About Us
Eric Cohen, Principal
Eric Cohen is the founder of Funderstanding. He started the company in 1994. Funderstanding has provided design services to corporate clients such as IBM, MetLife and PBS. The company’s expertise in instructional design and knowledge management has generated millions of dollars of value for its clients. The company has done extensive work developing technology to aid clients in the development of products. The process is heavy on Design, with a focus on understanding customers through observational research. The company has also developed major educational programs for companies, helping them leverage education and training to improve the organization.
In addition to the Funderstanding consulting business, Eric started his own general management consulting practice in 1992. As a management generalist, Eric has worked with companies large and small. His focus is on helping companies set strategy, and then realize those strategies through improved execution. He now focuses on small-to-medium sized businesses, leveraging his experience with Fortune 500s, to improve their operation. His work has resulted in millions of dollars of increased profit for his clients. Today Eric manages his consulting practice and several websites, including Funderstanding.com.
Jennifer Krauss, Editor
Jennifer Krauss started her career in the publishing industry working in the subsidiary rights and special markets departments at Bantam Publishing and Little Brown & Company. She then went on to be a Project Administrator for restaurateur Danny Meyer, of the Union Square Hospitality Group. She developed a management training program for the organization, ran their public relations department and organized philanthropic events. Following that she worked in various marketing, event-planning and human resources roles for several dot.coms and hospitality organizations in New York. In the past four years Jennifer has been working on editing, content development, community building and event management for several websites, including Funderstanding.com.
Bob Sullo, Contributing Writer
Now a full-time consultant, Bob Sullo has been an English teacher, school psychologist, school adjustment counselor, and school administrator. During his career of 30+ years in public education, he worked with students from pre-kindergarten through high school. Bob also taught at the college level for more than 15 years, teaching courses on both the undergraduate and graduate level. He is a senior faculty member of The William Glasser Institute and former representative to the Advisory Board of Directors. Bob has a BA in English, a Master of Arts in Teaching, and a Certificate of Advanced Educational Specialization in school psychology. He has provided workshops and trainings to schools, agencies, and businesses in more than two dozen states, Canada, South America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
In addition to consulting, Bob has written numerous books about internal control and motivation. Teach Them To Be Happy and the accompanying activity book I’m Learning To Be Happy help teachers and parents teach the concepts of internal motivation and personal responsibility to young children. The Inspiring Teacher offers educators specific strategies to create the schools our children deserve. Activating the Desire to Learn was a member benefit book provided to more than 100,000 educators world-wide. It uses a case-study format to show how to apply the principles of internal control psychology across grade levels. Managing to Inspire: Bringing Out the Best in Those You Supervise details how those in management can move from bossing to leading to enhance their effectiveness. Bob’s most recent book is The Motivated Student. Drawing from recent research, this book describes how to get students in every grade focused and ready to learn. You can learn more about Bob and his work by visiting his website, internalmotivation.net. Bob can be reached at Bob@internalmotivation.net.
Dr. Daniel Barth, Contributing Writer
Daniel Barth is a former research scientist who turned his talents for innovative laboratory work toward education. As a scientist, Mr. Barth did work in microbiological toxins for the US government, explored immunology as a National Science Foundation researcher, and was a research staffer at Cal Tech studying the molecular genetics of cancer cells.
Soon after he started teaching in 1985, Mr. Barth realized that traditional textbook based methods of teaching science were very different from the dynamic and exciting way he had experienced science as a researcher. Traditional teaching was driving students away from science; those who stayed loved science in spite of the poor manner in which it was taught. Barth developed a teach by design philosophy that challenged students to apply what they knew to design and build a solution to a practical problem. He believes “science is a verb” and students in his classes might find themselves designing and building aircraft, submarines, roller coasters, tractors, or even rocket-powered cars.
A telescope owner since childhood and an active astronomer for more than 40 years, Dr. Barth is the author of the four-week Maurice on the Moon program, an adventure book about a young boy growing up in a lunar colony. The program includes hands-on activities and experiments based on the story. The program is so successful that school districts in California, New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida are now using Dr. Barth’s “science through literature” approach to teaching. Dr. Barth is currently the Physics/Astronomy Program Chair at Tahquitz High School in Hemet, CA and the Associate Professor Astronomy at Mt. San Jacinto College in San Jacinto, CA.
Dr. Barth was awarded the prestigious 2009 Amgen Award for Excellence in Science Education for his Maurice curriculum and he was awarded the “Science is For Kids” Foundation fellowship in 2009. He was recently nominated for the 2010 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. You can learn more about Dr. Barth and his Maurice on the Moon curriculum by visting his website, www.mauriceonthemoon.com.
Kelly McLendon, Contributing Writer
Kelly has been a freelance writer for four years. She writes for a variety of publications, primarily writing about environmental issues. Currently studying Environmental Policy and Journalism at Indiana University, she also works for a weekly newspaper.
Sarah Lipoff, Contributing Writer
Sarah Lipoff has been writing since 2008. She has been published through BabyZone, Parents, Funderstanding and Education.com. Sarah has worked as a K-12 art teacher, museum educator and preschool teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Science in K-12 art education from St. Cloud State University. Along with creating informative and educational articles, Sarah is a parent to her own young child that often gets to test out all her inventive ideas. You can read more of her writing at: http://sarahlipoff.com.
Lori Day, Contributing Writer
Lori Day is an educational psychologist and consultant based in Concord, MA. She has worked in the field of education for over 25 years, serving in varied roles in public schools, private schools, and at the college level. Her work with students has spanned the years from preschool through young adulthood in traditional academic settings, alternative programs, and special needs placements.
Lori has over 10 years of experience in private school administration, including expertise in admissions, placement, financial aid, diversity work, special education, faculty mentoring, marketing, strategic planning, and other areas. After seven years as Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at The Fenn School, she became the Head of School at Odyssey Day School, overseeing all academic and administrative functions of the institution, and supervising all areas of student, parent, faculty, and administrator support.
As a blogger for the Huffington Post and as author of the Concord Journal’s educational column “A Day in the Classroom,” Lori enjoys writing about teaching and learning, school life, educational psychology, child development, multiculturalism, parenting, social media, current news and trends in education, and many other topics.
You can learn more about Lori and her practice, Lori Day Consulting, by visiting her website, www.loridayconsulting.com, and by reading her blog, “It’s Your Day,” at http://loridayconsulting.com/wordpress/. Lori can be reached at lday@loridayconsulting.com.
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