Innovation experts dedicated to corrections reform

Harris originally joined APDS in January 2018 as Chief Operating Officer overseeing product development, technology, implementation, and customer success. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer at Achievement First, where he played a leadership role in growing its high-performing network of public charter schools in New York City, Connecticut, and Rhode Island from 2,500 to well over 14,000 students. He earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and his undergraduate degree from Yale.

Arti is a business development expert with more than 20 years' experience creating and selling marketing opportunities for such brands as The New York Times. Arti joined APDS in 2013 to direct the company's sales and marketing initiatives. Today, she is in charge of building and maintaining strategic partnerships, managing business development and supporting all sales and marketing activities. Previously Arti worked in high-level sales and client relations roles for Time Warner, the American Museum of Natural History, The Princeton Review and Partnership for New York City. Arti has an MBA from Northwestern/Kellogg and a B.A. from Kenyon College.

Mott came to APDS in February 2018 to serve as Chief Revenue Officer, directing all sales and marketing activities. Her responsibilities include developing sales leads, identifying market needs, identifying new markets, leveraging assets, and working with industry partners to deliver customized solutions. Prior to APDS, Mott served as Vice President at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), managing product development and sales leadership for Adult Education. During her career at HMH she has held numerous sales and product development roles outside the traditional K-12 space including international markets, library markets, and adult education. 

Throughout his career, Tim has focused on market adoption of technology – first from analog to digital, then digital to the internet, and now focused on the possibilities of Big Data and artificial intelligence. He first worked with APDS in his capacity as Executive in Residence for APDS’s Series A leader ReThink Education. Most recently, Tim served as President and Chief Operating Officer of K12 Inc., where he led the company’s two largest operating divisions: Managed Public Schools – a network of 70+ virtual charter schools; and Fuel Education, which sold content, curriculum and services to traditional brick-and-mortar schools. Tim began his career at AT&T, and over twenty years was promoted to positions of increasing responsibilities, including in sales, marketing, operations, engineering, and product management. As President of Business Network Services, he was responsible for AT&T’s $22B business for wireline and data services to business customers. He received a B.S. and M.S. in Management and Industrial Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Adam joined APDS in July of 2018 focusing on providing education to correctional facilities across the country. He has many years of experience in the education space from both small and large publishers and ed tech companies. Adam is currently working on his MBA with a graduation date of July 2019.

Segun joined APDS in October 2018 to serve as VP of Finance and Administration. Segun has over 20 years of finance and management experience, spanning a mix of large and start-up companies. Segun held roles within the internal audit functions at Estee Lauder, NBCUniversal, and Pearson - where he gained significant exposure to the education, testing and assessment businesses, holding senior management positions both domestically and internationally. Segun holds a Bachelors in Finance from St. John’s University in New York, an Executive MBA from the Zicklin School of Business, and is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants.

Hardik came to APDS to in May 2018. He has spent most of his professional career leading the development efforts to build and scale technology platforms. As Vice President of Technology at American Prison Data Systems, PBC, Hardik oversees the product development, technology, and implementation of the company’s product platform. Formerly, Hardik was the Senior Managing Director at Teach For America – a mission-driven nonprofit organization that helps to end educational inequity. He oversaw the application development for various systems, from prospects applying to the corps, through alumni engagement. Hardik graduated from the State University of New York, Stony Brook with a degree in Computer Science.

Mindy has over 15 years experience in the areas of Implementation and Post Implementation/Customer Success, specifically in Education Technology from her years at Pearson and Schoolnet where she led teams managing implementations for top 125 school districts and states. Mindy joined APDS in June 2018 as a consultant to streamline the implementation and customer success processes and has worked with the team to implement new project management and Helpdesk software for better tracking of activities related to servicing customers. As Vice President of Operations, Mindy oversees the implementation, support, and inventory management needed to deliver products and services to customers. Mindy has an MBA from the George Washington University and a MS in Systems Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.

Dylan joined APDS in May 2014 to oversee the launch of the very first pilot deployments into secure facilities. Today he works to optimize and scale the implementation process, serving APDS clients nationwide. Prior to joining the team, Dylan worked for 5 years in program design and operations for the United Nations and other development programs in post-conflict areas of Indonesia and Timor-Leste. Dylan holds a B.A. in Spanish and Portuguese from Princeton University.

Vani joined APDS in October 2019. She is a software developer turned quality assurance engineer who is passionate about improving product quality through process. As a Quality Assurance Support Associate, she is responsible for testing each part to ensure it meets company standards. Vani graduated from New York Institute of Technology with an M.S. in Computer Science.

Melanie joined APDS in April 2016 as an Office Manager, helping to build and maintain efficient organizational structure. She has a global background in project management, and film and event production. Prior to joining the team, Melanie lived in Germany for 13 years, becoming fluent in the language while working as a Script Supervisor and Assistant Director. She has a degree in Psychology and French Literature from Hunter College.

Antoine joined American Data Prison Systems in September 2019 as a member of the support team, assisting in the day-to-day operations and fulfilling customer support requests. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the organization, dating back 10 years to the early Audible.com days and more recently at Bloomberg. Coming from Newark, NJ, where nearly 8 out of every 10 men of color have served time in a correctional facility, Antoine wants to change the narrative of minority men by reducing recidivism in the United States.

Amy joined APDS in September 2019 as the onsite Customer Support Associate at Rikers Island. She works directly with detainees and DOC staff to provide technical support and to ensure that each detainee has access to education, reentry, job training, and rehabilitation resources. Her passion to improve outcomes for incarcerated people living with mental illness drives her to help change corrections for good. Amy holds a B.S. in Information Management & Technology from Syracuse University. In December 2019, she will graduate with a Master of Science in Forensic Science with a concentration in Psychiatry and Behavioral Science from Syracuse University.

Tony joined APDS’s technology team in October 2018 as a product designer and front end developer. He brings experience across the education, technology, and non-profit sectors. Tony is a Teach for America alumnus, former director of gifted and talented programming and has served as director of instructional design and product owner for a learning management system. His work in ed-tech is a continuation of his commitment to better serve educators and learners.

Diana came to APDS in September 2019 as a Support Associate. She works with DOC staff to ensure detainees have access to academic, reentry, and rehabilitative resources by providing technical assistance when needed. Prior to joining the APDS team, she worked for private, medical practice and interned for a nonprofit geared towards improving healthcare for children facing chronic illnesses. Diana is currently an undergraduate student at Saint Peter’s University, working towards obtaining a B.S. in Urban Studies and Public Policy.

Ellie joined APDS' Marketing and Sales Team in June 2018 to manage the company's bid proposals and presentations. Ellie brings over 5 years of experience in non-profit development work, including proposal and contract management. Ellie received her BA in Anthropology/Sociology from Warren Wilson College.

Ankita joined APDS in October 2018 as the Business Data Analyst. Ankita works cross functionally with the Product and Customer Success teams to dive deeper into data through the creation of data modeling and generation of actionable insights regarding customer software usage and product usability. Ankita graduated from the State University of New York, Buffalo with an M.S. in Management Information Systems

Kiwang joined APDS in October 2018 as Lead Software Engineer. Kiwang is responsible for all aspects of the APDS product software development and deployment, including the evaluation and adoption of new technologies. Prior to joining APDS, Kiwang specialized in the design and development of robust, scalable middle-tier and back-end solutions for the telecommunications and payment services industry. Kiwang has an M.S. in Computer Science from New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a B.S. in Computer Science from Rutgers University—New Brunswick

Michael joined APDS’s business development team in August 2018 to ensure content partners are well-integrated onto the APDS platform and tracked for efficacy and engagement with students. Michael brings more than 6 years of experience in the media, tech, and nonprofit education spaces managing projects, programs, and relationships, most recently with Sesame Workshop. He received bachelor's degrees in Communications and History from Loyola University of Chicago.

While interning for the NYC Department of Corrections in the summer of 2017, Krystal was exposed to APDS and shared the same vision as the company. Two years later in June 2019, Krystal Martinez joined APDS. As a Support Associate, she works with the Department of Corrections staff across the states to ensure that detainees have access to academic, reentry, and rehabilitation resources. Krystal holds a B.S in Business Administration, with a dual concentration in Management and Marketing and a minor in Public Health from SUNY Albany. She will be graduating with her MBA in May 2020 from SUNY New Paltz.

Erick came to APDS in September 2013 to lead the Boston office, overseeing product development and advancing physical and digital platform security. Erick is responsible for guiding product direction to align with the APDS mission. He also manages key relationships with product-focused partners. Erick comes to his role at APDS from a multidisciplinary background, including product management, deploying custom, cost-effective technology platforms, and building and directing an AmeriCorps organization in Boston. Erick holds a B.A. from Brown University.

Cindy joined APDS in October 2017 as the Education Specialist on-site at Rikers Island Correctional Facility. She works with inmates, education providers, social services, corrections officers, wardens, and DOC Administration to help them engage with the programs and materials on the APDS tablets. Cindy’s 30-year career in university and secondary education has encompassed the teaching of writing, literature, digital arts and digital writing, videography, and film editing. She’s also worked extensively with teachers training them how to use writing and digital arts in the classroom. Cindy holds a B.S. in Communication Arts and Biology from Cornell University, and a Doctor of Arts in Composition Theory and Creative Writing from The University at Albany.

Kevin came to APDS in July 2014 to manage the company's external web services. Previously, Kevin worked as a Product Manager, Quality Assurance Tester and a training and support technician for other edtech and social work start-ups in the greater New York City area. He's also served as a teaching assistant at General Assembly in front-end web development. Kevin has a B.A. in English from Binghamton University and a Certificate in Web Development from General Assembly.

Stephanie joined APDS in November 2016 as a Junior Support Associate to aid with support requests and on-site assistance. With her acquired skills in criminology and criminal justice research, along with her managerial background in retail, she works each day to effect positive change in corrections and criminal justice. Stephanie is a graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, with a B.S. in Criminology and minors in both Sociology and Gender Studies.

Chris joined APDS in 2019 as the Director of Engagement working with incarcerated learners, advocacy organizations, and funders supporting APDS’s work to improve outcomes for justice-involved individuals. Chris, who is the author of “The Master Plan. My Journey From Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose,” was formerly convicted and sentenced to natural life in prison.