We see a world where every educator is empowered to be at their best.

Octavio Duarte Amort is Senior Director, Partner Solutions (West) at Nectar Inc. He is excitedly providing educators with 24/7, 360 degree pedagogical support via Alchemy’s solutions. For more than a decade, Octavio has developed sales leadership skills by identifying and effectuating strategies selling in local, national, and international markets. He particularly appreciates engaging with presidents, provosts, faculty, and support staff in higher-ed environments to pinpoint and solve problems with high-potential and top-tier digital platforms. Growing up in the Bay Area, Octavio has a deep appreciation for the education system of California and the broader West Coast, and holds BAs from UCLA in Political Science and International Development Studies. He is biliterate in Spanish and enjoys travel, food, aviation, and environmental advocacy.

Trish came on board in 2002 as freelance bookkeeper and quickly evolved to managing business operations at ODL. Previously, she enjoyed many years as a transcriptionist with innovation, marketing and research consultants. In 2015, Trish joined our team full-time as Business Manager. She loves spending time outdoors with her family and being a ‘Dog Ma” to Zeus and Bear, her Great Pyrenees.

Carolyn Carter is our Senior Director, Partner Solutions based in South Florida. With 23 years of experience in higher education, specifically education technology, She is passionate about assisting institutions to support the entire student and faculty experience, from idea to design, delivery, to student and faculty success.

Carolyn has been a part of several large and small educational technology partners, including several years at Pearson Education. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, yoga, figure skating, streaming the latest series/reality shows and spending time with her parrot, Fletcher.

Brett (he/him/his) has worked in higher education for over 25 years, with extensive experience leading teaching effectiveness and student success initiatives involving a myriad of stakeholders at campus, system, and national levels. Many of these efforts have included curricular redesign for more innovative and effective uses of technology, including quality online-blended course design and delivery. In his role at Alchemy, Brett has led the development and implementation of our Purposeful Learning Framework, which enables the creation of student-centric learning experiences that are humanized, inclusive, and engaging.

Since earning his doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction in 1997, he has applied his knowledge and passion to become an established teacher, researcher, and thought leader on many topics in contemporary education. These range from sound fundamentals of effective course design and delivery to more innovative practices and uses of technology to provide greater access, engagement, and real-world application. In particular, Brett is known as an expert in applying Universal Design for Learning in post-secondary education as a means for greater equity, accessibility, and inclusivity. He has led many faculty and institutional efforts to apply the principles of UDL in ways to enable success by the greatest number and diversity of students possible. As a first generation college student himself, Brett is particularly invested in closing equity gaps that exist in postsecondary education. He works and resides in Olympia, Washington, on the ancestral lands of the Medicine Creek Treaty tribes. As a resident of the Pacific Northwest, Brett enjoys all the scenic beauty and recreation the area has to offer and spends a great deal of time on regional trail and water pursuits.

Caroline has over 25 years of experience within the higher education space. Caroline started in sales and sales management, then moved into marketing, working across several functional areas including digital and web marketing, marketing services, product information management, program marketing, customer events, student outreach programs, and product marketing. Prior to coming to O’Donnell Learn+ISG, her more recent roles provided her with the opportunity to lead and project manage new marketing processes, customer programs, system implementations, and new websites. At O’Donnell Learn+ISG, Caroline brings all these skills together as a Senior Engagement Director by overseeing the success of contract implementation; and by communicating closely with clients and the project team to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Caroline has a great passion for the education mission and has over 25 years of experience working with institutions, faculty and students across all schools and disciplines. She has held positions and led teams across several functions including sales, marketing, marketing strategy and marketing communications - all with the customer at the core. Prior to joining O’Donnell Learn+ISG, her more recent roles focused on market research and insights, thought leadership and building an excellent customer experience across the entire customer journey. In her current role as Senior Engagement Director, she continues to be inspired focusing on building and maintaining positive and collaborative relationships that lead to successful outcomes and high levels of customer satisfaction, and continuing to have an impact on the overall teaching and learning experience.

Rita Gloria Sawyer, PhD, is a bilingual (English/Spanish) educator dedicated to a higher education career based on integrity, compassion, diversity, inclusivity, with a strong desire to assist students and staff in achieving educational goals. She has over 25 years of progressive administration experience in student affairs with proven leadership at launching new departments and student services and for developing collaborative relationships across university divisions. Committed to an inclusive student-centered culture and to creating a collaborative and diverse work environment, her higher education roles have included Assistant Director of Admissions - Minority Access, Director of Admissions, Director of Enrollment Management, Vice President for Admissions and Online Learning, Chief Student Affairs Officer, and Assistant Provost for Student Services. Dr. Sawyer also has experience with regional and national accreditation, federal and state compliance, and strategic planning.

Rita has worked at public, private, online, and proprietary schools in the areas of admissions & enrollment, registration & records, university outreach, online education, and most recently she worked at a Historically Black Graduate Institution where she served as chief student affairs officer.

She currently serves as Director of Student Success for O’Donnell Learn+InSource Services Group, where she oversees a team of Student Success Coaches and a team of Placement Advisors for online graduate programs at regionally accredited higher education institutions.

Rita hails from Dallas, Texas. As the daughter of migrant farm workers, she was born in Idaho but was raised in Dallas, Texas, where she attended Richland College before transferring to the University of North Texas, in Denton, Texas, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies and later a Master of Science in Computer Education and Cognitive Systems. In 2008, she earned a PhD in Education.

Marie has worked in the corporate eLearning space for over 25 years. She's managed a variety of teams in the areas of content quality assurance, writing, and learning design, ultimately reaching the level of Director of Learning Design and Content Creation for business skills, leadership, and compliance courses. In that role, she hired O’Donnell Learn+ISG to aid her internal development team in creating courses that cover a wide range of business skills and leadership subjects. After deciding to make a career change, Marie joined O’Donnell Learn+ISG as an Engagement Director, where her strengths and skills in project and team management, customer focus, and learner experience help her ensure client and team success.