Compass Learning Engage, think & learn.

Meet our Leadership Team

ERIC LOEFFEL, Chief Executive Officer

"My sixth-grade teacher at Fort Allen Elementary in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, was Mr. Stratton. He was my first male teacher (if memory serves me right), but — most importantly — he created my first project-based learning experience. We completed projects individually and in groups, and we regularly made presentations in front of the class. I still remember some of those projects, because it gave me a great sense of accomplishment to start with an idea and end with a finished product, such as a paper or presentation!"

Eric Loeffel has led Compass Learning since 2005. During that time, Compass Learning became recognized as the leading U.S. provider of K-12 educational software, winning the EDDIE awards in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, and taking BESSIE awards in 2009, 2010, and 2011. He led Compass Learning’s relocation to Austin, Texas in 2006, and recently led it through its change of control to Marlin Equity Partners from Readers Digest Association and its acquisition of Renzulli Learning.

Prior to joining Compass Learning, Eric was president and CEO of Isochron Data Corp., a venture capital-backed software company in Austin, Texas. He enjoyed similar success as the president and CEO of OnQ Technology, Inc., a private international semiconductor services company. Prior to that, Eric held various positions at Intuit, the makers of TurboTax, Quicken, and QuickBooks.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from San Diego State University and an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA.

TREY CHAMBERS, Chief Financial Officer

"Throughout elementary and secondary school, I loved math-related classes. However, when I was a junior in high school, my English teacher, Ms. Duncan, instilled in me a love of literature. She had a keen ability to drive interesting discussions related to classic novels by driving fantastic, interactive discussions about what we read. Upon completing that class, I decided to apply to the Liberal Arts school at the University of Texas, where my work enriched my studies in the Business school. I graduated with degrees from both schools, and I would never have taken that path had it not been for Ms. Duncan and her passion for teaching."

Trey Chambers was appointed CFO of Compass Learning in May 2010. He brings more than 16 years of financial management and technology industry experience to Compass Learning, as well as relevant public company experience.

Prior to joining Compass Learning, Trey was vice president of operations and CFO at Reddwerks Corporation, a leading provider of warehouse performance management solutions for some of the world's largest companies. Before that, he served as CFO for the $2.6 billion Transportation and Standard Products segment of Freescale Semiconductor, a multi-billion dollar provider of semiconductors for the transportation, networking, and wireless markets. During his tenure at Freescale, Trey also served as the corporation's chief audit officer. Prior to his time at Freescale, he was controller and later vice president of finance at Metrowerks, a global provider of software development tools. He also was in audit at PriceWaterhouse.

Trey is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting and a Bachelor of Arts in Plan II, a liberal arts honors program. He is a CPA.

ANN HENSON, Vice President, Customer Support & Services

"When Dr. Helen Red Cheek walked into my graduate-level class in a bright muumuu and cowboy boots, I thought, ‘This class is going to be a joke.’ Five minutes later, I was hooked. Her passion for teaching poor children on the Indian reservation was contagious. Her class was a high-expectation boot camp for learning strategies for teaching math to struggling students. I’ve never worked so hard in a class, learned so much, or felt more transformed. I came into her class motivated by a love of mathematics, but left motivated to teach kids who hated it."

Ann Henson offers a wealth of knowledge and experience developed throughout her 26-year tenure at Compass Learning and her prior experience in public education.

At Compass Learning, she has worked in the area of professional development as an education consultant, supported sales activities as a senior curriculum and instruction specialist, and managed and worked a sales territory as an account executive. As vice president of sales operations, she led a sales support team responsible for pre-sales support activities, development of sales tools, and sales training, and served as primary liaison for sales to other departments within Compass Learning. In her role as vice president of curriculum and instruction, Ann headed the development of learning materials for all Compass Learning courseware and assessment solutions.

Prior to joining Compass Learning, Ann was a high school math and computer science teacher and worked at a district level on curriculum development. Her final role in public education was director of instructional technology for a K–12 school district where she not only was responsible for a district-wide technology plan but also experienced Compass Learning from a customer viewpoint.

Ann holds a bachelor's degree in secondary mathematics education from Oklahoma State University and has completed graduate work in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on elementary mathematics.

QUANNAH HOPPER, Vice President, Compass Learning Impact Teacher Academy

"Charlotte Jeffries, my high school English teacher and journalism sponsor, taught me, a 16-year-old looking for her identity, not just a class or subject. She uncovered my best qualities while addressing my academic and personal challenges. She convinced me to edit the school newspaper, helped strengthen my ties to school and community, and inspired me to become a teacher. As a professional, I encountered her again when she was on a committee to which I demonstrated digital content. Unsurprisingly, she was impressed with my work and had suggestions for improvement!"

Quannah Hopper oversees Compass Learning’s professional development programs and implementation solutions. Quannah’s multifaceted background in education continues to enrich her 15-year career at Compass Learning, during which she has focused primarily on curriculum alignment and professional learning. As an elementary school teacher and district technology leader, she was responsible for establishing best practices for technology integration.

Quannah’s Compass Learning career journey began in 1995. Her responsibilities at Compass Learning have included directing both content alignment and the development of assessment products; as well as serving as an education consultant, regional professional development director, and a member of the sales team.

Quannah earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in education, specializing in curriculum and instruction, from Oklahoma State University.

THOMAS RIZZI, Vice President of Sales

"My 5th grade teacher, Mr. Deion, came into my life at a time when I was more interested in shooting hoops on the playground than learning in the classroom. Though my family placed a strong emphasis on education, I was bored with school and consequently, unmotivated. Mr. Deion set incredibly high expectations for me that had never been set in any prior classroom. He was driven, hard-working, and passionate about teaching, and was the kind of teacher for whom you really wanted to do a good job. I worked hard to make him proud, and in the process, changed my attitude about school."

Thomas Rizzi joined Compass Learning in 2012 as our Vice President of Sales. He is responsible for the overall direction of the company’s global sales operations, including the development and execution of sales strategy for our core products, Odyssey and Renzulli Learning.  

Tom has nearly two decades of experience delivering profitable business growth across multiple industries. He’s a customer-focused executive with a strong track record of growing revenues and profits through the creation and implementation of customer-focused strategies and processes, and by building and motivating sales teams.

His passion for education, coupled with his drive to win, make him the ideal leader to ensure both our sales team and our customers experience success with Compass Learning. 

Tom received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and completed the Executive Program at Emory University, Goizueta Business School. 

DAVE THOMAS, Vice President of Product Development

"My high school art teacher, Barbara Fehrs, was a mentor and an inspiration to me. Whenever I entered her huge art room in the back corner of the campus, I immediately felt at home and at ease. I thank her for helping unleash my creativity and successfully transition from high school to college."

ARTHUR VANDERVEEN, Vice President of Business Strategy and Development

"I still remember vividly an enrichment project I did in seventh grade when a friend and I were assigned the challenge of redesigning our small town—what were all the services required, and how much did they cost? Over the course of two weeks, we called the directors of the town police department, fire department, utilities, hospital, etc., to gather the information we needed. The project taught me that people learn best when they’re trying to solve real-world problems and that ‘school’ shouldn’t be confined to a building or a book. This belief has shaped my approach to teaching and learning ever since."

Arthur brings extensive experience as a district administrator in New York City, the largest school district in the country. He founded and led the NYC Innovation Zone (iZone), an active community of 165 schools using digital technologies and innovative instructional approaches to personalize learning to the needs of individual students. Under his direction, the iZone launched the largest district-level, online and blended learning program in the country.

Arthur earned his Ph.D. in English from The University of Texas at Austin, his master’s degree in divinity in educational psychology from the Princeton Theological Seminary, and his bachelor’s degree in English from Colorado College.

FRED WAUGH, Vice President of Marketing

"I always had an affinity for reading, but Mr. Williams, my high school English teacher, saw I also had a talent for writing. Due to his ability to hear my unique voice, and because of his guidance and encouragement, I began to see myself as a writer, too. Because of him, I pursued—and earned—my bachelor's degree in journalism from Boston University."

Fred brings more than 15 years of successful marketing leadership experience to Compass Learning. Most recently, he served as the vice president of marketing and alliances at Convio. By helping redefine engagement and fundraising in the nonprofit sector through innovation in technology and ideas, Fred guided the company from its infancy to an $80 million publicly traded company. Prior to Convio, he held marketing and product development roles at leading companies in the technology sector, including Tivoli Systems (an IBM company), Sun Microsystems, and Compaq Computer.

Fred has an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and a bachelor's degree in journalism from Boston University.