ESS | Information Technology and Support – willSub and willsub+ Platforms (2024)

Chief Information Officer

Steve currently serves as the Chief Information Officer for ESS. Before ESS, he was with the Intellectual Property and Science division of Thomson Reuters serving as the Vice President of Business Systems. Prior to that, Steve served as IT Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Aramark’s Business & Industry Group (B&I), after being the IT Vice President for the Business Dining Group. Earlier in his career, he held roles as Director, Decision Support Systems, and as a Senior Financial Systems Analyst for the Food & Support Services Group. Steve worked in the School Support Services Group as an Information Systems Manager and in the corporate area as a Senior Information Systems Auditor. Steve earned his Master of Science degree in information systems from Drexel University after earning his bachelor’s in economics from the University of Maryland. His background in business systems includes ERP, WIMS, Financial Systems, POS & Payment Technologies, and CRM. He is an avid skier and enjoys fishing and boating activities on the bay in Ocean City, New Jersey along with his wife and three children.

Senior System Engineer

As the cofounder of willSub, Scott brings over 25 years of database development and design experience to the ESS team. As a leader on the willSub Technology Team, he continues to enjoy new feature design, implementation, and product maintenance. In addition to extensive coding, his background includes telephony, data science, and data analytics. Scott has been a school board member at Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools since 2012. Currently, he is serving as the Board President. In his personal time, he enjoys hiking and exploring with his family and Airedale terriers.

Senior System Engineer

Mike is the co-founder and architect of willSub, ESS’ automated absence tracking and substitute placement system. Prior to joining our team in 2009, he was the owner, analyst, and programmer of Millennium Data Services, Inc. Mike has over two decades’ experience in the education field, serving on the board of education for Johannesburg-Lewiston Area Schools as both President and a committee member. He studied chemical engineering at Michigan Technological University, general engineering at Lawrence Technological University, and client-side web programming with JavaScript at Kirtland Community College.

Software Solutions Architect

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DB/BI Project Manager

Alex utilizes over 20 years’ experience in the IT development field in his work as a Business Intelligence and Database Project Manager. His experience includes working with enterprise business data processing and analytics solutions for leading corporations both in the United States and internationally. Alex’s areas of expertise involve financial and operational data management, reporting, hands-on collaboration with the development teams responsible for Operations support and new projects implementation. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in information technology and a data science certification from Harvard University.

Director of IT

James manages infrastructure and technology services throughout the country for ESS. Initially joining the ESS team as an IT Technician, he worked his way to IT Manager within a year and is now supported by a team handling all day-to-day IT needs for the company. James began his career in IT as an intern at Springhouse Education where he remained as the IT Administer for four years. Fostering a passion for technology and computers from a young age, James always knew his career would lead him down this path. He has expertise in building, implementing, and configuring Windows Servers and VOIP communications. James also comes from a family of educators, having numerous teachers and board of education members among his immediate family.He shares his life with his wife and two young children.

IT Manager

James started his journey in the IT field seven years ago after receiving his associate degree in business technology, networking. He spent the first year of his career at a local hospital and has been with ESS ever since. James is the South Central IT Department Manager based out of the Paragould, Arkansas office. He is responsible for all IT services for that region and managing the shipping for Proximity Learning as well as co-managing their technical support department. James resides in a small town in northeast Arkansas with his wife, three kids, and three grandchildren. He enjoys woodworking, camping, and boating activities.

Director of Support Systems

Theresa has been supporting school districts across the country for over 10 years. She started with ESS in a Client Service role assisting New Jersey districts with their employee set up, system configurations, and integrations. Theresa quickly moved up to managing the ESS Client Engagement team supporting the East Coast with a team of 15, plus managing all absence management system transitions and new state growth. She has implemented over 300 clients and supported Human Resources integrations with more than 12 HRIS systems. Theresa has been pivotal in growing the ESS brand across the country, ensuring that each district’s unique needs are met in all of the systems that support our clients. Theresa is now the Director of Support Systems at ESS and helps develop internal staff as well as train clients on ESS systems and procedures.

Vice President of Business Systems

With a master’s degree in computer science from Rowan University and a bachelor’s degree in computer and network security from Wilmington University in Delaware and more than a decade’s experience as a systems expert, Rebecca brings a wealth of technical knowledge to ESS’ Information Technology and Support department. Her experience comprises work with a wide variety of software, including Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Access, willsub+, Frontline Education Absence Management, Red Rover, AccessData, Freshdesk, PLI Connect, Canvas, and Blackboard. Rebecca has transitioned, built, and supported Frontline Education Absence Management software for over 400 of ESS’ district clients.

Engagement Service Manager

As the Engagement Service Manager of ESS, Jamie leverages over 12 years of experience in managing substitute quality, professionalism, and behavior and state credentialing. She understands each state’s compliance laws and ensures all employees have the appropriate background checks and clearances. Jamie also manages our applicant system to provide automated, error-proof auditing of employee credentials.

Client Services Manager

Kelly has been with ESS since 2014, working in client engagement as a representative, lead, and senior lead. Currently, she manages the client engagement team in New Jersey for the Northeast and Southeast regions. Kelly works directly with ESS’ clients, using her depth of knowledge of the Absence Management system to ensure all system processes are running according to the individual needs of our partner districts. She graduated from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in marketing.