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. 

Kevin Baird is Prometric’s Chief Experience Officer. In this role, he leads Prometric’s global initiatives to accelerate customer service and experience, investigating new needs and identifying new opportunities to serve. 

Mr. Baird works with leading licensing, certification, and education organizations, aligning Prometric solutions to support strategic growth, enhance learning experiences for candidates, and plan for innovation as market trends evolve. He also oversees client operations, marketing, and business development functions, ensuring Prometric’s go-to-market strategies, commercial organizational design, demand generation, sales efforts, and performance systems drive growth for clients while delivering a world-class testing experience.

Mr. Baird has dedicated his life to empowering youth around the world for future success and creating sustainable models of workforce development. Throughout his 20-year career, Baird has served associations, governments, and educators around the world. He formerly served as the Chairman and CEO of the Huafeng WFOE, a partnership to bring predictive analytics and AI-driven forecasting for infrastructure in the People’s Republic of China. He currently chairs the Global Center for College & Career Readiness and leads projects to develop global standards for the next generation of planetary leaders.

Baird has co-authored books on accelerated learning and trust-based culture, developed graduate-level curricula, and co-created predictive technology patents. He received a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Carleton College, as well as a master’s degree in Global Business Management.

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.

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.

Kevin Pawsey is Prometric’s Chief Product and Technology Officer. A proven EdTech expert with significant experience leading global organizations in the development of learning solutions, he is focused on the development and execution of Prometric’s product and global technology strategies that are aligned with our corporate strategic initiatives and that support the current and future needs of the global assessment market. Under his guidance, Prometric’s technology leadership team creates and maintains product roadmaps that introduce technological innovations that satisfy strategic client requirements and advance the industry, as well as incorporate voice of the customer at each stage of the product lifecycle.  He oversees the development and evolution of our networking and data management strategies, ensuring that our production systems reflect the highest standards of security, integrity and resiliency in the industry and protect our client’s intellectual property and test taker personally identifiable information.



Prior to joining Prometric, Mr. Pawsey served as Chief Experience Officer and Chief Information Technology Officer for Global Knowledge/Skillsoft, a global leader in IT and technology training serving individuals and organizations. He also held C-level leadership roles with Macmillan Learning, ItsLearning, and RM Education PLC, and was the Founder of Develop.com, an online platform for the next generation of tech focused professionals and associated technologies. He has a demonstrated track record of working with top global technology brands, including Microsoft, AWS, Oracle, Cisco, IBM, Redhat and Dell, and developing and executing innovative product roadmaps, executive trainings, and technology best practices.



Mr. Pawsey attended Kingston University in London, UK, where he earned a First Class Bachelors of Education Degree, a post-graduate Diploma in Audio Technology, as well as a Micro Masters in Digital Leadership from Boston University Questrom School of Business.

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.

Steve Shapiro is Prometric’s Senior Vice President of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Assessments and CEO of Finetune, a Prometric-owned technology company that specializes in AI-assisted assessment and learning technology across the credentialing, licensure, workforce readiness and education sectors. Finetune was acquired by Prometric in 2022.   

In his role, Mr. Shapiro develops highly innovative, patent-pending technology involving AI-enabled products that can organically and creatively produce new content and intelligently classify and meta-tag content.   

Mr. Shapiro is a serial entrepreneur and three-time founder in the education technology and workforce training industries. He is a member of Launchpad Venture Group and Cornell Red Bear Angel Group and a partner with LearnLaunch, a premier EdTech Accelerator program in Boston.   

Mr. Shapiro has a Master of Education from University of Massachusetts-Boston and a Master of Business Administration from Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management. 

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.

Phil Poletti is Prometric’s Senior Vice President of Channel Operations. 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. 

A results-driven executive, Meg Roe leads Prometric’s corporate marketing, public relations, brand management, and crisis management efforts by defining the company’s strategic marketing framework and developing corporate marketing plans to reflect awareness and understanding of the industries and clients that Prometric serves.

Meg brings to Prometric more than 35 years of experience leading world class marketing teams in K-12 education technology and consumer publishing. In her most recent roles, she served as the chief marketing officer at 7 Mindsets, a K12 SaaS organization, and as senior vice president of marketing at Achieve3000, later acquired by McGraw-Hill. Throughout her career, Meg has held senior leadership positions in literacy, dropout prevention, and reading intervention-based K-12 entities including Catapult Learning, Learning Ally, and American Reading company.

Meg holds a BA in Journalism at Marquette University and attend the Villanova School of Business. She currently resides in suburban Philadelphia area.

Dr. Debi Crimmins is Prometric's Senior Vice President of Global Client Advocacy. With more than 25 years of knowledge and experience in customer advocacy and client success, sales team enablement, consulting and solution engineering, proposal design, and strategic partnerships, she leads the Global Client Advocacy team to ensure the delivery of quality experiences and customer partnership to Prometric clients around the globe.

Dr. Crimmins has lead world class advocacy teams in K-12 education technology and assessment companies. In her most recent roles, she served as the Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Government Relations at Edmentum, and as Senior Vice President of Advocacy at Achieve3000, later acquired by McGraw-Hill. Throughout her career, Debi has held senior leadership positions in literacy assessment, career pathways, and reading and math intervention-based K-12 entities including IXL, HMH, and Scholastic. As a former teacher, district leader, and Associate Superintendent, Debi deeply understands the professional’s journey from K-12 education into future college and career development. 

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

Missy Pydo is Vice President and Growth Leader of North America 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 their goals. She leads client executive relationships, strategic account planning, and operational execution across multiple client teams. 

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 is a member of the IT Certification Council. She 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.  

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.

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.