Meet the Team - Talisma

STUART KUPINSKY
Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel and Secretary

As Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel and Secretary, Stuart manages the company’s legal strategy, including M&A and intellectual property legal strategy, as well as the company’s contracting functions.

Previously, Stuart served as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Blackboard. Prior to that, he was Chief Counsel for FirstNet, a multibillion-dollar government agency building a nationwide broadband network for first responders. Additionally, Stuart served as General Counsel for four major technology companies, including Tekelec, Inc. where he played a major role in its successful sale to Oracle. Stuart also served as an attorney in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and was with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after working in private practice and completing a clerkship on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C.

Stuart holds a J.D. with honors from The George Washington University Law School, as well as a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Lehigh University.

CYNTHIA L. HAYNIE

Chief Technology Officer

As Chief Technology Officer with more than 35 years of experience, Cynthia is a proven technical leader responsible for creating and leading the company’s technology vision and strategy as a global provider of solutions for higher education.

Cynthia served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Campus Management, where she was responsible for research and development, innovation, product design and delivery of best-in-class cloud solutions for higher education. Previously, Cynthia served as Chief Technology Officer at SolArc, Inc., a global provider of commodity trading and risk management solutions.

She has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M and master’s degrees in both information systems from the University of Denver and technology management from Pepperdine University.

VIKI HUCKE-MCCRIGHT

Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives

As Senior Vice President, Integration and Strategic Initiatives, Viki brings with her two and a half decades of experience. She is at the forefront of the company’s initiative to ensure excellence across Anthology, driving operational advancements and supporting continuous improvements to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Previously as Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives at Campus Management, her contribution to the leadership team was critical to the growth of the company. She helped champion product launches, strengthened customer relationships, and developed operational improvements that served as a catalyst for global success. Prior to that, she served as Senior Vice President, Career Education, ensuring the needs of clients delivering career education were met throughout the organization.

She began her career in higher education, with roles in both financial aid and student finance. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Texas Tech University.

JIM BRIGADIER

President Global Markets

As President Global Markets, Jim believes in the transformative empowerment that education provides. Throughout his 21-year career in education technology, his leadership philosophy has always centered on forging strong relationships with people to achieve collaborative goals and with a shared purpose in mind.

In his previous role at Anthology, Jim served as Chief Revenue Officer, leading a Field Operations team in the Americas/UK, where he was responsible for all aspects of client experience and satisfaction, revenue growth/expansion/sales results, and he previously led the professional/managed services team during a 5 year high-growth period.

Before entering the education technology and services business, Jim spent nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps as an Intelligence Officer, serving both domestically and abroad. Jim graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina, has a master’s in business administration from Auburn University and a certificate in sales management from the University of Chicago.

JIM MILTON

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Jim brings a wealth of knowledge, including more than 35 years of technology leadership experience, where he has successfully led product expansions, mergers, acquisitions, sales strategies, and more. Dedicated to creating the industry’s most powerful and impactful suite of tools and solutions, Jim believes that through collaboration and innovation, we can create new technologies that transform the lives of students and campuses in ways that have only just begun to be imagined.

Prior to Anthology, Jim was responsible for leading the Campus Management team toward delivering superior student information systems, ERP and CRM solutions to higher education institutions globally. Previously, he was the CEO of two publicly traded technology companies, SoundBite Communications and Intervoice after a 21-year career in various executive roles at HP and two predecessor companies, Compaq Computer and Digital Equipment Corporation. He has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Canada.

ANDERS NESSEN

Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Anders is responsible for the company’s finance, legal and facility operations, as well as playing an integral role in corporate strategy and acquisitions.

Previously he was the Chief Financial Officer at Campus Management, where he spent over a decade facilitating the day-to-day financial operations and eventual metamorphosis of the company into Anthology. Prior to that, Anders worked for eight years as an investment professional at Leeds Equity Partners, a New York-based private equity firm focusing on the knowledge industries. At Leeds Equity, he drove all aspects of the investment process, directing due diligence, negotiating and financing transactions, and monitoring performance post-investment.

Early in his career, Anders also worked in the mergers and acquisitions department of Lehman Brothers in New York. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and information systems from the University of Virginia.

MELISSA HARTS, ED.D.

Chief People Officer

As Chief People Officer, Melissa brings her passion for leading change, driving culture and developing people. She has over a decade of leadership experience in institutional technology and information services.

She previously served as Senior Vice President Technology & Distance Education/CIO for Pasco-Hernando State College, where she led the campus’s technology vision and strategy, which focused on achieving student success. Prior to her time at PHSC, Melissa was the Director of Technology and Information Services for the Hernando County School District. She has also served in various leadership roles in her over twenty years in education K-20.

She has a B.S. in Media and English from Fordham University, an M.S. in broadcast journalism from Columbia School of Journalism, and an M.Ed and Ed.D in Educational Technology from Columbia University Teachers College.

RAJ MRUTHYUNJAYAPPA

Chief Digital Officer and President, India

As Chief Digital Officer and President, India, Raj plays a critical role in expanding Anthology’s global footprint, introducing the products to international campuses across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

In his previous role at Campus Management, Raj managed operations across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa divisions and was the Managing Director for Campus Management International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Campus Management Corporation. Under his leadership, Campus Management engaged in some of the largest EdTech implementations in over 30 countries. He is an evangelist on the use of customer experience management solutions across verticals and is often consulted and quoted by Asia and European media for his expertise on customer experience management, as well as ICT adoption across education. He has consistently advocated the need for greater automation, process management and levering technology to scale education for the developing nations educational sector.

Raj holds a master’s degree in computer applications from Mysore University. He also holds an honorary doctorate in management from Ecole Supérieure Robert de Sorbon, France.

JOHN “J.D.” WHITE, PH.D.

Chief Product Officer

As Chief Product Officer, JD recognizes the powerful role creativity and innovation play when it comes to solving the complex problems campus communities face. He strives to deliver solutions that bring new growth opportunities to higher education, while building products that help students and administration succeed.

Previously as Vice President of Product Management at Campus Labs, he led the product development team in the ever-evolving quest for superior, more effective solutions to the data challenges institutions face. His areas of expertise include assessment in higher education, student success and retention efforts, the use of analytics in higher education, and the development of technology to support institutional effectiveness. In prior roles, JD managed assessment initiatives for the Department of University Housing at the University of Georgia and held student affairs positions at Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and Northern Arizona University.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, as well as both a master’s degree in college student affairs administration and doctorate from the University of Georgia.

SUSAN SCHOLES

Chief Marketing Officer

As Chief Marketing Officer, Susan brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing and education technology. With a passion for driving transformation, she leads a high performing team that drives strategy and brand positioning, demand generation, and all aspects of product and corporate marketing.

In her prior role as Senior Vice President of Marketing at iModules, she supported the growth of the company by leading client communications, lead generation and sales support, corporate communications, events, and product release communications. In her career, Susan held executive positions with leading advertising agencies, market research firms, software companies and large communications corporations.

She has a bachelor’s degree in business communications from the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas.

KEVIN KNIGHT

Chief Operating Officer

As Chief Operating Officer, Kevin is focused on creating an organizational environment that drives the highest level of client satisfaction and he is passionate about leading large, productive teams that build relationships, and enable change.

Kevin joined Campus Management in 2020, as Chief Operating Officer, managing the professional services and client services teams. He has more than 25 years of technology experience, progressively leading teams specializing in client success and improving institutional processes.

Prior to joining Campus Management, Kevin spent 18 years at Blackbaud, including serving as the President and General Manager of two business units where he was responsible for the oversight of marketing, sales, professional services, customer support, customer success and products. In this role, he successfully launched a faith-based business unit that was able to introduce new products to the market. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Erskine College.