Accelebrate's Management Team

Tim Toomey
CEO

Tim joined Accelebrate as CEO in December 2022 to manage Accelebrate’s business and to drive the next chapter in Accelebrate’s growth. Prior to joining Accelebrate, he was a consultant at Bain & Company and an Infantry Officer in the US Marine Corps. He holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and a Masters in Public Affairs from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Steve Heckler
President

Steve founded Accelebrate in March 2002. He manages Accelebrate's overall curriculum, works with clients to design enterprise-wide and team-level learning solutions, helps lead Accelebrate’s overall strategy, and teaches several times a year (which he loves).

Specialties:

  • Designing enterprise-wide technical training solutions for corporations, government agencies, and universities
  • Facilitating the development of team-level training programs that build genuine competency among the participants in the topics taught, not just "check the box" skills for passing a multiple-choice test
  • Utilizing current trends in cloud and on-premise application development and hosting
  • Blending synchronous and asynchronous learning to maximize results and convenience
  • Leading international business initiatives (Accelebrate has delivered classes in-person and online for students in more than 20 countries)

Prior to founding Accelebrate, Steve served nearly seven years as Vice President and then President of a Washington, DC-based IT training firm.

Steve is passionate about education and ensuring that every Accelebrate student has a successful class with a knowledgeable, engaging instructor and hands-on material that is directly relevant to real-world projects. Within the firm, Steve is one of Accelebrate's lead instructors for Apache httpd, Apache Tomcat, JBoss, and IIS.

Outside of Accelebrate, Steve enjoys spending time with his family, helping lead workouts with a local fitness boot camp, traveling, teaching English and math skills to refugee children, and reading about foreign policy and current affairs. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Stanford University.

Lynn Gant
Director of Sales

Lynn joined Accelebrate in May 2006 to lead the firm's sales efforts. She enjoys building relationships with clients and becoming a trusted learning partner. With each client, she strives to provide the highest quality of service and respect. Lynn loves that Accelebrate tailors its classes specifically to clients' needs and does not try to sell them a "one-size fits all" solution.

Lynn had 13 years of experience working in the training industry before joining the Accelebrate team. She worked for two Washington, DC-based training firms as a Training Manager, Operations Manager and Business Development Director. Outside of Accelebrate, Lynn loves spending time with her family and friends, biking, traveling and exploring new restaurants off the beaten path.

Alysha Ardizzone
Business Development Manager

Alysha joined Accelebrate in 2022 as its Business Development Manager to build relationships with clients and devise training programs that help them achieve their goals. She especially enjoys learning the diverse backgrounds and experiences that make each of her clients unique.

Prior to joining Accelebrate, Alysha spent the last 3 years in the IT security field discovering just how scary the Internet can sometimes be, and before that served five years as Business Development Manager at another IT training firm. When she is not building client relationships, Alysha spends her time with her husband, 2 boys, a giant schnauzer, and 2 bearded dragons. She also enjoys volunteering with her boys' cub scout troop as well as knitting.

Julie Prince
Head of Partnerships & Talent

Julie is focused on hiring top talent and building partnerships that deliver mutual value. She thrives working at the intersection of people and technology and appreciates opportunities to learn and solve problems. From researching tech trends and optimizing processes to strategizing and collaborating with colleagues, clients, trainers, and partners alike, Julie is always seeking to learn, connect, and grow professionally and personally.

In her free time, Julie loves music, photography, meditation, reading, traveling, and exploring nature with her family.

Jason Bell
Director of Technology

Jason joined Accelebrate as a contract instructor in 2005. In 2012, he took on the additional role of Accelebrate's Director of Technology. In that role, he is responsible for ensuring the smooth and effective running of Accelebrate's IT infrastructure and employing new technologies to support the organization's continued growth.

Specialties:

  • Computer software design and development
  • C/C++, Microsoft .NET, Apple OS X, iOS (Objective-C and Swift), and Web-related technologies
  • Microsoft IIS server administration and configuration
  • Future trends in desktop, web, and mobile development. Jason has a keen sense of which technologies are going to be hot and which will not succeed.
  • History, design, and current trends in programming languages
  • Conducting IT training in a classroom environment
  • Creation of IT training courseware
  • Computer systems security
  • Web application security
  • Cryptography

Jason has been computer programming of one kind or another since his father purchased a TI-99/4A in 1982. He was actively working in the field during many of the seminal moments for the industry, including the introduction of Microsoft Windows, the original Macintosh, and the emergence of the World Wide Web. During the early days of Microsoft .NET, his work was featured in MSDN Magazine and he co-authored five books published by Wrox Press.

In the 1990's, Jason served eight years as a member of the United States Air Force. He was involved with humanitarian operations conducted throughout Europe and was later assigned to the Pentagon Telecommunications Center.

Away from work, Jason is an instrument-rated private pilot, enjoys road cycling, is a member of Mensa, and holds several industry certifications including Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD).

Mike Kullen
Training Environment Setup Manager

Mike joined Accelebrate in 2012 and coordinates the technical setup for most of Accelebrate's on-site and online training sessions, ensuring that the classroom computers, rental laptops, or virtual machines are all optimally equipped for a successful class. Before joining Accelebrate, Mike was a backend application & database development consultant for financial firms for 11 years. Prior to that, Mike spent 6 years as a consultant, instructor, and curriculum manager for a training firm in Washington, DC.

Mike has a bachelor's degree in Biology from Georgetown University and several years of acting training from theater programs in Washington, DC and Philadelphia. Mike loves going on adventures with his family, and also dabbles in nature photography and building an open-source media network at home.

Lisa Bell
Logistics & Graphic Design Manager

Lisa joined Accelebrate in 2004 to manage logistics for all classes from start to finish, ensuring that each class runs smoothly. Since joining, her role with the company has grown to also include web development, graphic design, and marketing.

Lisa has a combined degree in business, computers, and arts administration from SUNY Fredonia. She has spent 20 years as a web developer and has been doing logistical management and event coordination since 1989. Lisa and her husband have had many opportunities to travel both inside and outside the US and are eager to explore new places whenever they get the chance.

Anne Fernandez
Web Content Specialist & Instructor Manager

Anne manages Accelebrate's digital marketing campaigns, free webinars, and paid advertisements, and coordinates open enrollment courses. In addition to writing content for and updating the Accelebrate website, she is responsible for the site's Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and assists with sales. Anne holds certifications in Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Digital Media and Marketing, and earned her OMCP (Online Marketing Certified Professional) through Duke University in 2021.

While living in Indonesia, Anne joined Accelebrate in January 2010 to facilitate trainer travel and support training logistics. Prior to joining the Accelebrate team, Anne served four years as a web development trainer for a DC-based firm.

Anne now resides Cairo, Egypt after living in Northern Virginia. She enjoys traveling the world with her husband and two children and teaching indoor cycling to an international community in Cairo.

Jan Rothhammer
Controller

Jan Rothhammer is a CPA with 15 years of accounting experience, mostly in the technology and software-as-a-service spaces. Before joining Accelebrate, Jan served as Controller at Kazoo (now called WorkTango). She holds a Masters degree in Accounting from the University of Texas-Austin.

In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding in Colorado, raising backyard chickens (for eggs), hydroponic indoor gardening, and trying new sushi restaurants.

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