Congratulations to the 19 districts and six Information Technology Centers selected to join the Proving Ground network of districts that will work together to address common challenges faced by rural schools: chronic absenteeism, college readiness, and college enrollment.
Having facilitated the communication, coordination, and collaboration on this project with the National Center for Rural Education Research Networks (NCRERN) for the last two years, we understand the time, effort, and investment you committed to make it a success for Ohio’s students.
Opportunities like this require a network of dedicated educational technology professionals to make the project a success. Ohio’s districts depend on their Information Technology Centers (ITCs) to gather data to make informed decisions. To help facilitate the data management, the Management Council is writing the code and purchasing the software, Jitterbit, to manipulate the data into a useful resource. Because the selection process included a monetary commitment from the district, ITCs and the Management Council participate in the data collection and facilitation at no cost to districts which helps alleviate the financial burden on local schools.
We at the Management Council are committed to the success of Ohio’s PreK-12 students and are proud to do our part to help improve chronic absenteeism, college readiness, and college enrollment in rural education. Again, congratulations to the school districts and ITCs participating in this monumental project:
Districts
Ansonia Local School District; Bethel-Tate Local School District; Black River Local School District; Caldwell Exempted Village School District; Cardington-Lincoln Local School District; Clear Fork Valley Local School District; Clermont Northeastern Local School District; Crooksville Exempted Village School District; East Guernsey Local School District; Edison Local School District; Franklin Local School District; Goshen Local School District; Licking Heights Local School District; New London Local School District; North Union Local School District; Northwest Local School District (Scioto County); Ridgewood Local School District; Scioto Valley Local School District; Western Local School District.
Information Technology Centers
HCC; LACA; META; NEONET; OMERESA; TCCSA
Chad Carson, a 1994 graduate of Ohio University Athens in computer science, has spent the last twenty-nine years serving the Ohio Education Computer Network. Chad began his career at the LACA ITC in 1994, immediately after college. Originally hired to support Student Services, Chad advanced to systems manager, then served as LACA’s director of technology from 2001-2017. Chad was the executive director of LACA for four years prior to joining the MCOECN in the fall of 2021 as the manager of the MCOECN Data Center Operations team. In his current role, Chad is primarily responsible for the overall operation of the MCOECN server, network, and storage infrastructure, and continuously focuses his technical skills on enhancing, optimizing, and improving delivery of hosted services to MCOECN’s customers.
Joe spent 29 years in public education as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent. He started his career in Grove City, Pennsylvania as a teacher and coach and finished in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania in the superintendent role. During his time as an administrator, Joe was focused on innovative ways to deliver instruction, both in the classroom and through technology. He led Ellwood City in their 1:1 laptop adoption for students and changing instruction to both direct instruction and using Google Classroom as a learning management system. He also was integral in bringing a 3-12 STEM program to the district.
Geoff has served as CEO of the Management Council since 2015, leading the mission and strategic plan for the Council and growing the organization that connects, optimizes, secures and empowers academic and administrative systems that support every learner, teacher and leader in Ohio. He is responsible for the array of work done by the Management Council on behalf of the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio’s 18 Information Technology Centers.
Jessica began her career in higher education working for the Art Institute of Ohio – Cincinnati, Kaplan College, and the Everest Institute before discovering that the public sector was her passion. She left the realm of higher education to pursue a non-profit career with the Griffith Foundation before securing a position with the Ohio Educational Service Center Association as Program Manager for Membership & Special projects.
Melissa began her career as a district technology coordinator and computer application/business teacher and during that time was fortunate to develop a wonderful relationship with her district’s Information Technology Center (ITC). While at the district, she led the implementation of OhioSchoolNet and Raising the Bar technology initiatives. In the mid 2010s, she transitioned from the district to an ITC, which introduced her to the Management Council and many of the programs that they support state-wide.
Erica came to INFOhio in the early 2010s with more than 10 years’ experience, including as an early childhood teacher and elementary music teacher. Prior to her role as an INFOhio ILibrarian, now known as Instructional Specialist, she worked for two collegiate universities, one as the Humanities Librarian and the other as Library Director. In her role with INFOhio, Erica evaluated and selected digital tools and resources aligned with Ohio Learning Standards, and supported integration of those tools and resources into classroom instruction. She also collected, analyzed, and shared INFOhio usage data to inform instructional design, and wrote for INFOhio’s social media, blog, and news. She earned a BA in English and Music and a Master of Humanities from Wright State University, and a Master of Library Science from Indiana University.
Matt Calmes serves as the Director of State Software Development. Matt has been with the State Software Development Team since the early 2000s. In his current role, he leads and manages the teams that develop and support the various products in the SSDT’s portfolio. He has a passion for technology and solving hard problems that provide benefit to Ohio’s educational community and the students they serve. 
Greg Buddelmeyer serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the Management Council. He joined the Management Council staff in the mid 2010s. Greg began his career with the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office as an Assistant Auditor, working on audits of Ohio government entities. In the early 1990s, he accepted his first school district treasurer position with Liberty-Benton Local School District. He also spent time as the school treasurer for Defiance City School District and Shawnee Local School District. He eventually moved to The University of Findlay as the Financial Director for Projects and Grants, overseeing the financial operations of The All Hazards Training Center and university grant programs.
As Director of Customer Services and Support, Bill Young is the chief evangelist for excellent customer experiences across the Ohio Education Computer Network (OECN). Bill manages customer support teams that are dedicated to delivering timely and knowledgeable support for major K-12 programs and applications used by teachers and leaders across Ohio. Teams deliver support via a live-chat, a statewide call center, email, and responsive self-help web sites.
Scott Gaughan serves as the Director of Network Services. He currently focuses on network related initiatives, information security, video conferencing, and collaborative purchasing agreements. He joined the Management Council in the early 2010s after spending 30 years in state government, including Ohio DAS/OIT, Ohio SchoolNet and eTech Ohio. 
Ryan has committed his career to serving the K12 education community in Ohio. Starting out in serving INFOhio at a regional Information Technology Center in the 1990s, he quickly adapted to the changing needs of the ITC and became their lead systems administrator. When given the opportunity in the mid 2000s, he came to the Management Council to initiate the first disaster recovery services. Since then and through leading many diverse initiatives, Ryan has developed into a talented technologist who focuses on aligning technology needs and educational outcomes.