H. Ogden Morse III (Chief Executive) has been creating award-winning educational software for the past decade. A graduate of Dartmouth College (B.A., English) and a practicing English teacher at Falmouth (Maine) High School, Ogden is also the former Founder/President/CEO of Lyceum Communications, where he was responsible for the development of Get A Clue^®, the Web-based vocabulary program that was named one of the top four educational software programs in the U.S. in 2000. He conceived of Literary Companion with his father, inspired by the nearly universal challenge of teaching Shakespeare to high-school students. Today, both men share responsibility for all academic content -- and every aspect of the program has been informed by his first-hand experiences in the classroom.
(omorse3@academicmerit.com)

Timothy P. Brooks (Director, Information & Technology) has drawn heavily upon his vast experience in helping variety of organizations formulate their Web strategy and design to bring Literary Companion to fruition. A graduate of Colgate University (B.A., Political Science) and the University of North Carolina School of Law (J.D.), Tim practiced law for six years before shifting careers and moving into the emerging field of Web-based services in 1995. The Morses approached him in 2003 with their early concept for Literary Companion. Since then, with responsibility for all programming and information architecture, he has worked steadily to translate their academic content into features and functionality that help make LC one of the most sophisticated and intuitive online tools available to schools today.
(tbrooks@academicmerit.com)

H. Ogden Morse, Jr. (Academic Director) has dedicated the entirety of his career to teaching and the pursuit of excellence in the English classroom. A graduate of Dartmouth College (B.A., English) and Yale University (M.A.T), Ogden spent 38 years as an English teacher and department chair at Joel Barlow High School in Redding, CT. Since then, he has consulted with The College Board and schools around the country about the implementation of effective critical-thinking strategies. As co-creator (with his son) of Get A Clue and Literary Companion, he has applied both his teaching experience and expertise in critical thinking to develop content that engages students while being anchored in a well-defined pedagogy.
(omorse2@academicmerit.com)

Susan Larocque (Creative Director) is a designer and teacher who enjoys the benefits, and challenges, of keeping one foot planted firmly in each world. A graduate of Simmons College (B.A., Graphic Design), Sue worked as a graphic designer in a number of award-winning studios in the Boston area prior to forming her own firm, Suladesign, in 1995. On the education side, she spent eight years as a lecturer in graphic design at Simmons before becoming a high-school art teacher. She is responsible for the Literary Companion logo, and shares responsibilities with Tim on all other issues related to the program's visual presentation.
(slarocque@academicmerit.com)

Deborah D. Barrows (Director of Sales) brings a great deal of experience in educational technology—in and out of the classroom—to her work at AcademicMerit. She has worked as a K-8 Special Educator, K-5 Technology Specialist, Regional Coordinator in Maine for Project SEED (a Federal Innovative Challenge Grant), a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Internet Trainer for Administrators, National Semiconductor's Global Connections Trainer, and creator of Training Modules for the Maine Learning Technology Initiative's seventh- and eighth-grade one-to-one iBook Laptop Program. A graduate of the University of Farmington (B.A., Special Ed. and Regular Ed.) and the University of Southern Maine (M. Ed. in Special Education and Technology Leadership), she has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants. Deb's passion for the power of educational technology, fueled by her belief in its power to change the lives of children and young adults, is evident as she seeks to introduce schools nationwide to AcademicMerit's products.
(dbarrows@academicmerit.com)

Linda G. Roberts (Director & Strategic Advisor) brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the company. She directed the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology from its inception in September 1993 to January 2001, and served as the Secretary of Education's Senior Adviser on Technology. While Project Director and Senior Associate at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, Linda led three landmark technology studies: Power On! New Tools for Teaching and Learning; Linking for Learning: A New Course for Education; and Adult Literacy and Technology: Tools for a Lifetime. In addition to her work with AcademicMerit, she advises numerous other educational technology companies, serves on the Steering Committee for the NAEP Tech Literacy assessment, is a Senior Adviser to the SRI International Team developing a new National Ed Tech Plan for the Obama Administration, and is a member of the PCAST STEM Education Working Group. Linda is a former elementary classroom and reading teacher and reading coordinator, as well as university professor and academic dean.