Kate Fessler is the senior director of outreach for RISE Up at the NRF Foundation, where she works with organizations across the country – including high schools, workforce organizations and community colleges – to introduce and deliver the RISE Up credentials to learners preparing for first jobs and second chances in retail and beyond. Prior to joining NRF, Kate worked for UVA’s Darden School of Business, overseeing the Board of Trustees and advisory boards, and at the American Staffing Association, where she was the director of education. She also oversaw operations and coaching standards for a D.C. soccer club after playing and coaching the sport for many years. Kate has a B.A. in International Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill and an M.Ed. in Administrative Leadership from Vanderbilt University.

David Guralnick envisions a new approach to education and workplace learning. His vision integrates progressive learning theory, advanced technology, and creative, entertaining storytelling to create learning experiences that help people learn to think critically, reflect, and make thoughtful decisions. David holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, where his work synthesized concepts from the fields of computer science and artificial intelligence, instructional design, and cognitive psychology. Over the past 30 years, he has designed and evaluated a variety of simulation-based training applications, performance support systems, online courses, mobile applications, and authoring tools for corporate, non-profit, and university audiences.

David holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Northwestern University, where his work synthesized concepts from the fields of computer science/artificial intelligence, instructional design, and cognitive psychology. Over the course of his thirty years in online learning, he has designed and developed simulation-based training applications, electronic performance-support systems, and specialized authoring tools which allow non-technical people, such as writers and trainers, to build e-learning sites.