Pioneer Academics 4th Annual Co-Curricular Summit

Diana Kander is the bestselling author of The Curiosity Muscle, which explores why success can lead to complacency and how to reignite curiosity for lasting growth. Using humor, research, and storytelling, Diana helps leaders and educators uncover blind spots, foster innovation, and strengthen problem-solving skills. As a keynote speaker and entrepreneur, she equips audiences to create learning-driven, resilient organizations and careers.

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.

With overeighteen 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.

Melissa is an Undergraduate Admissions Counselor at Caltech. In her role, she focuses on DEI outreach and programming, particularly related to small town and rural recruitment. She currently oversees Caltech's involvement in the STARS College Network. She is also the "extremely online" AO and moderator on the admitted students' Discord server.

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.

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.

Brian Cooper is the Director of Research & Development for Pioneer Academics, helping to drive Pioneer’s innovation and learning delivery. Brian has nearly 30 years of education experience working with gifted and talented students. Prior to joining the Pioneer team, Brian spent 25 years at Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP), developing and managing innovative programs for talented students from around the world. Before transitioning to Duke TIP, Brian was an award-winning AP English Literature and Composition teacher. He’s passionate about creating educational experiences that engage bright, motivated students and enable them to forge meaningful connections with their peers and with dedicated instructors as they wrestle with big ideas and real-world problems.

David Gatchell is a clinical professor in the Segal Design Institute and directs the Manufacturing and Design Engineering (MaDE) undergraduate degree program. Gatchell comes to Northwestern from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), where he was a research assistant professor and assistant director of the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering.

Michael Parkin, Erwin N. Griswold Professor of Politics, researches the interplay between political candidates, media, and U.S. voters, with a focus on how candidates utilize new media like the internet and entertainment TV, impacting voter behavior. His work has been published in top political science journals, and he teaches courses covering American politics, political psychology, media's role in politics, campaigns, and quantitative research methods. Additionally, he collaborates with high-achieving international high school students on advanced research projects in American media and politics through Oberlin's partnership with Pioneer Academics.

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. 

Laurel began her career at Kalamazoo College as an orientation coordinator and student advisor before earning a Master’s in English from the University of Nevada, focusing on literature of trauma. She spent six years teaching English and cultural studies at the college level and later worked as an independent education consultant. Since joining the Davidson Institute in 2015, she has advanced from Family Consultant to Senior Family Consultant, then Team Manager, and now serves as Director of Family Services. In this role, she leads the Family Services team in providing individualized support to families, collaborates with leadership on community engagement and outreach, and hosts virtual programs for Davidson parents. She is honored to lead the resourceful and dedicated Family Services team as they provide one-on-one support to the families in the Davidson community.

Justin Mohney is a seasoned higher education leader with over 16 years of experience in admissions and enrollment management. As Director of Recruitment at Carnegie Mellon University, he drives strategy, outreach, and team leadership to strengthen student engagement and enrollment outcomes. His career has progressed through key admissions roles at CMU, complemented by leadership in professional organizations as Past-President of the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling. With a BS in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon and a graduate degree in Higher Education from Drexel University, Justin combines institutional knowledge with broad industry expertise to advance recruitment initiatives and shape impactful admissions practices.

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.

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.