Testimonials

At Eduventures, we believe our people are our greatest asset. We encourage you to learn about the experiences of some of our employees across a variety of departments. We hope you will get a sense of their various backgrounds, the opportunities that attracted them to the company, and the different aspects of working at Eduventures that they most enjoy.

• Noah M. Carp, Director, Finance
• Kristen E. Holmstrand, Director, IT
• Lisa Klett, Director, Marketing
• Imran Oomer, Consultant

Employee Name: Noah M. Carp
Title: Director, Finance
Department: FOW (Finance, Operations, and Web Site)
Started: August 2006

I earned my M.B.A. from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College and did my undergraduate studies at Brandeis University, where I majored in economics and politics and graduated with honors. Before joining Eduventures, I managed the Customer Research group at an information technology company. In this role, I was part of the Strategic Research Group’s management team and was responsible for developing customer- and partner-facing research programs to drive corporate strategy. Prior to returning to school for my M.B.A., I served in several leadership roles within the development organization of a university.

Eduventures has allowed me to marry my passion for higher education and love of analysis in an entrepreneurial and collegial environment. When I first joined Eduventures, I worked as a senior analyst in the Industry Solutions division, covering postsecondary education to support vendor clients’ market strategies. Leveraging both my knowledge of the postsecondary education arena and my technology industry experience as a purchaser of research, I was able to draw on my unique 3600 perspective. Following Eduventures’ sale of the Industry Solutions group, I had the amazing learning opportunity to be a part of the team that managed the group’s integration into the acquiring company.

Currently serving as Director, Finance, I enjoy managing a team that takes tremendous pride in the services that we provide to employees and in the analysis and reporting that we develop for groups such as senior management and the Board of Directors. I look forward to new occasions to forge bonds across the company and to help people understand the financial metrics driving decision-making. It is the ongoing opportunities to grow both professionally and personally, as well as the environment filled with smart, energetic, and collaborative individuals, that make Eduventures a tremendously enriching and exciting place to work.

Although each day introduces memorable moments, what stands out most to me is Eduventures’ commitment to education. Spending time reading to preschoolers as part of the JumpStart program has been a rewarding way, year after year, to help these youngsters equip themselves with the skills for successful education. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving alongside my colleagues and seeing them passionately read stories such as Corduroy and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Moments like these make me proud of the corporate culture and values that Eduventures lives every day.

Employee Name: Kristen E. Holmstrand
Title: Director, IT
Department: FOW (Finance, Operations, and Web Site)
Started: December 1999

I am a magna cum laude graduate of Wellesley College, where I majored in religion (with a focus on the religions of India). Most of my work experience before Eduventures was in publishing, where I held positions in editorial, marketing, and Web development. I was referred to Eduventures by a good friend who was also an employee of the company. I was attracted to the excitement and enthusiasm that everyone I interviewed with had for Eduventures and its future. I wanted to be a part of a young, dynamic, exciting company that had loads of potential and a powerful mission of improving education.

My role here at Eduventures has changed dramatically since joining the company in 1999 as a Web site manager, and has allowed me to be a part of three very different functions: IT, our Web site, and editing. My job requires drawing on my varied skills and interests, and has evolved to take advantage of my professional background. I focus on how best to deliver these services to the rest of the company and on how our IT and Web site teams can support Eduventures’ continued growth and success.

I admire and respect my colleagues at Eduventures – on the teams I manage, in my department, and at the company overall. Everyone is extremely intelligent, talented, and passionate about what they do, but also very fun and friendly. One of my favorite memories is from a few years ago, when during a very stressful and busy time, the entire company went out for dinner and drinks to unwind and relax. It gave us a chance to be silly and have a whole lot of fun, to connect with each other in new ways outside of the office, and to reinforce the sense of family that Eduventures generates. I also greatly enjoy our summer community service projects, where we’ve gone as a company to several Boston preschools to paint classrooms, organize libraries, and make literacy kits for children.

Employee Name: Lisa Klett
Title: Director, Marketing
Department: Strategy and Marketing
Started: April 2002

I graduated magna cum laude from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in recreation management and policy and a minor in education. I began my career as a physical education and health teacher, but eventually decided that I wanted a change, so I began looking for other education-related positions and came across Eduventures. I was concerned that a business environment would be too much of a change for an educator like me, but once I met the people at Eduventures, all of my hesitations vanished.

That was years ago. During my time at Eduventures, I have been part of many exciting changes, and I am proud of the work that we have done with colleges and universities. The company has been fortunate to experience growth and success and, as a result, so have its employees. Innovation, teamwork, and commitment to clients are valued and encouraged, and those that work to improve these areas are offered incredible opportunities to grow. At Eduventures, more responsibility is given to those who ask for it and, each day, we're not only able to learn new things, but also challenged by the work we do. Employees are encouraged to set and achieve personal and professional goals, and the company supports their efforts by offering tremendous flexibility in work-life balance, allowing staff to work from home, pursue higher education, use flex-time, etc. A few years ago, I enrolled in an M.B.A. program at Suffolk University part-time, and my team – from senior management down – supported the decision and helped to balance my work load so that I could spend enough time on my studies. I graduated in 2007.

At Eduventures, I am among bright, talented colleagues who often double as friends. The company encourages close relationships by creating a culture of openness and respect. It sponsors activities that bring employees together for reasons other than work: sports teams in organized athletic leagues (softball, soccer, etc.); events like bingo, mini-golf, and office Olympics during office hours; and volunteer opportunities throughout the community. This is so important to me and the aspect of the job that I value most highly. My experience at Eduventures reminds me of the close-knit relationships I developed in K-12 school systems: everyone has banded together for a common and worthy cause – improving education.

Employee Name: Imran Oomer
Title: Consultant
Department: Eduventures Consulting Services
Started: April 2008

I earned my undergraduate degree in psychology from Northwestern University, where I spent four years tutoring in, and eventually leading, an enrichment program for the Chicago Public School System. I also worked as an analyst at a global market research firm before joining Eduventures in 2008. While my academic pursuits and professional experience were critical in teaching me how to think, how to problem solve, and how to be analytical, my experience in the schools taught me how to be a good listener and an effective leader.

The education industry is at a fascinating point in history where competition is fierce, but so is collaboration. Schools across the globe are looking to differentiate and make a brand for themselves, while simultaneously looking for partners to engage with. I chose to work at Eduventures because I saw value and opportunity in the company’s core business to provide institutions with a combination of collaborative and strategic advisory services to guide them through an increasingly competitive and challenging environment. We work not only with institutions across several continents, but also with technology partners, enrollment partners, and investment partners. And, with our collective knowledge and experience, we help steer each of these ships in strategic and sustainable directions.

The best part of my job is being surrounded with colleagues who are all driven and personally and professionally dedicated to improving practices in education. Being at a mission-driven company is like none other; you connect with those around you on your values and you really feel like you are part of a team looking out for the greater good of the clients you serve. Our network here is invaluable to the research and consulting we do for our clients. People at Eduventures come from careers as analysts, entrepreneurs, financial advisors, publishers, and professors, and our ability to provide best-in-class service is dependent on working and problem-solving together.

My best moments at Eduventures are the "Ah ha!" moments that happen when I'm in a conference room with my director and fellow researchers, and we are neck-deep in research trying to solve a client problem. Once the whiteboard gets filled up and is nearly illegible, the ideas pop out, and it’s a great feeling. Every time we are able to bring new light to a challenging client problem, it’s rewarding.