Our Team

Our Team

Velociteach is a team of industry experts, led by author and educator Andy Crowe, one of the most respected and internationally recognized experts in the project management field.

Every Velociteach team member is committed to going above and beyond for our customers. We believe in relationships and partnerships. Your success is our success! Trust in the Velociteach team to provide you with high-quality products that exceed expectations, and work with the right people that will be there for you every step of the way.

Andy Crowe, PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, Six Sigma Black Belt, CEO- Founder
Bill Yates, PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, Executive Vice President
Ren Love, MS, PMP, CSM, SA, Manager of Curriculum Development, Instructor
Serena Ploessl, BA, CAPM, Manager of Licensing Programs and InSite
Missy Hugenberg, BS, Manager of Live Training
Teresa Roland, BS, Operations Supervisor
Becky Hodgins, CAPM, Senior Client Relations Specialist
Jessica Clevenger, BS, Operations Specialist
Adriana Greene, BFA, Senior eLearning & Graphic Communications Design
Danny Brewer, BFA, InSite Designer, Audio Engineer
• Wendy Grounds, Podcast Producer
• Bob Mahler, PMP, M.B.A., PMI-RMP, Business Development
Harold Samson, PMP, PMI-ACP, MA, AAMS, Instructor
Frank Polack, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, SA, Instructor
Margo Love, PMP, Six Sigma Black Belt, BS, FMLI, Instructor
Neal Whitten, PMP, InSite Contributor
•  Alan Zucker, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, SA, ITIL, MA, Instructor

Andy Crowe

PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, Six Sigma Black Belt, CEO-Founder

Andy Crowe is the CEO and founder of Velociteach, as well as the author of Alpha Project Managers: What the Top 2% Know that Everyone Else Does Not, and the most recently published PMI-ACP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try. His textbook The PMP® Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try is the top-selling textbook worldwide to prepare for the PMP exam.

Andy’s career began in software development with firms such as Manhattan Associates and  Intellinet.  From there he moved on to working  with globally -recognized organizations and  projects such as Europe’s largest e-commerce site, Project Canopy, as well as serving on the Advisory board for Microsoft’s DNA and.NET.

In 2004, Andy served on the Project Management Institute’s team for the 3rd edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)® and the Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3).  Andy’s vision for Velociteach led to the creation of InSite, our premiere e-learning portal which is now used by Project Managers on six continents and his licensed training tools are being used in over thirty countries across the globe.

Andy is a Project Management Professional (PMP), a Program Management Professional (PgMP), an Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), and a Six Sigma Black Belt. He is passionate about jazz trumpet, and he served on the board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cobb County. He is an alumnus of the Leadership Cobb and Honorary Commanders programs and completed the Leadership Atlanta class.  Andy lives in  Kennesaw, Georgia with his wife and 3 kids.

Bill Yates

PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, Executive Vice President

Bill Yates is the Executive Vice President of Velociteach. Bill holds the Project Management Professional, Program Management Professional, and Agile Certified Practitioner credentials from the Project Management Institute.

Before joining Velociteach in 2005, Bill worked in the utility industry for eighteen years managing software projects across the United States. His experience was with some of the nation’s largest utility companies.

From 2011-2013, Bill served on the Advisory Group for the PMI Registered Education Provider program.  This group of eight advisors represented over 1,500 R.E.P.s, providing their professional knowledge and expertise to guide PMI’s R.E.P. program initiatives.

Ren Love

MS, PMP, CSM, SA, Manager of Curriculum Development, Instructor

Ren Love brings 10 years of unique management experiences, having started her career working in zoos, science centers and Disney’s Animal Kingdom before joining one of the Big Four accounting firms. During her time with the Greenville Zoo as an Education Programs Coordinator, Ren created and delivered educational content, led training for staff and volunteers, and managed various small scale departmental projects. Ren earned the PMP certification and is a Certified SAFe Agilist as well as a Certified Scrum Master. Ren joined the staff of PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) as a Project Manager where she worked on large scale data migrations & data warehousing projects.

Ren’s educational background is just as diverse as her professional one; she holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from Brevard College, a M.S. in Biology from Arizona State University, and a M.S. in Instructional Design and Learning Technologies from Anderson University.

Ren lives on a mountain in Greenville, SC, and when she isn’t working or collecting college degrees, she likes getting crafty, spending time outdoors, and making conversation with strangers.

Serena Ploessl

BA, CAPM, Manager of Licensing Programs and InSite

Serena Ploessl oversees all Licensing Programs and Mobile Learning at Velociteach. Serena is the primary contact for customers interested in delivering Velociteach’s ProQuip live training courses under license. She assists all current and potential clients in determining their project management curriculum needs, registering for licensing, and navigating through InSite, Velociteach’s premier eLearning training platform that offers self-paced, mobile online learning for professional development.

Serena manages a highly skilled design team to develop online content. She also markets and promotes InSite while finding key contributors to help build out new online courses.  She works directly with InSite subject matter experts, customers and resellers from universities, corporate clients, and other training companies to design a custom offering that meets their needs. A key member of the Velociteach team, Serena also provides smooth and efficient coordination of business development and operational process design.

Serena holds a BBA in International Business and Finance from Kennesaw State University. She has lived in 4 different countries and traveled to over 16 others. She loves traveling, spending time with family and friends, and hosting themed parties.

Missy Hugenberg

BS, Manager of Live Training

Missy Hugenberg serves as the Manager of Live Training for Velociteach.  In this role, she supports Velociteach’s clients nationwide and is responsible for all aspects of our instructor-led classes (both traditional classroom and webinar-based).  Missy provides both sales and account management services to our  corporate customers, assisting them with determining their project management training goals and creating onsite or virtually-delivered training programs tailored to each organization’s unique needs.  Additionally, she acts as a liaison between our clients and the Velociteach curriculum development team when custom content creation is desired.

In addition to her client-facing role, Missy is part of the team that provides direction and coordination of marketing, business development, and process improvement efforts for  Velociteach.

Prior to joining Velociteach, Missy worked in software consulting for the Utility industry and as a program coordinator for a pharmacy products company.

Missy holds a B.S in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech.  She loves traveling, spending time with her family, playing golf/tennis/pickle ball, and riding intense roller coasters!

Teresa Roland

BS, Operations Supervisor

As the Operations Supervisor, Teresa works with all departments of Velociteach to ensure a smooth delivery of our products and services and that our clients receive outstanding customer service. Teresa holds a BS in Applied Computer Science with a concentration in Software Engineering from Kennesaw State University. Prior to joining Velociteach, she spent 15 years working and consulting on corporate IT projects across a variety of industries.

Teresa enjoys a number of hobbies including playing disc golf, woodworking, kayaking and travelling with her family. She resides in Acworth, GA with her husband and has a son currently attending the University of Georgia.

Becky Hodgins

CAPM, Senior Client Relations Specialist

Becky Hodgins is responsible for coordinating all aspects of onsite classes, providing outrageous customer service to both businesses and individual students alike. She is the single point of contact for corporate and government clients in the delivery of live training classes, and she assists our students in interacting with PMI as they work toward earning their PMP® or CAPM® certification. Becky also provides oversight in the daily operations of our corporate office.

Prior to joining Velociteach, Becky worked for nearly 20 years in Prudential’s Atlanta office, providing customer service in their relocation division. She enjoys cooking and gardening, and she resides in Canton, Georgia.

Jessica Clevenger

BS, Operations Specialist

Jessica joined the Velociteach team in August of 2022. Before joining Velociteach, Jessica spent over 20 years overseeing proposals and working with various government contracts in a Fiber Optics & Communications office. She has a background of assisting many departments and helping to improve daily operations. Jessica has now carried that into her role at Velociteach to support our clients and students in all areas needed.

In her free time, Jessica loves spending time with her family enjoying all the activities with their 3 kids along with hiking, kayaking, and frequently visiting the North Georgia Mountains.

Adriana Greene

BFA, Senior eLearning & Graphic Communications Designer

As our in-house graphic designer, Adriana enjoys developing and designing new ways to connect with our customers. She collaborates with our product management to bring their ideas to life and generate new sales leads with creative designs and concise, targeted messaging through social media campaigns, brochures, advertisements, tradeshow items, layout design, email blasts and web promotions. Her creations help promote all of Velociteach’s PM training techniques and tools.

Adriana also holds the position of Senior eLearning designer. She leads and trains a team of course designers and helps subject matter experts so they can produce eLearning content. Through a combination of audio, video, graphics, and other learning artifacts her team produces modules online for Insite.

Adriana holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration of Graphic Communications from Kennesaw State University. She enjoys singing karaoke with her girlfriends, practicing yoga, weightlifting, and spending time with her family.  She, her husband, and their dogs, Sasha and Dom, live in Kennesaw, GA. They love visiting craft breweries and going to music concerts.

Danny Brewer

BFA, InSite Designer, Audio Engineer

As an InSite Designer, Danny designs visual aid for eLearning Courses. Danny is responsible for recording and editing audio for eLearning courses and the Manage This podcast. Danny received his BFA in Animation from Kennesaw State University and uses his skills in videography to create interesting and engaging works.

In his spare time, Danny enjoys running, drawing, reading, hiking, and playing with his dog.

Wendy Grounds

Podcast Producer

Wendy brings her many years of work experience and love of people to her position as Podcast Producer of the Manage This podcast at Velociteach. Wendy sees her job as an opportunity to help people make a positive influence in other people’s lives.

Previously, Wendy was employed for 12 years as a Diagnostic Radiographer at Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa before immigrating to the USA. She worked at Johnson Ferry Christian Academy from 2008 to 2017 where she taught middle and high school students and worked in an administrative role in the school office.

Wendy lives in Marietta with her husband and has two kids in college.

Bob Mahler

MBA, PMP, PMI-RMP, Business Development

Bob Mahler brings over 20 years of project management experience to his role as Senior Director of Business Development. His project management roles began as “military operations” while in the U. S. Army.  Bob became a communications expert as a Green Beret, fulfilling many roles during training and combat missions in Egypt, Kenya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.  After 12 years of service, he left the military in 1998 as a service-connected disabled veteran.

Bob’s technical skills led him to Nextel, Nextel Partners, and Sprint-Nextel in a variety of roles.  While in the telecommunications field, he managed a range of infrastructure projects for regional markets as well as strategic national projects including disaster recovery projects in support of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.  Bob also supported responses to California wild fires, the Virginia Tech shooting, and a wide range of federal law enforcement training needs.  He has also managed and supported project teams for the Department of Homeland Security.

In addition to his role as Senior Director of Business Development, Bob wrote an online course bundle, The Project Planning Series, providing a step-by-step guide through developing the 5 major components of the Project Plan. This bundle is available in InSite by Velociteach.

Bob holds a B.A. in Organizational Leadership from Wheeling Jesuit University, and an M.B.A. in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix.

Harold Samson

MA, PMP, PMI-ACP, AAMS, Instructor

Harold Samson brings to Velociteach more than 25 years’ experience in Application Systems Development, 20 of these involved in all aspects of Project Management. As Senior Principal and co-founder of C.W. Costello and Associates, a national provider of business systems consulting services to Fortune 500 companies, Harold gained hands-on experience managing project teams in all phases of the system development life cycle within many different industries, including telecom, insurance, banking, manufacturing, public utilities, retail, publishing, and government.

Harold has been an active investor for almost 30 years, and as an entrepreneur has provided venture capital and leadership skills to three different start-up companies.

Harold graduated with honors from the University of Florida, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer and Information Science. He also holds a master’s degree in Economics from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Harold and his wife live just outside Orlando, Florida.

Frank Polack

PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, SA, Senior Instructor

Frank has over 25 years of experience in project management and information technology as a consultant and instructor. His expertise was in implementing PMOs and enterprise project management tools, as well as providing training in project management and tools. Frank was also a founding member of Emedikon, a consulting firm specializing in medical practice management and electronic medical record systems.

Having worked in several industries including telecomm, aviation and facility management, Frank also had the opportunity to work for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) on special projects such as the Torch Relay, cycling (road and mountain), and Olympic Village Housing Allocation. A highlight of his tenure there was carrying the Olympic Torch in his hometown of Gainesville, Florida.

A member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) since 1996, Frank was president of the Atlanta Chapter of PMI, and sat on the PMI Global Ethics Review Committee for 4 years. He holds a B.S. in Hospitality Management from Florida International University.

Frank lives in Atlanta with 2 college-age sons, and spends his free time traveling in addition to racing and restoring vintage automobiles.

Margo Love

PMP, Six Sigma Black Belt, BS, FMLI, Instructor

Margo Love became a Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI) in 1987, achieved her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in 2000, and earned her Six Sigma Black Belt in 2001, making her a certified project management and process improvement nerd.  She has over 30 years experience managing projects and project managers in information technology for the life insurance and utility industries.

Margo says, “Project management is my favorite process, project managers are my favorite people, and there is not much I’d rather do than talk with project managers about project management!”

A summa cum laude graduate of Charleston Southern University, Margaret lives in her favorite city, Greenville, SC.

Neal Whitten

PMP, InSite Contributor

Velociteach and InSite welcome Neal Whitten, PMP as a course author and contributor to InSite’s eLearning courses.  Neal’s initial series of courses has been well-received by InSite’s community of users.

Neal Whitten is a popular speaker, trainer, consultant, mentor and best-selling author in the areas of leadership and soft skills, project management and employee development. He has over 35 years of front-line leadership, project management and human resource experience. He has authored eight books and written over 150 articles for professional magazines and had been a contributing editor of PMI’s PM Network® magazine for over 15 years.

In his 23 years at IBM, Neal held both project leader and management positions. He managed the development of numerous software products, including operating systems, business and telecommunications applications, and special-purpose programs and tools. For three years, he also managed and was responsible for providing independent assessments on dozens of projects for an Assurance group. Neal is president of The Neal Whitten Group, created shortly after leaving IBM in 1993.

Alan Zucker

PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, SA, ITIL, MA, Instructor

Alan Zucker has over 25-years of experience working in Fortune 100 companies leading projects and large organizations. He has delivered thousands of successful projects and managed major strategic initiatives. Alan has led large organizations and managed multi-million dollar programs with hundreds of resources.

As a leader, Alan has transformed organizations. He simultaneously improved client satisfaction while reducing the cost. He also led an Agile transformation that delivered measurable benefits. In 2016, he founded Project Management Essentials to provide training and advisory services. His areas of expertise are project management, Agile, and leadership. He is a keynote speaker and provides customized training. He is also an Adjunct Instructor at Northern Virginia Community College.

Alan has a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Maryland, a Masters Certificate in IT Project Management from the George Washington University, is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and is an ITIL Foundation certificate holder. He also holds certifications as a Scrum Master (CSM), Scale Agilist (SAFe), and Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP).