LearnWell Leadership

Collin Earnst

Chief Executive Officer

For nearly twenty years, Collin’s work in the field of education has been driven by a deep commitment to help every student achieve academic growth regardless of their abilities, background or circumstances. He joined LearnWell in 2019 as CEO to help the company continue its growth and expansion in support of the LearnWell mission.

Collin joined LearnWell after serving for seven years at Lexia Learning (Rosetta Stone) as Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, where he helped scale the business from 1M to 3.5M students and quadrupled the company’s revenue. Prior to Lexia, Collin served as Corporate Vice President at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and was a strategic consultant to major education companies including Pearson Education, Zaner-Bloser and Global Partnership Schools, as well as national nonprofit tutoring company BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life).

A graduate of Boston College, Collin currently lives in the Boston area with his wife and two children. In his free time, he enjoys attending his children’s music performances, and he serves as Chair of the Boyden Public Library Board of Trustees.

Kathleen Egger

Vice President of Teaching Operations

In 2004, Kathleen joined the company to help build up the organization’s growing human resources and hospital teaching operations. She came with a strong background in HR, and with healthcare experience gained while working at Boston’s Children’s Hospital. Since then, she has taken on oversight of all corporate and regional operations at LearnWell. Today, she has a mandate to build the country’s best customized education services programs for behavioral and medical hospital partners.

Kathleen holds a BA and an MA from Salve Regina University, and is currently working towards her PhD. In addition to her work at LearnWell, Kathleen has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern University, Newbury College and Cape Cod Community College.

She currently lives with her family in Southeastern Mass. During her free time she can be found volunteering at her children’s sporting events or watching them swim and play tennis. She is also an avid sailor and loves racing her sailboat with family and friends.

Elizabeth Sedlak

Vice President of Business Development

Elizabeth joined the company in 2008 and has worked tirelessly ever since to help the organization grow. Over the years she has gained significant experience managing both acquisitions and organic growth, but it is her passion for developing strong partner relationships that sets her apart as a seasoned growth-focused executive.

Elizabeth loves working in education. As a member of the education community she has learned the value of candor, resourcefulness, and adaptability. She loves to learn, teach, and problem solve. Moreover, she has a passion for helping others to problem solve by reinforcing optimism and divergent thinking.

In her free time she serves on the board for the Ellen M. Gifford Cat Shelter, travels, facilitates a ladies’ activity group, and enjoys exercising and crafting. May 2017, Elizabeth completed her Masters in Liberal Arts in Management from Harvard University Extension School.

James Hickey, LCSW-R

Vice President of Counseling Services

James is the owner of Comprehensive Counseling, Vice President of Counseling Services at LearnWell, and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Upon returning from service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador in 2004, James pursued his goal of helping at-risk populations in New York City. In 2006 he completed his master’s degree, joined his family’s business, and began providing psychotherapy in English and Spanish in new immigrant communities.

James’s step-father and Comprehensive’s founder, Dr. Barry Butner, passed in 2010. At that time, James became Comprehensive’s owner and head administrator. James continued to practice psychotherapy with a special focus on treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder while simultaneously leading a multi-year team effort to modernize and expand the size and scope of the practice. He continues to practice therapy on a limited basis and enjoys providing clinical supervision to other therapists.

James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Fairfield University and a Master of Social Work degree from New York University. James also holds the ‘R’ privilege, which is the highest designation a clinical social worker can earn. James is a former collegiate athlete, has a lifelong passion for competitive sports and has traveled extensively in South America, Europe and Asia. James is happiest spending time with his wife Kellye, their two young children James II and Harper, and dog Marley.

Ardena White

Vice President of District Mental Health Partnerships

Ardena joined LearnWell in 2020 and has worked in the public and private sector for 25 years as both an administrator and in executive leadership. Her management of teams span public education and the private sector. Ardena’s areas of expertise include special education and integration of teams. Her work has also included a focus on academic achievement and equity while assisting districts with solutions that improve the teaching and learning environment.

Ardena has a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan and has completed coursework for a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Detroit-Mercy.

Lisa Swift

Controller

Lisa joined the company in 2018 with extensive experience serving as a financial executive in a high growth professional services company; she is comfortable managing and meeting the needs of an evolving company.

Lisa holds a BA from Bridgewater State University and AS from Fisher College and believes life experience combined with formal education are key to meeting company, Client and partner needs.

She resides in Southeastern MA and most of her free time is spent with family on sport athletic fields or ice arenas; additional interests include gardening, exercising, enjoying her pets and supporting Boston sports teams.

Chelsea Riccio

Regional Director, New England & Western US

Chelsea joined the company in 2010, teaching in both medical hospitals and behavioral health programs before she was invited to take on a leadership role in 2012. Over the past five years she has progressively earned greater experience, respect and responsibility. She has traveled across the country, working in teaching operations across eight states to build outstanding programs rooted in our core values.

Her abilities range from business development to launching educational programs and cultivating strong client relationships. She is also experienced in operations management, from budgeting to managing staff and executing the Topgrading methodology of hiring best practices.

Chelsea graduated from Emmanuel College in Boston, MA in 2007. With a passion for travel, culture and exploration Chelsea enjoys traveling in addition to rooting for her favorite Boston sports teams.

Maurice Williams

Regional Director, Mid-Atlantic

Maurice joined the company in July 2018, bringing over 25 years of experience in education and human services. In his previous endeavors he has been a Program Director, Manager and Coordinator in the Philadelphia School District. Most recently he was a Regional Director overseeing multiple programs under the Alternative Education division. He loves his work in education and thrives on the motto “It’s not about me.”

In addition to his work in education, Maurice has an extensive background in sports, both as a coach and as a player on the HS, collegiate and professional levels. This experience has helped him to develop strong skills in building collaborative partnerships that work towards a common goal.

Maurice resides in Townsend, Delaware with his wife and son.  In their spare time they love to travel and entertain family and friends. He loves music, especially Smooth Jazz, and is involved in various youth organizations in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Greg Pinkham

Director of Teaching Operations

Greg joined the company in March of 2017 working in Teaching Ops in the New York/New Jersey area. Previously, he worked in Rockland County, NY as a year-round camp director in the summer camp industry for more than 10 years.

In his various roles at LearnWell, Greg has worked on-site managing education programs, launching new education programs and establishing relationships with school districts across the LearnWell hospital network. He brings a smile to work with him every day.

Greg graduated from Union College in Schenectady, NY. He currently resides in Massachusetts with his wife and two kids. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, fishing and spending time with extended family.

Kellye Hickey

Director of Counseling Operations

Kellye joined Comprehensive Counseling in 2012 and recently joined LearnWell as the Director of Counseling Operations. Kellye has a background in Public Relations and Marketing and was responsible for establishing Comprehensive’s web presence. Over the years, she innovated on the delivery of counseling services and company operations and will continue to lead counseling operations in her new role across LearnWell.

In addition to finding great joy in improving client and patient engagement, Kellye is also passionate about supporting the mental health of children and adolescents and has mentored at-risk youth in New York City.

Kellye is a Penn State graduate, lifelong Francophile and loves traveling, cooking, enjoying time at home with her husband, James and two children in New Jersey.

Mary Butner

Director of Counseling Administration

Mary Butner has managed Comprehensive Counseling as its lead administrator since 1992 and recently joined LearnWell as the Director of Counseling Administration. Mary worked alongside her late husband and Comprehensive’s founder, Dr. Barry Butner, until his passing in 2010. During her early involvement Mary helped navigate the Comprehensive Counseling business through the new world of managed care. She also become a liaison between the practitioners and the insurance companies – a role she continues to enjoy today. Additionally, her duties include managing the administrative assistants, accounts receivables, and accounts payable. After Dr. Butner’s passing, Mary worked with James Hickey to oversee an expansion of the practice that included several new locations, including two new practice locations in the Bronx, NY.

Mary is also the proud grandmother of four beautiful, healthy and active grandchildren and she loves spending her free time with them and making them happy!

Susan Bucci

Marketing Director

Susan joined LearnWell in the fall of 2019 to lead the LearnWell marketing function. She has spent nearly 10 years in the education industry and has focused her career in both marketing and fundraising at for-profit and non-profit mission-driven organizations.

As a previous Marketing Manager and fundraising professional, she has proven success in developing new marketing programs with the goals of strengthening customer relationships, reinforcing the brand, establishing thought leadership, and generating demand.

Susan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Bentley University. She resides in the Boston suburbs and spends most of her spare time with family and friends. She enjoys traveling and cheering on her favorite Boston sports teams.

Julie Beamish

Human Resources Manager

Julie joined the company in 2012 starting first in an administration role. Within her first year, she hired six staff members to join the administration team and began participating in the company’s inaugural staffership. During her year-long staffership, she spent time working within different departments throughout the company, including operations, district outreach, and sales before finally landing within the human resources department.

Over the past six years on the Human Resources team, she has increased her exposure not only within the different human resources functions but also from a broader business management perspective. She has traveled throughout LearnWell’s territory, interacting with as many employees as possible with the focus of learning how to best support a remote culture.

Julie graduated with a BS from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2011. She currently resides in southeastern MA with her husband and 2-year-old Australian shepherd. Outside of work, she is also a fitness instructor, an avid reader, and a lover of cooking and baking!