Meet our leadership team

Stuart J. Udell is a veteran in the education industry with more than 30 years of experience in assessment, career education, test preparation, curriculum, and other areas of educational technology and service delivery. Before joining Prometric, Mr. Udell was CEO of Achieve3000, a leading software and services provider of reading and math intervention and acceleration solutions. He previously served as CEO at other leading education technology companies including virtual school operator K12, Inc., intervention and specialized services provider Catapult Learning, and online career education provider Penn Foster.

Mr. Udell brings his transformative leadership and expertise to advance Prometric’s portfolio and global operations in educational technology. He works directly with the senior leadership team to bring innovative assessment solutions and exceptional customer experience to Prometric clients and candidates globally.

 Throughout his career, Mr. Udell has served as a leader on industry boards including eDynamic Learning, Nerdy, Progress Learning, and Ventris Learning. He has also been highly active on non-profit and association boards including the Successful Practices Network, Learning 2025 National Commission on Student-Centered Equity-Focused Education, and the Software and Information Industry Association. He is proud to have chaired the National Dropout Prevention Center for many years and received a Lifetime Services Award.

Mr. Udell received his Master’s in Business Administration from Columbia University and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Bucknell University.

Prometric Chief Financial Officer Nick Bates is a seasoned financial executive with experience at public and private equity backed organizations. Most recently, Mr. Bates was Chief Financial Officer of Achieve3000, a global K-12 provider of reading and math intervention and acceleration solutions. Prior to Achieve3000, Mr. Bates served as Chief Financial Officer at Liberty Tax Service and Catapult Learning, LLC and held various financial management positions at MedQuist, Inc.

Mr. Bates is responsible for all aspects of Prometric’s finances, corporate development, and strategic planning to drive operational processes, instill metrics driven cultures, and improve efficiency for clients and customers. Mr. Bates also oversees Prometric’s M&A portfolio to advance the global business.

Mr. Bates has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Rutgers University. In his spare time, he enjoys attending sporting events with his daughters, playing golf, and attempting DIY home projects.

Jay Chakrapani is Chief Product and Technology Officer at Prometric, bringing more than 25 years of expertise in shaping global product and technology strategies. Known for driving innovation and operational excellence, Jay has a proven track record of building high-performing, data-driven teams that deliver measurable impact.

Most recently, as Chief Product Officer at BrainPOP, Jay spearheaded the launch of AI-powered learning tools for educators and elementary learners while leading Product, Engineering, UX, Learning Design, Creative, and Data functions. His career includes transformative roles at GLG, Trilogy Education Services, and Barnes & Noble Education, where he advanced digital products and content platforms. Jay also co-founded Corbo.ai.

At Prometric, Jay leads initiatives to modernize our platform, accelerate growth, and deliver exceptional experiences for clients and candidates worldwide. His focus on data-driven practices and breakthrough technologies will strengthen our ability to meet evolving market needs and help programs thrive in tomorrow’s workforce.

Nikki Eatchel is Prometric's Chief Assessment Officer. With more than 25 years of knowledge and experience in comprehensive assessment design and delivery, psychometric analysis and reporting, and global testing strategy, she leads the Test Development Services consulting practice to ensure the delivery of quality assessments and psychometric services to Prometric clients and oversee the growth and innovation strategy across exam products.

Ms. Eatchel has served in executive level positions in a number of global assessment organizations. Most recently, prior to joining Prometric, she served as the Chief Learning Officer at a virtual reality organization designed to provide immersive, simulated practice and candidate evaluation for essential skills in the workplace. She is active in numerous industry associations and served as Chair of the Board for the Association of Test Publishers (ATP) in 2017, as well as chairing the ATP Security Committee from 2011-2014. She has presented over 60 papers and presentations at such conferences as the Association of Test Publishers (ATP), E-ATP, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the International Personnel Management Association (IPMA), the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and the Council on Licensure, Enforcement, and Regulation (CLEAR).

Ms. Eatchel holds a Master's in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from California State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of California at Davis.

Kewin Gales is Prometric’s Chief Administrative Officer. Based in Baltimore and working with a team of professionals around the globe, Mr. Gales is responsible developing and implementing human capital and talent management strategies that enable Prometric to recruit, develop and retain highly skilled and engaged employees for all corporate functions. He also leads the company’s global legal team.

Under his direction, the HR leadership team develops and maintains corporate policies and practices, designs and delivers corporate learning and development programs, and cultivates a corporate culture and work environment that promotes, safety, opportunity, and respect for all employees.

Mr. Gales has more than three decades of experience in human resources management and remains engaged in industry associations and events.

Mr. Gales holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the James E. Beasley School of Law at Temple University, and a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from Indiana University in Bloomington.

Phil Poletti is Prometric’s Chief Channel Operations Officer. In this role, Mr. Poletti leads a global team that is focused on improving the test taker experience across all test locations and remote assessment exams.

Mr. Poletti is responsible for the management of test centers, remote operations, and technical support. This includes strategic planning, capacity management, and site fulfillment. He works closely with the Prometric commercial organization to ensure we meet client and candidate expectations and with the Global Technology team to ensure our test centers remain the most capable in the industry.

Phil has more than 30 years of management experience. Prior to joining Prometric, he was Vice President of Marketing at Monster.com. He also previously worked at General Electric and JPMorgan Chase where he held global leadership roles in Six Sigma.

Mr. Poletti holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut, and a Bachelor of History & Political Science from Monmouth University.

Michael Redding is Prometric’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), responsible for leading the organization’s global cybersecurity strategy. As CISO, Mike will be at the helm of our company's cybersecurity strategy, ensuring the protection of our data and systems, and spearheading our efforts to stay ahead of emerging security threats.

Since joining Prometric in 2000, he has gained a deep understanding of the organization’s systems and challenges. His leadership has been instrumental in strengthening Prometric’s technological infrastructure, driving innovation, and supporting the company’s evolving business needs.

With nearly 30 years of experience in technology, including roles in the government and contracting sectors, Mr. Redding has honed expertise in managing complex projects and navigating critical regulatory environments. His comprehensive knowledge and strategic vision help position Prometric as a leader in delivering secure and reliable services.

Mr. Redding holds an MBA from Loyola University Maryland and a BS in Information Systems from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).

Humphrey Chan is Prometric’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Emerging Markets. Based in Hong Kong, Mr. Chan is focused on developing strategic relationships with corporate, governmental and non-governmental organizations in the Asia Pacific and South Asia regions that contribute to significant growth opportunities for our clients and the company. He leverages more than two decades of experience selling and marketing enterprise technology and software solutions in the Asia Pacific region in directing our regional corporate teams to identify and execute effective business growth strategies in collaboration with our client partners. Most recently he was Vice President & General Manager, Asia Pacific & Japan for Digital River, where he was responsible for oversight of sales, account management, and operations in the region.

Mr. Chan holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Oregon’s Charles H. Lundquist College of Business, and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Eastern Washington University.

“I was a first-generation college student who didn’t know what was possible until education showed me. It didn’t just open a door—it changed the entire direction of my life. That’s why I’ve devoted my career to making sure others get that same chance—to dream bigger, to rise, and to lead.”

Dr. Debi Crimmins is a nationally recognized leader in global client advocacy, talent development, and education-to-career innovation. As Senior Vice President of Global Client Advocacy and Marketing at Prometric, Dr. Crimmins leads the organization’s strategic efforts to align client partnerships with workforce impact, overseeing a global team that supports credentialing organizations, regulators, ministries of education, and professional associations across more than 180 countries. Her leadership ensures that Prometric clients receive not just service—but strategic guidance, innovation, and long-term partnership.

With over 25 years of experience spanning K–12 education, adult learning, and workforce credentialing, Dr. Crimmins brings a unique ability to connect policy, practice, and purpose. She is known for translating complex challenges into action-oriented solutions that elevate client experience, improve operational effectiveness, and drive outcomes that matter—like equity, access, and employability.

Prior to joining Prometric, Dr. Crimmins served as Senior Vice President of Advocacy at Edmentum, where she built state partnerships and education coalitions that expanded access to personalized digital learning. She also held executive advocacy roles at Achieve3000 (acquired by McGraw-Hill), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, and IXL, where she focused on reading and math intervention, literacy assessment, and data-informed instruction and assessment.

Before entering the private sector, Dr. Crimmins served as a classroom teacher, district leader, and Associate Superintendent. This deep foundation in public education gives her an unmatched perspective on what it takes to move learners from the schoolhouse to the workforce. Her lived experience as an educator continues to inform how she leads—with empathy, urgency, and an unwavering belief in the power of education to transform lives.

At Prometric, Dr. Crimmins is the architect behind the evolution of Client Success into Global Client Advocacy—redefining how the organization supports clients not just as vendors, but as long-term partners in mission delivery. She has also played a key leadership role in launching Prometric’s Centers of Excellence in Insurance, Nursing, and Global Education, ensuring that credentialing models are industry-aligned, data-driven, and equity-centered.

A frequent speaker on AI in assessment, career pathways, and client experience strategy, Dr. Crimmins is also the Vice Chair of the Education Division of the Association of Test Publishers (ATP), helping shape the global future of educational measurement and workforce readiness.

Dr. Crimmins holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership Design and a Doctorate of Education in Secondary Curriculum Design from the University of Central Florida.

Ade B. Galloway is Prometric’s Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs. A seasoned attorney, Mr. Galloway has been successful in implementing strategic business and legal initiatives, and providing practical and effective legal support that aligns to organizations’ business and financial objectives. As the company’s chief legal officer and Corporate Secretary, he oversees all legal matters of the company.

Prior to joining Prometric, Mr. Galloway served as Vice President, Operations Counsel with Clear Channel Outdoor, where he led the strategic and day-to-day legal operations within the airports division, and the New York, NY and Washington, DC/Baltimore, MD outdoor advertising markets. Before joining Clear Channel Outdoor in 2014, Mr. Galloway was a Corporate Finance & Technology Associate at Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney PC in Philadelphia, PA where he engaged in the diverse mergers and acquisitions, securities, financing, and transactional practice.

An active member in a variety of civic organizations, Mr. Galloway has served in various executive leadership positions within the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia as well as being a former Board Member of the Senior Law Center located in Philadelphia.

Mr. Galloway holds a Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance from East Carolina University. 

Dr. Jesús Jara has joined Prometric as the K-12 Global Practice Leader, bringing over 25 years of public education experience. Formerly the Superintendent of Clark County School District, the nation’s fifth-largest school system, Dr. Jara is celebrated for his dedication to educational equity and innovation. Under his leadership, CCSD achieved higher graduation rates, increased AP course participation, and improved mathematics proficiency. At Prometric, he will guide the expansion into the K-12 sector, utilizing AI-powered assessment tools from the recent acquisition of EdPower. Dr. Jara, an English-language learner from Venezuela, is committed to providing underserved students with opportunities to succeed. He holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has served on various educational boards, including the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents.

James Lee is Prometric’s Senior Vice President of Risk Management and Compliance. He provides executive leadership for Prometric’s risk identification, mitigation, management and compliance related initiatives and programs. Mr. Lee works across Prometric’s global leadership teams to ensure regulatory and internal compliance standards are measured and met consistently, including but not limited to, ISO, PCI, SOC2, and other progressive security related audits. He also directs Prometric’s Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery programs, ensuring our ability to effectively respond to unforeseen critical scenarios in a manner that preserves and protects individual and test owner data and that supports a continuation of service to the people we serve. Under his leadership, Prometric expanded the scope, discipline and resulting business value of systemic organizational preparedness and incident management, which has been successfully embedded into our corporate culture.

Mr. Lee has more than 30 years' experience in the IT industry, including global incident management, quality control and compliance management, business continuity, and global operations. Prior to joining Prometric in 2001, he was an Information Technology management consultant for various city, state and federal government agencies.

Danny Lipsitz is Prometric’s Senior Vice President of Finance and Sales Operations, responsible for leading strategic finance (FP&A) and optimizing the company’s go-to-market operations. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Revenue at Within3, a healthcare technology company, where he led the global sales organization. Previously, he was Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations at Achieve3000/McGraw Hill and held commercial operations leadership roles at Flatiron Health/Roche.

Mr. Lipsitz brings a proven track record of driving customer-centric growth and leading transformational initiatives as an executive at privately held companies in the education and healthcare technology sectors. He also has extensive experience supporting equity and debt financings.

Mr. Lipsitz holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BA from Columbia University, where he captained the squash team. He also studied at Cambridge University as an Oxbridge Scholar.

Sean Mathias is Prometric's Senior Vice President of Business Development for the Americas. He has more than 15 years of experience in sales leadership, and a proven track record for building high-performing teams, expanding market presence, and fostering strong relationships with clients and stakeholders.

In his role, Mr. Mathias is responsible for driving the company's sales strategy and leading the team to achieve exceptional growth across the Americas. He is dedicated to creating a collaborative and dynamic team culture, empowering team members to reach their full potential while delivering outstanding service to clients.

Prior to joining Prometric, Mr. Mathias held leadership positions at Best Buy and Dollarama Inc., where he successfully developed and executed strategies that consistently exceeded revenue targets. His leadership approach is rooted in a deep understanding of customer needs, market dynamics, and innovative sales processes that drive results. He actively participates in organizations such as CLEAR, ICE, and ATP.

Sean Mathias holds a bachelor’s degree from Toronto Metropolitan University.

Dr. Deep Sran is Prometric’s Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations and International Commercial Sales. He brings a diverse background spanning legal practice, K–12 education leadership, academic research, educational technology entrepreneurship, and corporate executive leadership, including service as general counsel. This multidisciplinary experience enables him to align cross-functional teams, strengthen enterprise collaboration, and drive shared commercial outcomes.

Dr. Sran earned a Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Maryland and a J.D. from Georgetown University.

“I am driven by a singular belief: that we can change the trajectory of people's lives. My work is dedicated to building the systems and teams that empower us to be a positive catalyst for that change with everyone we engage. This passion is the foundation of my professional purpose.”

Ruth Brus’s career shows her strong dedication to improving education, moving from the classroom to leadership roles that shaped learning environments and influenced how products reached the market. Her career began over 37 years ago as a committed public-school educator, where she built a strong understanding of what individuals need and what makes teaching excellent. Starting as a classroom teacher, she quickly advanced to roles like math coach and District Mathematics’ Specialist. This experience led to a key role as District Level Senior Administrator for Mathematics and Science (K-12) in a large urban school district. She provided professional training and guidance for state and district programs, supporting 200+ Curriculum Resource Teachers. 

Driven by a passion to help more people and bring in new ideas, Ms. Brus moved into the private sector. Leveraging her understanding of educational needs, she directed the creation of new products and marketing strategies as a Vice President for Marketing. She skillfully used marketing numbers and key performance indicators, turning data into useful insights for strategic changes, and built strong training programs for clients. 

It was here that Ms. Brus’s contributions to thought leadership and creating content grew significantly. She wrote many marketing publications and materials explaining complete solutions and building client connections. Her skills include developing professional development courses certified for continuing education credits, for organizations like AIA and IDCEC. She also developed graduate-level courses for the USC Rossier School of Education, focusing on key areas like trauma awareness, leadership skills for college and career readiness, and the close connection between learning environments and professional development. 

Now, as the Vice President of Marketing for Prometric, Ruth’s career journey brings all her experiences together. Her unique mix of deep educational understanding, sharp marketing skills, and proven leadership positions her to create impactful marketing strategies. She will foster innovation and deliver research-based solutions that meet client needs and help organizations and professionals thrive. 

Jim Hagenbucher is currently responsible for Prometric’s business and operations in Japan. Jim has been with Prometric for 18 years, primarily based in Japan, where he has grown the business to include a portfolio of large domestic clients in the Insurance, Finance, Education and Government sectors. Jim also spent five years based in Singapore where he was responsible for growing and managing Prometric’s Asia-Pacific test center network. Prior to Prometric, Jim ran several financial market data businesses in Japan and Asia for Thomson Reuters.

Mr. Hagenbucher holds a master's degree in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a bachelor's degree in English Literature from George Washington University.

Missy Pydo is Vice President and Managing Director of Global Strategy for Prometric. She has more than 15 years of experience in strategic development and client success experience.

In her role, Ms. Pydo is responsible for partnering with current and future Prometric clients to understand their strategic objectives and help them achieve those goals, in turn guiding and developing Prometric's future strategies and innovations.

Prior to Prometric, Ms. Pydo served as Vice President of Client Development at Inmar, a technology-enabled service company, where she supported several of their largest consumer packaged goods clients to shape their go-to-market strategies. She also previously served as Brand Manager for Kraft Foods, where she focused on brand growth, eCommerce, and New Product Innovation.

Ms. Pydo holds a Master of Business Administration from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics and Economics from Princeton University.

Azadar Shah is Vice President and Growth Leader of EMEA for Prometric. He has more than 20 years of experience leading customer-focused organizations and delivering enterprise technology and software solutions that create significant growth opportunities for clients.

In his role, Mr. Shah develops and grows strategic relationships with corporate, government, and non-governmental organizations in Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Most recently, he has led partnerships with HelloWorldKids, a leading educational technology organization specializing in coding curriculum for children, and JellyLearn, a leading provider of animated, high-quality road safety testing, training, and assessment content.

Prior to Prometric, Mr. Shah was Managing Director and Executive Vice President, EMEA for IntelliCentrics, a leader in credentialling healthcare professions. He oversaw sales, customer success, product, and engineering.

Mr. Shah has a Master of Science from Imperial College, London and a Bachelor of Engineering from Leeds University.