Leadership
ARK EducateOur Board
With over 40 years of experience in innovation investment, Cathie founded ARK Investment Management LLC in 2014, specializing in Disruptive Innovation. As Chief Investment Officer, she drives ARK's investment philosophy, focusing on advancements like DNA sequencing, robotics, AI, energy storage, and blockchain. Previously, Cathie managed over $5 billion at AllianceBernstein and co-founded Tupelo Capital, overseeing about $800 million. Her career began at The Capital Group, followed by 18 years in various roles at Jennison Associates.
Recognized for her influence in finance, Cathie was featured in Bloomberg's 50 list in 2018, Fortune's Experts' Best Investing Advice in 2019, and received the 2016 "Women in Finance – Outstanding Contribution Award." She's been a speaker at global forums, including the World Economic Forum and Singularity University.
2018, Cathie launched the Duddy Innovation Institute at Notre Dame Academy, her alma mater. This institute provides a progressive educational experience, encouraging young women to explore knowledge beyond traditional boundaries.
Kellen joined ARK in April 2016. As ARK’s Corporate Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Kellen provides a full range of regulatory, compliance, and legal advice to ARK on all business matters.
Kellen began his career at the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as a Securities Compliance Examiner at the Office of Compliance, Inspections, and Examinations (“OCIE”) in the SEC’s New York regional office. After OCIE, Kellen was an Attorney-Adviser in the SEC’s Division of Investment Management’s Risk and Examinations Office. Subsequently, Kellen was a Management Consultant at Ernst & Young, LLP in the Wealth and Asset Management group. Kellen received his Bachelor of Science in Human and Organizational Development with a concentration in International Development from Vanderbilt University and his Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law. Kellen is licensed to practice law in New York and Georgia.
As Chief Marketing Officer, Lisa is responsible for implementing ARK’s global marketing strategy across all channels and partners, ensuring a cohesive brand and customer experience at every touchpoint. Lisa joined ARK in 2015 and has held key roles within ARK’s marketing team, overseeing global brand, communications, and public relations.
Before ARK, Lisa worked for five years at the Pioneer Companies, a national commercial real estate organization headquartered in Syracuse, New York. Lisa collaborated with all departments to design and implement marketing strategies across platforms that built brand recognition and fostered business development. Lisa received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology from Colgate University and was a Division I Women’s Varsity Ice Hockey program member. She also received a Master of Science in New Media Management from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.
As ARK Investment Management's CFO and CSO, Paul oversees the company's financial and strategic operations. His duties as CFO include managing reporting, treasury, accounting, tax, and financial controls. As CSO, he aligns financial strategies with the firm's growth, involving initiatives, potential acquisitions, and new products. He examines adjacent asset classes to extend ARK's brand and financial strategy, ensuring the firm's financial health and strategic adaptability. Paul joined ARK in 2021.
Previously, Paul was the CFO of ORIX USA, managing assets worth about $80 billion. His roles at ORIX spanned M&A advisory, real estate, and equities. A CPA with extensive experience in M&A, tax, and corporate development, Paul began his career at Ernst and Young, LLP. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and a Master's in Tax from Baylor University.
Besides his professional role, Paul contributes to the community. He serves on the board of Healing Hand Ministries, supports the Retina Foundation of the Southwest, and advises Family Gateway, aiding homeless families.
Dr. David Bodde, Professor Emeritus at Clemson University, specializes in teaching students how to leverage technology for innovation and entrepreneurship. His focus areas include managing risks in new ventures, open architecture innovation, and new venture investment.
Dr. Bodde's extensive professional background includes roles as Vice President of the Midwest Research Institute, Assistant Director of the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, and Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of Energy. He also contributes his expertise to various public and private company boards.
He holds a Doctor of Business Administration from Harvard University (1976), Master of Science degrees in nuclear engineering (1972) and management (1973) from MIT, and a Bachelor of Science from West Point (1965). A veteran, Dr. Bodde served in the United States Army in Vietnam.
Engaged with inner-city Christian missions, creating job opportunities for low-income individuals, his work centers on fostering a sense of responsibility and community among these individuals and their families.
As Managing Director, Caitlin oversees daily operations, strategic partnership opportunities, corporate governance, and grant and gift issuance. Caitlin also serves as the Chairman-designate of the ARK Education Initiative.
Caitlin has experience in education as a former teacher, holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology, and is currently working towards her licensure as a psychologist specializing in Child & Adolescent Development. Caitlin has prior experience serving local and national nonprofit organizations, including Junior Achievement, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Prevent Child Abuse America.
Our Team
As a Lead Educator, Jason implements all curriculum products for the ARK Educate. He collaborates on product development, teacher training, and ongoing teacher support. Before ARK Educate, Jason was a Principal and Assistant Principal for six years, leading high-achieving and turnaround schools. He taught Math and Science for 16 years to middle school students at public schools in Massachusetts. Previous to being an educator, Jason matched entrepreneurs and investors for a startup in Silicon Valley and helped improve the lives of people with disabilities at human service agencies. With ARK Educate, Jason prepares teachers, students, and families to be on the right side of rapid technological change, no matter their background or circumstance. He believes everyone has a personality trait called "Openness to Experience.” Jason, who is based in Saint Petersburg, FL, appreciates its constant sunshine and sunsets!
He is an innovative leader who served in public education in Florida for 42 years, with the last 10 of his career as superintendent of Pinellas County Schools. In 2022, Dr. Grego was responsible for a ~$1.6B budget, ~13,384 employees, and ~109,100 students.
A nationally recognized administrator, Dr. Grego was president of the 2020-2021 Florida Association of District School Superintendents and was the 2018 Florida Superintendent of the Year. Under Dr. Grego’s leadership, Pinellas County Schools earned districtwide accreditation, achieved record-high graduation rates, and successfully narrowed achievement gaps between minority students and their peers. During his tenure, Pinellas realized tremendous growth in magnet, STEM, and career education programs.
Twice during his leadership, the district earned the top score in Florida for offering the best choices for parents. Pinellas has also received national recognition for its digital curriculum, exemplary use of technology, and for preparing high school students for college, career, and life success.
Cara began her career conducting field research on the origins of modern Homo sapiens. As a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Connecticut, she discovered a passion for teaching and mentoring. She played an instrumental role in expanding the Paleoanthropology Program and created hands-on laboratory classes for both graduate and undergraduate students. Following her postgraduate work, Cara served as a science educator, advisor, and outdoor expedition leader at a Montessori middle school, which sparked her interest in Montessori education.
Cara then became the Head of School at Litchfield Montessori School, where she served for seven years. During her tenure, she stewarded the school’s commitment to providing a premier Montessori education and built an Outdoor Education program that encouraged leadership and instilled a love for the outdoors and environmental stewardship in students. As Director of Experiential Learning at the Cobb School, Cara developed an experiential learning program focused on outdoor education for elementary students.
Cara holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology from the University of Connecticut, with a concentration in Archaeology, Sedimentology, and Human Evolution. She is thrilled to join the ARK Educate team and continues to explore the great outdoors at every opportunity.
As Executive Director, Doug McIntyre oversees the operations of The ARK Education Initiative. He is the Editor-in-Chief of climate change media company ClimateCrisis247. Before that, he was CEO of the financial media company 24/7 Wall St. He was president of the online directory company Switchboard, the publicly traded video compression software company On2 Technologies, CEO of commodities trading and news company FutureSource, and Publisher of Financial World Magazine.
Doug has been on the board of several publicly traded companies–TheStreet.com, Edgar Online, Vicinity, and Comps.com. He is Chairman of the Board of The Harvard Advocate, one of the magazines run by Harvard students. McIntyre graduated magna cum laude from Harvard.
As a Lead Educator, Laura is responsible for the extended day enrichment and summer camp initiatives, including curriculum development and teacher training.
In her tenure as the K-12 STEM Specialist for the 26th largest school district in the U.S., she developed a STEM program with an eight-year impact of 1,400 educators employed, 90 program sites, 22,000 students enrolled, 30 company partnerships, and $1.3 million in funding. Laura received three Telly Awards as an educational television host on 100 segments highlighting the importance of connecting education and industry.
As an EdTech consultant, her most noteworthy consultancy experience includes the creation of an international, country-wide STEM ecosystem with ten sites, five-year-long curriculum units, and 70 hours of virtual and in-person training. In 2021, Laura was recognized for her work with equitable STEM education initiatives and was selected as an International Women's Ambassador, a role awarded to only 200 women worldwide.
As Managing Director, Caitlin oversees daily operations, strategic partnership opportunities, corporate governance, and grant and gift issuance. Caitlin also serves as the Chairman-designate of the ARK Education Initiative.
Caitlin has experience in education as a former teacher, holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology, and is currently working towards her licensure as a psychologist specializing in Child & Adolescent Development. Caitlin has prior experience serving local and national nonprofit organizations, including Junior Achievement, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Prevent Child Abuse America.
Mission
ARK Educate's mission is to educate through the lens of technologically enabled innovation, preparing and inspiring students, teachers, and families to be on the right side of change.
ARK Educate supports education by introducing high-quality problem-solving and critical thinking curricula aligned to educational standards and engaging technologically-enabled disruptive innovation. The pillars of our organization – education, mentorship, partnership, and funding span four core areas — curriculum development, teacher training, teacher and administrator support, and community and business partnerships. Our curriculum empowers students to lead their own learning using problem-first thinking to solve problems in the context of disruptive innovation in a rapidly changing world.
We situate lessons in scientific methods and principles within a series of innovation challenges that inspire collaboration, hypothesizing, and gathering data through experimenting. With a curriculum grounded in real-world relevance, students no longer ask, “What does this have to do with me?” We provide educational materials to schools and districts interested in teaching subject area content through teaching strategies that promote an innovation mindset and higher-order thinking skills. We believe all students must become lifelong learners empowered by knowledge and the ability to think critically at higher levels. We unite community leaders into common causes, helping focus educational efforts.
With the global economy undergoing the most extensive technological transformation in history, young people are in a critical position to become drivers of our changing world. This vision begins with transforming education to support an understanding of the technologically enabled disruptive innovations shaping our world. Witnessing the transformational power of innovation and offering a comprehensive approach to education from early childhood through adulthood is the most effective way of preparing for our rapidly changing world.
Vision
To build a global educational community that creates, shares, and supports curricula to prepare teachers and students to be lifelong learners and leaders of our changing world.
- Creative and consistent application of knowledge with confidence, curiosity, and tools for collaboration.
- Elevating all students’ potential as courageous learners and productive risk-takers with the courage to advocate, imagine, and invent.