Our Staff

For communities around the world to achieve sustained economic growth, social development, and poverty reduction, education is critical.  Since 2000, our staff and alliance partners have been working to help individuals and communities achieve these ends through the design and development of customized learning solutions. Here are the people who make Seward International a success:

Greg Sales
President and CEO

Greg's entire adult life has been devoted to education. This includes nine years as an elementary school teacher in rural Alaska and twelve years as a university professor teaching instructional design and technology. He left his tenured university faculty position to found and run Seward in 1995. Through Seward he has had the opportunity to work on curriculum development, teacher training, and technology integration and evaluation in Asia, Oceania, North America, and Africa. Greg has a B.Ed. in Elementary Education from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, a M.Ed. in Mathematics Education from Miami University and a Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Minnesota.

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Vicky Frank
President

Vicky has over 25 years' experience in international business, business management, and marketing management. She has held senior management positions in multinational companies engaged in international shipping, high­performance computing, and worldwide food distribution. At Seward, Vicky works K-12 and higher education institutions to embrace the use of technology for distance learning, support teacher professional development, and engage students in the new venue of social learning. Vicky received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota where she also studied French and Russian.

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Matt Finholt-Daniel
Director of Technology

Matt Finholt-Daniel is a systems analyst and computer programmer proficient in many programming languages, development tools and environments. He has led the company's development efforts for a range of clients, including projects for use in Africa and throughout the Pacific region. For example, Matt provided professional development for teachers in the Republic of Palau, teaching them how to use digital cameras and digital video, and how to publish their work on the Internet. Matt holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota.


Melanie Ruda
Senior Instructional Designer

Melanie has over 25 years of experience in education and instructional technology. She began her career as an elementary school teacher and later taught literacy skills to adults. In her current role with Seward, Melanie has designed e­learning and print­based curricula for K­12 students and teachers, as well as for adults in business settings. Among her projects, she coordinated the development of a DVD­based teacher training program for school leaders in the Marshall Islands. Melanie holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from the College of St. Catherine and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instructional Systems from the University of Minnesota. 

 

Absalom Phiri
Malawi Senior Teacher Training Advisor

Absalom has 29 years of experience in teaching primary school students and training teachers in Malawi. He was a science teacher trainer at Malawi’s Primary Teachers’ Colleges for 15 years. Most recently, he served in Malawi’s Ministry of Education as the training manager for secondary school science and mathematics teachers. Absalom will be leading Seward’s teacher training efforts for the Malawi Teacher Professional Development Support project.


Steve Sharra
Malawi Education Specialist

Steve is a teacher educator and a peace educator with research and teaching interests in teacher autobiography, critical literacy, gender studies, peace studies, and African studies. His teaching includes primary school in Malawi, and teacher education, peace studies and academic writing in a number of universities and colleges in the United States. A social media enthusiast, Steve follows Malawian bloggers, and posts on several blogs covering critical pedagogy, social justice and Pan-African issues.


Master Kalulu
Malawi Education Specialist

Master is a teacher educator and instructional materials developer. His teaching experience includes teacher training at both primary and secondary levels. He is a trained in-service teacher education facilitator. Master has 12 years experience managing non-governmental organization projects. He worked on high profile USAID–funded projects such as Quality Education through Supporting Teaching (QUEST), Malawi Education Support Activity (MESA), and Malawi Teacher Training Activity (MTTA).

 

Nell Kauls
Editorial and Content Strategist

Nell has ten years of experience writing, editing, and designing web content and print publications for a diverse clientele. She strives to write smart, useful web content and documentation based on clients' business objectives and user requirements. She has worked on projects for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU), Metropolitan State University, 3M, and the University of Minnesota.

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Nick Wanserski
Graphic Designer

Nick creates compelling designs and illustrations for Seward clients. He realizes project concepts with energy, elegance, and efficiency. Attention to detail and creativity are hallmarks of his work for Seward clients. Nick holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota.

 


Brian Thompson
Programmer

Brian constantly evaluates his development process to find the best approach for each project. Recent projects include developing a Learning Content Management System for the Sultanate of Oman, Ministry of Education.  Brian graduated with a B.S. in computer science from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

 


Paul Johnson
Programmer

Paul has worked in a variety of different industries designing, implementing and supporting software: airline accounting, mainframe support, medical devices, energy trading, and now, educational software. Paul finds Seward a rewarding environment that fosters personal initiative and creative thinking.

 

Alison Sanders
Office Manager

Alison assumes a wide array of roles at Seward to keep the company running smoothly. Alison's educational experience includes a B.A. in English and Communication Studies from Saint Cloud State University, as well as studying abroad at the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies of Oxford University.