSGN 308 – Human-Centered Product Design course has been chosen as “one of five undergraduate courses to take NU” by the Daily Northwestern. In 2018, David co-developed, with Matthew Cummins, the Leonardo, Geometry, and the Art of Manufacturing course, which culminates in a public iron pour. He co-directs the Segal Summer Internship Program with Professor Dan Brown and maintains research collaborations with members of the Feinberg School of Medicine.

  Before joining the NU faculty in 2011, David was a member of the BME faculty at IIT and the lead instructor of IIT’s IPRO program. He has an AB in physics from Bowdoin College and a PhD in BME from Boston University. His wife, Terry, is a graduate of NU’s Environmental Engineering Department. Together, David and Terry have two children, Will, 19, and Nina, 15.

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  Bruce G. Hammond

  Vice Principal Tsinglan School

  Bruce G. Hammond, Vice Principal, came to China in 2008 and was among the first Americans to work as a college counselors in a Chinese public school. He served as Foreign Vice Principal and Director of College Counseling at Tsinghua University High School in Beijing, where he helped to found Tsinghua International School. Prior to coming to China, Bruce was a teacher and administrator in U.S. independent private schools. He was Managing Editor of the Fiske Guide to Colleges and is co-author of four books in the Fiske series.

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  Julie Falbo

  College Counselor American Nicaraguan School

  With over eighteen years in the field of education, Ms. Falbo brings a diverse background to her role, having served as an elementary school teacher, middle school teacher, high school AP teacher, and even as a facilitator for service-learning trips in Ecuador, Nicaragua, and the United States. As a College Counselor at the American Nicaraguan School, she has focused on empowering students to navigate the college application process with confidence. Ms. Flabo aims to foster an inclusive and supportive environment that inspire students to thrive academically and personally, while equipping them with the tools to achieve their future goals.

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  Sara Petty

  Director of Pre-College Success TeenSHARP

  Sara Petty is TeenSHARP’s powerhouse Director of Pre-College Success, orchestrating a nationwide expansion to ensure that talented Black, Latino, and low-income students have a direct path to elite colleges. With a proven track record from her days scaling a college access program in Houston, Sara has a knack for turning educational challenges into triumphs.

  She thrives on transforming obstacles into opportunities and is known for her relentless drive and innovative solutions. When she’s not making waves in the world of education, you can find her brainstorming the next big idea over a cup of coffee or diving into a new book that sparks her curiosity. Sara’s mission? To make sure every student has the chance to unlock their full potential and claim their spot in the future’s top colleges.

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  Melissa Geil

  Clinical Associate Professor of Management and Corporate Communication UNC Kenan-Flagler

  Melissa Hull Geil teaches business and corporate communication and entrepreneurship at UNC Kenan-Flagler. In addition, she designs and teaches professional communication courses for the Graduate School at UNC-Chapel Hill. Dr. Geil received her PhD in English from Vanderbilt University and earned her BA in English and economics with highest honors from UNC-Chapel Hill.

  Before joining UNC Kenan-Flagler, she taught business communication, writing and literature in UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of English and Comparative Literature, where she received the Joseph Flora award for teaching excellence. Dr. Geil’s current research project “Rethinking Executive Presence” examines the origins of the term “executive presence” and considers how its complex history impacts contemporary evaluations of professional credibility.

  She also researches and consults on networks of trust in private-equity dealmaking, storytelling, inclusive workplace practices for neurodivergent professionals, and current best practices for entrepreneurial pitch decks. Dr. Geil has worked with corporate and executive clients in banking, private equity, commercial lending and pharmaceutical industries, including The Institute for Defense and Business, Plexus Capital and Wells Fargo.

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  Michael Parkin, Ph.D.

  Erwin N. Griswold Professor of Politics and Former Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Oberlin College

  Michael Parkin is the Erwin N. Griswold Professor of Politics and former Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences at Oberlin College.
  As Associate Dean, Parkin focuses primarily on divisional administration and research compliance.

  His academic research explores the relationship between political candidates, the media, and voters in the United States. He is particularly interested in how candidates use ‘‘new media’’ and the effect this has on voters.

  Parkin’s research has appeared in American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, and Political Communication. He teaches courses in American politics that deal with political psychology, media and mass political behavior, campaigns and elections, and quantitative research methods.

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  Susan Corwith

  Director, Center for Talent Development Northwestern University

  Dr. Susan Corwith is the director of the Center for Talent Development (CTD) at Northwestern University and an assistant professor in the School of Education and Social Policy. Dr. Corwith’s expertise is in the fields of gifted education and talent development, with an emphasis on the design, development, and evaluation of academic enrichment and acceleration programs. She has written extensively about high-quality, inclusive programs and services that foster talent development and authored numerous articles and chapters on gifted programming standards, academic acceleration, and assessment and identification.