Management

• Marty Siegel : Founder and Chairman
• Craig Wortmann : President and CEO.
• Brian Bothwell : Vice President of Systems and Development.
• Michael Shermis : Vice President of Client Services/Senior Producer.

 

Marty Siegel founded and grew WisdomTools out of Indiana University's Center for Excellence in Education. Marty is among a group of pioneers in computer-based training and education, beginning with his groundbreaking research in the 1970's on the PLATO system.

Marty holds three degrees, including a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Illinois. At Illinois, he was a professor in the Departments of Information Science and Educational Psychology. Additionally, he was the Assistant Director of the Computer-based Education Research Laboratory (CERL) and Head of CERL's Curriculum and Applications Group. Between 1990 and 1991, he served as Director of Professional Services at Authorware (now Macromedia Inc.). In 1988, he was Microsoft's first Faculty Fellow. Marty's book, Understanding Computer-Based Education (Random House, 1986), provided a vision that foreshadowed distributed web-based learning 15 years later.

Marty leads software and new product development, and serves as the company's visionary for learning through technology.

CEO and President Craig Wortmann leads the strategic sales and marketing process, oversees the client service and delight process, and directs the day-to-day operations of WisdomTools.

Craig's eyes were opened to the value and potential of learning while developing and delivering executive coaching and management training. "Seeing the faces looking back at me, they were wondering what they would get from spending two or three days with me. Helping people learn something new that would increase their likelihood of success was very challenging but also hugely rewarding."

Craig entered the work force as a dump truck driver. Since then, he has amassed a mountain of strategic marketing and sales experience at companies including IBM and Forum, the nation's sixth largest training company. At Forum, he was responsible for managing and coordinating strategic partnerships to deliver high-impact training solutions. An alum of Kellogg Graduate School of Business, Craig has focused heavily on learning technology and performance improvement. Craig is with WisdomTools for the long haul.

Vice President of Sales and Marketing Lisa Schumacher takes the lead in building client partnerships that are long-lasting and creating marketing campaigns that are memorable. Good thing she joined a company dedicated to story-based teaching: Lisa now knows for sure that relationships, campaigns, and even life itself are about creating experiences that result in powerful stories from which we can learn.

Lisa has been hooked on learning, at least since third grade when she had to enclose her prediction of her future career in a sealed envelope, not to be opened for ten years. She chose "teacher."

Lisa has advised global learning organizations on implementing successful learning strategies, whether through traditional, web-based or blended means. Prior to WisdomTools, Lisa held strategic sales and marketing roles at The Forum Corporation, a training consultancy within Pearson Education, and Thomson Learning, a leading media, educational publishing and information provider.

Lisa holds a Masters Magna Cum Laude in Communication and a Bachelors in Journalism from Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University.

Vice President of Systems and Development Brian Bothwell (aka "beb") serves as technical lead and consultant on most WisdomTools projects, in addition to managing the software development and IS teams.

Brian has been with WisdomTools for since its early days as a R&D group at Indiana University's Center for Excellence in Education (CEE). He has a wide range of technical skills, including systems/network administration, programming, consulting, troubleshooting, and systems design.

Brian has had a strong interest in learning and technology since he was very young, and credits PBS shows like Nova in sparking his curiosity in science and computers. His first computer was a Commodore VIC-20 back in 1980, soon followed by the Commodore-64. He ran his own BBS back in the mid-1980's out of his basement bedroom in Eagle, Idaho.

Brian holds an M.S. in Computer Science from Indiana University, and a B.S. from The Evergreen State College (Olympia, Washington). His studies included cognitive science, philosophy of mind, neurobiology, artificial intelligence, robotics and photography.

Michael provides the expertise to develop credible, compelling Scenario-based learning for clients. Michael has led many projects for clients, including several for the IBM global marketing organization, for professional and financial services organizations, and has developed a highly publicized Scenario for diversity training entitled A Community Response to Hate.

From 1993-2000, Michael was the editor, writer, and Internet Resource Administrator for all phases of online publications in the Office of Research at Indiana University. He was also the Editor of the university-wide magazine, Research and Creative Activity.

Michael holds a B.A. in Sociology and Philosophy from Purdue University and an M.A. in Religious Studies from Indiana University.

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