Teachstone Appoints Mike Benzian as Chief Product Officer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Teachstone^®, a leader in early childhood training and certification, announced that Mike Benzian has joined the company as Chief Product Officer. Benzian will oversee Teachstone's product and marketing strategy and lead the company's product development, product management, and marketing teams.

"Bringing on Mike as Chief Product Officer demonstrates our commitment to investing in the right products to solve the early education market's complex challenges," said CEO Brad Groff. "With his entrepreneurial spirit, business leadership, and proven ability to execute, Mike will advance our mission."

Co-founder Bob Pianta added, "We are thrilled that Mike has joined the team. We believe his passion for education, combined with his product and go-to-market experience, will take Teachstone to the next level. These strengths will inspire us to continue pushing the envelope when it comes to the design, fit, and function of our products."

Benzian is an experienced entrepreneur and product builder with over 20 years of experience in building and growing companies. Before joining Teachstone, he served as an executive with Silverchair Holdings and was the President of Silverchair Learning Systems, an eLearning company. He has led teams that have distilled complex market needs into engaging product offerings. Benzian holds an MBA from Darden and a BA from the University of Virginia.

"I am excited to join Teachstone. It makes sense that the right instruction begins with the right interactions," said Benzian. "There's no question that teachers understand the content they're teaching, but we need to help them bridge the gap between that knowledge and their ability to build meaningful relationships with children. I look forward to being part of a company that makes a substantial difference in the lives of children."

About Teachstone

At Teachstone, everything we do is about improving the ways teachers interact with students. We offer training for coaches and observers, deliver online programs, design professional development—all grounded in one proven fact: classroom interactions have a lasting impact on children's academic and developmental success. We help teachers improve those interactions with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System^® (CLASS^™). This proven observational measure takes the guesswork out of determining what is—and is not—effective teaching. When paired with powerful professional development resources, the CLASS system gives educators the insights they need to make lasting changes in the ways they connect with children.

Lisa Rogoff
Marketing Director, Teachstone
434.244.5414
[email protected]

SOURCE Teachstone