Rich founded CommPartners as a provider of online learning services and events in 1994. His vision was to create a culture where people could learn, advance their careers and have fun. He has a passion for helping clients connect with their communities through education. Rich graduated from the University of Maryland and did his graduate work at Marymount University in instructional design. He now lives in Columbia, Md., with his wife of over 35 years. He has two grown children. Rich enjoys marathon running, biking, tennis and rooting for Baltimore sports teams.

Casandra D. Blassingame - Recognized as a leader in adult and continuing education, she has over 20 years of experience in higher continuing and professional studies and workforce development and has dedicated her career to delivering high quality programs and engendering an atmosphere of collegiality and collaboration.

Casandra believes that leadership is a duty, not a position: A duty to lead by example. To work with staff and encourage a sense of community that extends beyond the unit and transcends the organization. A privilege that is charged with a vast amount of responsibility. The responsibility to inspire, development, mentor, and empower; and to direct instructors and staff to believe in the mission, vision, and goals of the organization and put it into action.

As the Director of Education for the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA), her primary responsibilities are to lead and collaborate with our [instructors] subject matter experts in the gear industry to develop relevant education and training courses and programs for gear industry professionals worldwide; lead the strategic initiatives for the education department and assist the membership director in providing "value added" benefits for our members; and develop partnerships with academic institutions and workforce development agencies to promote gear education through manufacturing curriculum and training program opportunities. In addition to her responsibilities at AGMA, she also serves as a Commissioner for the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).

Casandra is a doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri-St. Louis where she also earned an MEd in Adult and Higher Education. She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science from Talladega College, Talladega, AL.

A seasoned professional with a broad skill set, Teresa has worked in the retail, computer software, human resources, television production, and association management fields.  Prior to joining AHCA/NCAL in June of 2005, Teresa enjoyed a long career as a television producer and researcher. Her programs aired on Discovery Channel, TLC, Travel & Living, and Discovery Wings as well as numerous non-broadcast credits. 

As the AHCA/NCAL Senior Director of Conference Programming and Educational Development, Teresa facilitates the curriculum development for five national conferences and works to continually develop programming that is forward thinking and engaging.  She established the webinar program into an important content delivery method and worked with the AHCA/NCAL team to develop and launch a learning management system and an elite trainer community. In addition, Teresa transitioned association events into app environments.  

Teresa has a B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master’s Degree in producing for Film and Television from the American University in Washington, DC. 

Teresa achieved her IOM credential in 2012 from the Midwest Site of the Institute for Organizational Management (IOM) and served as the board chair for the organization in 2016. She is a currently participating in a study group in preparation to sit for the Certified Association Executive (CAE) exam in May 2019. 

Josh Yavelberg entered into the association field after years of teaching in higher education. His interest has been in furthering the practical applications of online learning by integrating his understanding of research and theory. Recently, Yavelberg has joined the ranks of NRPA where he manages all online learning interactions including the development and delivery of online courses, certificates, certification and accreditation preparation, webinars, micro-learning, and other professional development experiences where there is justified need. Maintaining an academic spirit, Yavelberg also strives to assess and share his experiences to further the body of knowledge in the industry. 

Rich founded CommPartners as a provider of online learning services and events in 1994. His vision was to create a culture where people could learn, advance their careers and have fun. He has a passion for helping clients connect with their communities through education. Rich graduated from the University of Maryland and did his graduate work at Marymount University in instructional design. He now lives in Columbia, Md., with his wife of over 35 years. He has two grown children. Rich enjoys marathon running, biking, tennis and rooting for Baltimore sports teams.

Molly Mazuk is a director of professional development at the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Since starting at ASAM in 2013, she has worked on nearly every aspect of providing continuing medical education, from finding funding, managing conference apps, analyzing attendee outcomes, and planning new content. Her primary focus is on leading ASAM’s Annual Conference (in-person or virtual) and ASAM’s learning management system. Molly is known for her creativity and innovation and was named one of Association Forum’s 40 under Forty in 2021.

Molly is a graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland. When not at work, Molly can be found at a TexMex restaurant or reading a good book.

Tracy King, MA, CAE

She / They

As Chief Learning Strategist & CEO of InspirEd, Tracy King leverages more than 20 years in workforce development consulting with organizations on education strategy and learning design. Tracy is the author of the award-winning book Competitive Advantage, and they advise on how to grow reliably profitable and sustainable continuing education programs that transform learners. Tracy specializes in the intersection of learning science and technology. They are a thought leader, master learning designer and DELP Scholar. Their work has been featured on NBC, ABC, FOX, USA Today, Forbes, The Star Tribune and hundreds of nationally syndicated television, newspaper, and magazine outlets. Tracy is featured as a chapter author in the award-winning Routledge text, Microlearning in the Digital Age: The Design and Delivery of Learning in Snippets.

Eve Finstein joined Cadmium in 2013 as an Elevate Implementation Manager, and now leads Cadmium's team of Elevate project managers supporting our current and future Elevate clients. Prior to working with Cadmium, Eve ran operations for a cohort of leadership trainers and coaches. Eve is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, and currently lives in Washington, D.C.

Jen joined the Cadmium team as an Event Producer in the Spring of 2010 following time in the Association space at the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Since joining Cadmium, she has moved into many different roles across the Operations side of the organization, including time spent as the Director of Online Events, Implementation Manager, and Operations Manager. In her latest role as Product Manager, she works closely with internal and external stakeholders to enhance the Elevate LMS product to make it more efficient, easy to use, and ensure it has the features our customers and prospects need.

Jen is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in Marketing & Logistics and Supply Chain Management. In her spare time, she enjoys being the quintessential soccer mom to two crazy cuties, Charlotte and Cole. When she is not chasing them around from game to game, she loves running and exercising, competitive UNO games, and watching anything BravoTV.

Arianne works on Cadmium's Elevate LMS team as a project manager, implementation leader, and usability consultant. Dedicated to applying knowledge of organizations' industry, community, and business priorities, Arianne provides plans that extend membership value, increase revenue, and achieve optimal UX. She strives to ensure the LMS evolves with you and provides dynamic and advanced e-learning solutions. What she enjoys most about her specialty are the relationships she has with each client, the trust of the partnership, and the ability to provide site experiences that impress.

Chris is co-founder / CEO at WebMechanix, a performance marketing firm that is one of the largest & most respected pure-play digital firms in the mid-atlantic. Chris knows a thing or two about SEO/SEM, search marketing, analytics, copywriting, UX, conversion rate optimization, email marketing, marketing automation, growth / funnel "hacking", CRM, and attribution.

Chris spearheaded the launch of WebMechanix Academy, a training & certification program that rapidly prepares aspiring marketers for meaningful careers in the field.

WebMechanix has won all kinds of awards, been a mainstay on the INC 5000 & Chris is a regular on the speaking agenda for conferences & universities all across the country. He was also recently named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist.

Chris graduated with honors from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at University of Maryland College Park.