About WILL

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.

Dave Valcourt, LTG (Ret) US Army, Vice President

MA, National Security and Strategic Studies US Naval War College; MS Physical Education Springfield College, BS Engineering US Military Academy

Following a highly successful 37 year Army career leading organizations from platoon to Army Service Component level (28,000) around the globe, Dave joined WILL in 2010 to serve our nation in yet another way. A former commander of Ft Sill Oklahoma and 8th Army in Korea, and most recently assigned as the Deputy Commanding General for Army Training and Doctrine Command, he is ideally experienced and postured to lead WILL in support of future DoD/Service leader development requirements and Family programs.

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.

Skip Schwink, Writer/Director

Graduated AACC with an Associates Degree in Mass Communications/Media Production with a Certification in Photography.

Spent over ten years in Los Angeles working under directors such as F. Gary Gray The Italian Job), Tim Story (Fantastic 4), and McG (Terminator Salvation) to name a few. Skip is a former music video director who has worked with Van Halen, P. Diddy, Korn, DMX, R. Kelly and many more.

Skip's writing has sparked the interest of several Los Angeles based production companies where he has sold one screenplay and another has been optioned.

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.

John Williamson, Writer

B.S., Civil Engineering USMA at West Point. M.A. in History, University of Texas at Austin

John is a U.S. Army Infantry veteran who now specializes in learning research, development of operational concepts, and training design and development. John has written and/or contributed to the development of more than twelve VEILS(TM) programs since 2002, including U.S. Army leadership development products such as Gator 6, The Leader, A Day in the BAM, Outside the Wire, and Danger Close; security and force protection products, such as Antiterrorism/Force Protection Level III and Pentagon Force Protection Agency; and ethics development products, such as High Ground and True Faith and Allegiance.

Matthew Bowerman, Writer

B.A. Acting, M.A. In Education and Leadership, PhD (2011) Educational Leadership

Matthew is a published writer in several genres and has earned both Emmy Awards and CINE Golden Eagle Film Awards for his writing and directing of educational materials. Matthew has worked for thirteen years in both public education and at the college level, while also performing as an Equity actor/singer/dancer Off-Broadway, nationally and internationally. He is the recipient of a 2010 GT Educator as Leader Award from the Maryland State Department of Education.

Adam Silver, Writer/Director

MFA Film, Columbia University. BA Psychology, Yale University

Adam is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker who has collaborated with Will since 2006. He has ten years of experience in the film industry as a Writer, Director and Cinematographer. His recent credits include the feature films Below the Beltway (Showtime), The Seven Adventures of Sinbad (Syfy Channel), Ladron que Roba a Ladron (Lionsgate) and Year of the Fish (Sundance Film Festival).

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, Casting Director

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, Producer

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.

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.

Chad Moone, Team Leader

B.A., Wittenberg University

Chad has been on the WILL team since 2005, 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, 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 a 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.