Christopher Gentile, PhD

President & CEO

A nationally-recognized educator and entrepreneur, Christopher Gentile is a pioneer in the field of innovative academics. Experienced in public and private education-related enterprises, he founded and led Virtual Sage Online Curriculum and the University of Miami Online High School, both of which were acquired by the Washington Post Company/Kaplan Education in April 2007.

Gentile holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Science, a Master’s degree in Psychology, and a Doctorate in Neuropsychology from the University of Miami. He also holds an Education Specialist degree in Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. He began his career as a psychologist/researcher in the area of learning and memory and later applied his knowledge to teaching and developing experimental technology-based education programs for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Nova Southeastern University.

During his 20-year professional career, he has held numerous high-level leadership positions in K12 and university institutions as well as private companies. Notably, he served as the national director for American Express and Citigroup's education foundation in New York City and as education vice president for an educational technology start-up in San Francisco.

A noted speaker, consultant, and author, he has published more than 25 articles and books including Microsoft's Technology Roadmap: A Comprehensive Guide to Planning and Implementing Computer Technology in K-12 Schools. Additionally, he has served as a consultant to federal and state governments, businesses, foundations, and universities.

Raoul Betancourt

CFO

Raoul Betancourt is Executive Director of Business and Finance. With experience in the investment, wealth management, airline, and hotel industries, Betancourt has the expertise to run the day-to-day business operations for FYI. He was also instrumental in FYI’s startup and development.

Before returning to Miami, Betancourt was working on Wall Street as Client Services Manager at an Ameriprise Financial Private Wealth Advisory Practice in New York. There, he worked closely with clients, managing portfolios whose net worth exceeded $450 million dollars.

Raoul holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Miami.

Roger Hanley

Vice President of Business Development

An active participant in the development of eLearning throughout North America, Hanley joins FYI Online to oversee sales and business relationships with technology and publishing companies in the K12 eLearning space.

An educator by profession, after a 20-year career teaching Shakespearean Literature and Social Studies, Hanley conceived and founded the Rocky View Virtual School, which served 450 full-time students in Grades 7 - 12 throughout Alberta, Canada and the world. Three years later, he moved into the private sector, serving first as GM of virtual high schools at Apex Learning in Seattle, then moving back to Calgary to become Vice President of Academic Strategies at Elluminate, the leading provider of web conferencing solutions and services. After more than five years at Elluminate, Hanley moved to Portland, Oregon, to serve as Vice President at Insight Schools, a builder and operator of 12 public, state-wide, virtual high schools throughout the country. At Insight, his focus was on the education offering as well as new school development.

Hanley has served on the Board of Directors of the Alberta Online Consortium (AOC) and chaired the Canadian eLearning Enterprise Alliance (CeLEA). As well, he has played several roles in the International Council for Online Learning (iNACOL), most recently chairing the iNACOL Awards Committee. Hanley has spoken at over 100 eLearning conferences throughout the world and is committed to helping grow the sector so that the vision of eLearning can be realized.

Christian Ward

Instructional Design

Head of the e-learning department at FYI Online, Christian Ward uses his expertise in instructional design and his knowledge of current trends in technology to develop next-generation curriculum. Ward spent the past decade designing highly engaging course curriculum for the virtual high school market. At the University of South Florida's MIT Department, he assisted faculty to develop courses. In 2003, he became the first employee at Virtual Sage, and later became the Lead Instructional Designer and Director of Product Development for both Virtual Sage's online curriculum and the University of Miami's Online High School. There, he was instrumental in developing the original course interface design and online instructional model.

Ward holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Florida State University and a Master's Degree in Instructional Technology from the University of South Florida.

Drew Golburgh

Education

Drew Golburgh brings over a decade of teaching experience to the curriculum department of FYI Online. Golburgh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Literature and Film from the University of Miami and a Master’s degree in English Education from Florida International University.

As a former Language Arts teacher, he has taught in the traditional classroom, in the online environment, and at the college level. He started a magnet program in Homestead, Florida, and developed an interdisciplinary curriculum under the umbrella of the National Academy Foundation. He also initiated an online program at Robert Morgan Educational Center High School in Kendall, Florida. Golburgh began his work in online education in 2006 when he was hired to chair the Language Arts Department at UMOHS. In addition to creating curriculum and assessments, he also developed a mentor program.

Golburgh brings his expertise and passion for curriculum development to FYI Online and offers the unique perspective of a day-to-day teacher. He understands the diverse needs of students and leads his team in developing individualized and pedagogically sound instruction.

Bill Mattax

Technical

Owner and manager of a web design, hosting, and marketing company since 2001, Bill Mattax brings his considerable experience in the field of technology to FYI Online. Mattax specializes in data-driven web sites and content management systems, and uses his skills to oversee the technology side of the business. His area of expertise includes graphic design and html, focusing on Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Mattax currently manages FYI's technical needs and leads the production team in assuring a high level of quality. In addition, he is responsible for the integrity of the Content Management System (CMS).