Leadership

Anne Keenan is the CMO at Merit America, working with an amazing team that runs communications, marketing, recruitment, and admissions for the organization. Anne is a strategist with non-profit, foundation, and agency experience coming to Merit America from the Draper Richards Kaplan (DRK) Foundation where she supported portfolio organizations in developing organizational, growth, and digital…

In her role as Chief People and Planning Officer, Crystal oversees the strategy and implementation of Merit America’s core programs, processes, and systems dedicated to our most important asset: our people. Prior to Merit America, Crystal served as the Chief of Staff for Achievement First. At Achievement First, Crystal was responsible for the talent, culture,…

Connor works alongside his former colleague Rebecca Taber Staehelin as Co-CEO of Merit America. Prior to Merit America, Connor co-founded and led Philanthropy U, the world’s largest trainer of working adults in the social sector, and led Coursera’s strategy and business line focused on partnering with employers as hiring partners, content producers, and B2B customers.…

Emad Ansari is Legal Counsel for Merit America. He comes to the work after stints in legal academia, corporate practice, human rights reporting, and full-time parenting. Emad received his JD, Master of Public Policy, and undergraduate education at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Emad grew up in Pakistan and now runs a community-based law…

Jen is off her head with joy about working to advance Merit America’s mission! Jen is the former head of product for Google Docs, Coursera for Business, Apigee Edge, Education.com and more. Jen began her career at Intuit, where she spent a decade learning marketing and product management fundamentals. She left Intuit to join the…

Lal is the Chief Financial Officer at Merit America. Lal joins Merit after serving as the Chief Operating Officer with The Oakland REACH, a parent advocacy organization that works to ensure that families in Oakland and beyond have access to a high-quality education for their children. Lal began his career as a consultant with Bain…

Leila is Merit America’s Chief Business Officer. She is responsible for the organization’s revenue generation and ensuring learner placement. She has nearly two decades of social entrepreneurship experience tackling inequity with scalable technologies and real humans. Prior to Merit America, Leila was the Vice President of Enterprise at Philanthropy U (PhilU), the world’s largest trainer…

Rebecca has spent the past decade focusing on education-for-employment across the private, public and social sectors. She began her professional career as a management consultant with McKinsey, where she advised a range of government agencies and education institutions. Following an engagement with the State of Delaware, she became Chief Performance Officer at the Delaware Department…

Ryan is passionate about providing opportunities to improve people’s lives through education and training. Originally from a small town in New Hampshire, Ryan has traveled the globe leading a variety of programs in the nonprofit, higher education, and private sectors. With diverse experiences ranging from managing summer camps for at-risk youth to designing training programs…

Tonya Logan is the Director for the People Ops team with overall responsibility for scaling and operationalizing programs that empower employees to reach their growth goals. She is a self-described servant leader, motivated by helping others maximize their potential. Tonya firmly believes “people” are the most valuable asset in every business and measures her success…