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ManagementKnowland Corporate Leadership
Our ManagersMichael McKean, CEO, New Product Development
David McKean, Client Relations
Jeff Haslow, Finance
Bill Cushard, Training and Development
Gina Rager, Human Resources
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Michael K McKean, CEO, New Product Development Michael's bio
Michael McKean founded the Knowland Group in 2004. He is directly responsible for the company's strategic planning, operations management and product development. His background in designing and implementing enterprise sized information systems has given him a wealth of knowledge that has served him well as the lead visionary behind the Knowland Group.
From 1995-2005, Michael gained exposure to a variety of business processes, working environments and corporate cultures through his work in the field of information systems. During this time he was employed as a software engineer, systems architect and project manager on a number of projects. These engagements required a deep understanding of how a variety of businesses conducted everything from market research to global securities trading to call center operations.
Michael graduated from the University of Colorado and has taken graduate level courses in information systems. He is an active member in the Washington, DC chapter of the Entrepreneur's Organization and on the advisory board of the Wicomico County Convention and Visitor's Bureau. He is an avid skier and voracious reader. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, Melanie and Thomas.
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David McKean, Client Relations David's bio
David McKean has over 20 years experience in high level business development. Encompassing media, software, and now the global hospitality industry, he has specialized in large volume direct sales in a business to business environment. His business development tenure started upon completion of his graduate studies as one of the first hires at the Bethesda Maryland based Discovery Channel. There he quickly rose to work on international sales and marketing projects, particularly in support of the company’s networks in German speaking territories.
Following his tenure at the Discovery Channel he worked for a start up German / American production company in a similar capacity to his days at Discovery, selling large dollar volume accounts in the international, primarily European, market. In 2003, David transferred to Knowland’s parent company, now called Knowland Group Holding, where he continued working on large volume sales until the launch of the Knowland Group in 2004.
David lives in Northern Virginia with his wife Jane and their two children. There he divides his time between his passion for the work of business development and his love for coaching his son’s lacrosse team and cheering his daughter’s soccer team. David has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado and a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics.
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Jeff Haslow, Finance Jeff's bio
Jeff Haslow has over 20 years of financial experience at start-up and high-growth companies. In 1987, Jeff received a bachelor's degree in Business and Biology from Adrian College where he received the Wall Street Journal award for being one of the nation's top business graduates. In 1988 he received an MBA from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh where he was awarded the Sisterston Award for being the top finance and accounting graduate. He is a CPA and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Delaware Society of CPAs.
Jeff was the Vice President of Human Resources, Administration & Finance when five technology companies simultaneously merged to form eMotion, Inc. in 2000. eMotion was a pioneer in the digital media management field and grew to include Coors International, The Discovery Channel, ExxonMobile, McDonalds and ABC Television as its clients. eMotion, Inc. was ranked 284 on the 2000 Deloitte and Touche Technology Fast 500 and was subsequently acquired by Corbis. The technology is now part of the Artesia-Open text Digital Media Group.
Jeff performs with local arts organizations, writes a magazine column and volunteers in his spare time.
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Bill Cushard, Training and Development Bill's bio
Bill Cushard is not a typical learning leader. Rather, he is a revenue-accelerating, brand evangelist, and customer satisfaction specialist who just happens to be a training and performance improvement professional. Bill has always believed that employee performance and the customer experience are critical drivers of revenue and profit.
With over 12 years experience in training and performance improvement at well-known companies like E*TRADE Financial, Accenture, and Time Warner Cable, Bill has spent most of his career developing and delivering training programs that have directly produced positive impacts on employee performance, quality, and customer satisfaction. As Director of Learning and Development at E*TRADE Financial, Bill was responsible for leading and implementing training programs for an audience of nearly 2,000 financial services professionals.
From 2006 to 2007, Bill’s training initiatives targeted employee knowledge and customer service skills with the goal of improving overall customer satisfaction. During that period, E*TRADE customers stated that their satisfaction with employee knowledge improved 31% and internal quality measures improved by 25%.
Bill has a bachelor’s degree in international business from the University of Denver, a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University, and he is currently working on his PhD in Education specializing in training & performance improvement.
Bill enjoys skiing, fly-fishing, running, and playing monopoly at the dinner table with his wife, Kim, and children, Aaron and Elizabeth.
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Gina Rager, Human Resources Gina's bio
Gina Rager has had a desire to work in human resources management and the hospitality industry for as long as she can remember. She has extensive schooling and background in both areas. From dining room management and wedding planning at full service hotels to human resource management and recruiting at large organizations, she is uniquely qualified her for her role as the Knowland director of human resources. She attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she earned her bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, with a concentration in Business Management, and graduated with honors. While earning her degree Gina was a student member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Phi Kappa Phi all discipline honors society and Eta Sigma Delta, an honors fraternity for hospitality management. In addition she was a member of the Association of Hospitality Management Students. Gina went on to earn her master's degree in Industrial and Labor Relations where she graduated with a 4.0 GPA. She is a currently a professional member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Gina is responsible for human resource management and recruiting for the Knowland Group. She has a passion for dance, having started at age three; she was a member of her university's dance team and an instructor in more recent years.
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