A Woman Owned Business
Stages Learning's status as a woman-owned business is a significant aspect of our company's identity. In a world where gender disparities and biases still exist, it is crucial to support and recognize the achievements of women in entrepreneurship and leadership roles. Stages strives not only to help break down barriers for women in the field of education, but also serves as a positive role model for aspiring female entrepreneurs. With over 25 years dedicated to creating materials for learners with autism, Stages has served more than 100,000 customers, reaching millions of children worldwide with our innovative products. Women proudly hold the majority of leadership roles within our company, demonstrating the potential for success and innovation when a diverse range of perspectives and experiences are brought to the table. Today women makeup 25 percent of top executives, yet the percentage of women serving as chief executives of Fortune 500 companies is only 6 percent. While 71.2% of teachers in the United States are female, only 28.5% of the more than 7000 superintendent roles are held by women. Progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go. Stages is committed to representation and leadership in the industry that will encourage more women to pursue their own business ventures and help foster a more diverse, inclusive, and innovative landscape in the education sector and beyond.
Angela Nelson, J.D., Ed.M.
...
Angela studied behavioral psychology under Dr. Ivar Lovaas, head of the premier program in the treatment and education of children with autism, and worked as a senior therapist for the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, supervising educational programs, performing assessments, and conducting workshops for parents and professionals across the country and in Europe. Angela is Past Chair of the Education Market Association, and served as a Teaching Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is also on the Advisory Board of the Education Research & Development Institute. Angela is the lead creator and author of all of Stages curriculum and digital products, and editor of the Autism Resource and Community website and newsletter, has written for numerous industry publications, and speaks at national conferences and education institutes on autism education, early literacy, education technology, and entrepreneurship in education. Angela has a BA in Psychology, and a JD, both from UCLA; and an M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education from the Technology, Innovation and Education Program.
Cindy Bowers, J.D.
...
She has an undergraduate degree in political science from UCSD and a J.D. from UCLA. Cindy lives in Encinitas, CA with her husband and 2 wonderful kids, and enjoys cooking for friends and family.
Leadership Team
Dr. Kari Stubbs
Previously, she spent thirteen years working at one of the world’s most recognizable digital content providers for children - BrainPOP. Her dedication to education extends to service on multiple boards including SXSWedu, BreakoutEDU, Kipp Academy in Kansas City, and previously ISTE, Digital Promise’s EdCamp, and the Horizon K12 Report.
Anthony Fowler
He also implemented systems and structures to drive a culture of high performance, employee engagement, and legal compliance. Anthony’s passion and expertise for building inclusive and supportive workplaces is central to the work he does at Stages.
Kelly Merriman
He has an undergraduate degree in organizational management from Daniel Webster College as well as a Masters degree in Diplomacy from Norwich University. Kelly lives in Austin, TX and enjoys cooking for family and friends, painting, and is an avid motorcyclist.
Dr. Michelle Nutini
In addition to providing subject matter expertise, professional development and training, technical assistance, and consultative services, she developed interactive resources to support the implementation of autistic support services in and outside more than 400 specialized programs throughout the district’s 200+ schools.
Allison Hanna
Her career includes impactful positions at BrainPOP, TeachersPayTeachers, and littleBits Electronics, where she led major projects to improve sales effectiveness and CRM optimization.
Anish Raguraman
He’s driven by a deep sense of customer empathy, enabling him to craft user journeys that maximize value and delight to customers. Anish’s approach to empowering a team is two-fold: frequent reminders of who we're helping and why and building a culture of nonjudgmental creative collaboration and low ego.
Megan Gordon
...
She was a district trainer for a new curriculum, part of a team that built district-wide standards-based assignments and assessments, and was a model small-group instruction classroom in the state of Florida. Leaving Florida allowed Megan to make the switch to ed-tech, where she has worked with IXL and DreamBox Learning in both their customer support and customer success teams.
Shelby Shattuck
Shelby is a problem solver with tactical foresight, specializing in optimization of organizational efficiencies through streamlining of procedures, automation, and enhanced staff coaching.