NEXGEN EDUCATION

Geoffrey Canada is internationally recognized as a leading advocate for children and innovator in the field of education. Canada created the Harlem Children’s Zone, a birth-through-college network of programs that today serves more than 13,000 low-income students in a 97-block area of Central Harlem in New York City. The concept of the Children’s Zone is to do whatever it takes to help children in areas of concentrated poverty overcome the entire range of barriers to their success – whether it is failing schools, the threat of violence or instability at home. The organization offers after-school programs, in-school support, parenting classes, community-building, health and social-service programs, as well as running two public charter schools. The unprecedented success of the Harlem Children’s Zone has attracted the attention of the media and leaders around the world. In 2011, Canada was named one of the world’s most influential people by Time magazine and as one of the 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine in 2014. President Barack Obama created the Promise Neighborhoods Initiative to replicate the Harlem Children’s Zone model across the country, giving 58 matching grants totaling almost $290 million. The initiative was included in the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, guaranteeing its lasting impact across the country.

Hanut Singh is the CEO of QBS Learning and has over 15 years of experience as a leader in educational publishing and EdTech. Hanut founded QBS Learning, merging the design and content development powerhouse of the Bill Smith Group with Q2A Media, one of the largest print and digital production houses in India. Hanut's passion for education was instrumental in establishing the relationships that lead to NexGen Education. Prior to QBS Learning, Hanut manage the fixed income and derivatives trading books at HSBC in Hong Kong and at Boston Fleet, now part of Bank of America.

Kevin has over 30 years of experience in publishing, education, instructional design, and technology. As a leader in driving organizational change, he led initiatives that transformed the Brooklyn Public Library into a recognized leader in providing technology-based services to under-served communities, redefined the relationship between the New York Philharmonic and its subscribers and patrons, and improved high-needs and special-needs learning communities through research-based school-led projects. Kevin was involved in the development of some of the first Time, Inc. channels on America Online, and served as instructional designer, editor and writer for several large-scale print and EdTech products in Math, Science and ELA. Kevin's lifelong drive to constantly shift the paradigm, and his dedication to empowering others through education, were the catalysts for his joining NexGen. Kevin is a driving force behind NexGen's mission to replace fragmented teaching methods with visionary learning experiences that foster a true sense of community.

Art Benson has over 15 years of experience in the education field with K-12 education. He graduated from State University College at Brockport with a Bachelor of Science. Art is passionate about providing students with the necessary software tools needed to improve their learning.

In his role of CEO, Geoffrey Alphonso brings a wealth of experience in strategic thinking with over 20 years of experience in enabling business transformations across the North American, Australian and Middle East Markets. Prior to joining Alef Education, Geoffrey was General Manager and Head of PMO / Solutions for Pearson Education’s Middle East & Africa business practice for over 9 years, where he grew and led a cross functional team towards driving Pearson’s digital strategy with a combined portfolio of over $30M USD across both the K-12 and Higher Ed markets. Prior to his time at Pearson Education, Geoffrey held various senior leadership roles in Toronto, Canada & Brisbane, Australia across the Ed-Tech, Telecom and the Financial sectors. Geoffrey is an avid enthusiast of using technology to enable education. He also sits on a board of THAKI an NGO, that helps bring digital education products and services to underprivileged children in the MENA region. Geoffrey holds an MBA from the London Business School.

Joe has over 13 years of experience working with publishers, technology and ed-tech firms in the middle-east with an emphasis on digital transformation. Prior to Alef Education, he led education services initiatives at Pearson and McGraw-Hill across Higher-Education, K-12, and Vocational markets. He focused mainly on leveraging global expertise and capabilities to develop innovative products. Joe is currently leading the product team in Alef Education with a focus on crystalizing the vision of the product and creating value propositions for end-users. Joe holds a Bachelor and Master degree in Computer Science from the American University of Beirut and a Master in Business Administration from London Business School.

Tracy Collins is a seasoned learning expert with 18+ years working in education. She has worked in K12, higher ed, and corporate learning contexts in Canada, South East Asia, and the Middle East. Over her career, she has enjoyed a wide range of professional experiences including her time as a classroom teacher, university instructor, curriculum designer, learning consultant, strategic advisor, and owner of a learning consulting practice. Over the last decade, she has transitioned to ed-tech with a speciality in supporting large, systemic implementations. She has worked with K12 Inc, the New Mexico Public Education Department, and the New York Department of Education’s iLearn program to support clients in integrating and adopting educational tools and platforms. As well, she spent several years working with the Ontario Ministry of Education as they rolled out a learning platform to 2 million learners across the province. During her time in the UAE, she established the Client Experience team to support domestic implementation. She is now Head of Global Implementation Services, leading implementation and training programs in new markets.

Ray Biron is a seasoned edtech professional working in research, project management, and program implementation with more than five years of experience. After earning his Master's degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ray joined Alef Education's research team to collect data and provide insights to schools in the company's initial pilot and expansion in Abu Dhabi. He then joined its project management office and helped manage the development of a digital mathematics and science curriculum for grades 5-9. Currently, Ray is leading the operations for Alef's U.S. expansion, where he works with internal teams, partners, and schools to ensure the success of its programs in the U.S. market. Ray also holds a Bachelor's degree in History and English Literature from Tufts University.