Leadership Team
Sharon Sloane, President and Chief Executive Officer
BS in Education, MA in Counseling
Sharon created and patented the Interactive Behavior Modification System upon which WILL's Virtual Experience Immersive Learning Simulations are built. She is a pioneer and leader in the educational software and serious games industry with over 25 years experience producing cutting edge instructional programs. Sharon is frequently called upon by major organizations to address issues of national importance and received the 2009 Women in Film and Video, "Women of Vision Award" for her contributions as a technical innovator, educator and savvy business owner.
Lyn McCall, Chief Operating Officer
MA in Human Resources Management, MA in National Security & Strategic Studies, MA in International Relations
Previous positions include program manager, marketing director, group director, and vice president. Lyn was a Harvard Senior Executive Fellow and was trained in Competitive Positioning through Quality by Dr. Deming. A 26-year U.S. Marine, he was an infantryman and pilot. He was decorated for heroism and heroic actions in Vietnam three times. Lyn had eight years of command time and was repeatedly recognized for inspirational leadership and distinguished service. He has 15 years in computer modeling and simulation.
Jeff Hall, Chief Creative Officer
BA Radio, Television & Film, MA Writing for Mass Media
A pioneer in the development of interactive storytelling for education and training. Jeff shares the interactive behavior modification system patent with Sharon Sloane upon which all of WILL's products are built. He has written and directed over 20 feature-length interactive movies and managed WILL's simulation development team for 15 years.
Dave Versaw, CFO/Director of Business Development
BS in Business Administration and Finance
Dave spent 8 years in Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co., including six as Vice President, Investment Banking where he led or assisted in completing transactions with an aggregate value of over $6 Billion. He is accomplished in comprehensive pre-transaction and pro forma financial modeling, and preparing and delivering strategic advisory presentations.
Matt McCall
BS in in Business Administration, Pfeiffer University
Previously was a United States Marine and Goverment Contractor focused on cross cultural communication and carrying out U.S. Foreign Policy abroad.
Writing Team
Chris Stezin, Senior Writer/Product Development Manager
B.A. in English, Clemson University
Chris has written and/or contributed to the development of nearly twenty VEILS™ programs since 2005, including Beyond the Front (suicide prevention, U.S. Army), Generation Rx (prescription drug abuse prevention for adolescents) and Liberty Call (Sailor development, U.S. Navy). Chris is a professionally produced playwright in the Washington, D.C. area and associate artistic director of award-winning Charter Theater.
Malcolm Pelles, Writer
B.F.A., Florida State University and M.F.A., New York University Tisch School of the Arts
Malcolm is a filmmaker and playwright. He has taught both screenwriting and video game design at the university level.
Amber Jackson, Writer
B.A., Gardner-Webb University and M.F.A., Baylor University
Amber has worked in both film and theatre as a writer, director and actor. She is co-founder of a small non-profit theatre in Dallas, TX where she has worked in script development and served as a director, designer, and producer. She first joined WILL Interactive in 2009 in Fort Hood, TX as a production manager for the company’s first live, interactive show about suicide prevention.
Production Team
Karen Palting, Production Manager
B.A., Boston College - Major: Communication, Minor: Film Studies
Karen is the Production Manager at WILL Interactive and supervises all aspects of the production process from beginning to end. She has 14 years management and production experience in film, network, cable and public television and was accepted into the highly competitive Directors Guild of America (DGA) film union in 2005. Her previous credits include: "Collateral" (feature), "Las Vegas," "Navy N.C.I.S.," "West Wing," "Six Feet Under," “Star Trek: Enterprise,” “7th Heaven,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” “Boomtown,” and programs for E! Entertainment Television's Style Network in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.-based MHz Networks.
Vallery Linn, Producer
B.A. in Mass Communication, James Madison University
Vallery has almost 10 years of experience in television and film production. She worked in public television, earning 2 Capitol Region Emmys, transitioned to PBS's The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, then to CBS in Savannah, GA, and came back to DC where she worked as an actor for several years. Vallery has been with WILL Interactive for 2 years, on the producing team for 8 WILL films, and most recently produced a project for the Army's Warrior Transition Units entitled "The Mission to Heal."
Lee Liebeskind, Production Assistant
B.S., Towson University
Lee has over 10 years in theatrical management, creation and performance. He has served as the company manager for Company 13 (also a founding member), company manager of The Inkwell (also a founding member), and general manager and executive director of the Southern Appalachian Historical Association. Lee has been at WILL for a year and associate produced 7 films as well as serving as an apprentice editor.
Erika O'Bar, Production Assistant
Erika O’Bar began her career in front of the camera, as an actor for TV, Film, Commercials and Radio in Atlanta, GA and Oklahoma City, OK. Her intro to production was as a SFX Makeup Artist, which then transitioned to Commercial Makeup and Assistant Directing and Producing. She began working with WILL in January of ’09 as Associate Producer, and relocated to DC in March.
Post-Production Team
Grady Weatherford, Director of Post Production
B.A. in Theatre Performance, University of Maryland
Grady Weatherford has spent over a decade editing, directing, producing, casting, and acting at WILL Interactive. He began acting professionally at the age of 10, appearing in commercials for the likes of McDonald's, Hardee's, Water Country USA, and many small market furniture companies. He is currently a company member of Rorschach Theatre in Washington, DC (who's Board of Directors he also served on for 5 years.) He is member of Actors Equity and the Screen Actor's Guild, and is a recipient of the Helen Hayes Award for his performance in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui in 2006.
Jonathon Church, Editor
B.F.A. Performing Arts, Longwood College
Jonathon previously worked for such companies as Total Resource Management(TRM), Computer Sciences Corporation(CSC) and Shenandoah Shakespeare Express(SSE). He has more than 10 years experience programming, database designing, and editing educational software for clients as varied as the US Navy and the NFL. In his spare time he acts on stage and screen and relaxes with his wife and newborn twins in Takoma Park, MD.
Mark Anduss, Editor
B.S. in Audio Technology, American University
Mark has edited numerous short form documentaries and formerly served as a Video Specialist for the State Department and Georgetown University. He is Apple Certified in Final Cut Pro and has taught program specific masterclasses in video editing and sound design at Georgetown University, George Mason University and the University of Mary Washington. He has designed sound and composed music for over 100 theatrical productions and received the 2003 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Sound Design.
Software and Design Team
Chad Moone, Team Leader
B.A., Wittenberg University
Chad has been on the WILL team since 2004, and has been directly involved in the development of over 20 VEILS® programs and several websites and applications. He has spearheaded the development of WILL's new suite of internal development tools, and continues to look for ways to drive WILL and the VEILS medium further. Chad has over 10 years of experience in designing and developing software and user interfaces, mainly focusing on web technologies. He is also an accomplished video editor and sound designer, and has worked in several other aspects of product development, including screenwriting, directing, & film crew.
Caroline Horn, Graphic Designer
B.F.A. Visual Media, Rochester Institute of Technology
Caroline has been the sole graphic artist for WILL Interactive since February of '07. In those years, she has contributed to many VEILS® projects in several capacities, including Action Script Development and Graphic Design. Her experience also includes, but is not limited to, website design and development, Flex application design and development, flash animation, and still photography. Prior to employment at WILL Interactive, Caroline has several years of experience in practical application of photography, graphic design, print media, web development and time-based design.
Panupan Sriautharawong, Developer
BS in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, College Park
Panupan Sriautharawong joined WILL Interactive in 2007 and has helped develop the next generation of WILL products. He takes part in developing WILL's Campus which will bring WILL's interactive experience online to a worldwide audience. His skill set includes knowledge in Actionscript 3, Flash Builder, PureMVC, PHP, Zend Studio, Zend Framework, MYSQL, Javascript, Jquery, CSS, JSON, XML, HTML, Subversion, and Server Administration.
Dillon Lucente, Developer
BS in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh
After graduating from college, Dillon pursued a lifelong dream by living in Japan for two years, teaching English at the Junior and Senior High School levels. He also spent some time teaching basic computer skills at Westmoreland County Community College. After a year at WILL Interactive, Dillon is looking forward to more great experiences being a part of the WILL team.