Senior Leadership
Helen M. Parke, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Dr. Parke draws from 33 years of experience as a leading educator, mentor, and researcher in implementing strategic business decisions, improving core processes, and maximizing the impact of learning solutions. She was a graduate faculty member of the University of North Carolina system, where she focused her research publications in the area of transformational teaching. She investigated the implementation of secondary science education in China and Japan, produced instructional videos, developed secondary science textbooks for populations with special needs, and helped faculty members design virtual worlds on a RAVE system. She was also the recipient of several Teaching Computational Science grants from the National Science Foundation to engage teachers in using modeling software for problem solving in 6-12 mathematics and science classrooms.
While working at the university, Dr. Parke served as the director of multiple organizations, including the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, the Center for Interdisciplinary Instructional Technology Research, the Educational Laboratory for Applied School Research and Development, and the Office of Educational Outreach, where she designed and coordinated professional development opportunities for mathematics and science teachers in rural, low-income areas of North Carolina. In support of her commitment to the professional development of teachers, Dr. Parke has led seminars about Transformational Education for global audiences. For three consecutive summers, she organized groups of thirty primary and secondary school teachers to study at the University of Hiroshima and Osaka University as part of a teacher exchange program to promote world peace, cultural appreciation, and inquiry learning in science and mathematics.
Dr. Parke began her professional career as a teacher in inner-city schools in Tennessee and North Carolina, where she taught problem-based science and mathematics to hundreds of middle grades and secondary school students. Since then, she has maintained her secondary teaching certification in Biology and Chemistry and has received many honors, including the U.S. National Resource Center's Middle Grades Science Instructional Materials award, the Program of Excellence Award for the Scope, Sequence & Coordination of Secondary School Science, and the Office of Educational Research and Improvement National Award for Promising Practices in Mathematics and Science Education.
Dr. Parke received her Master's degree from Duke University and her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She also completed the Management Development Program at Harvard University and is PMP certified.
Len Norten
Director, Academy Operations and Partnerships
Len Norten has held senior leadership positions in operations and finance for the past 25 years. He has broad experience in the technology and travel industries with both Fortune 500 companies and start-up organizations. As Director of Academy Operations, he is responsible for leadership of the following areas which support the Cisco Networking Academy: grant and scholarship programs, support desk services, language translations of courses and instructor tools, along with partnership development activities.
Prior to joining Cisco Learning Institute, Len held the position of Vice President, Client Support for Blackboard, Inc., a leading e-learning software company, where he was responsible for customer support and professional services. He was the architect for reengineering the customer support function focused on improving customer satisfaction.
Len started his career with AMR, Inc., the parent company of American Airlines, in the financial planning and analysis function, progressing to Division Vice President of Finance and Administration when he left.
He holds a MBA degree from Keller Graduate School of Management in Chicago along with a B.S. in Economics from Northern Illinois University.
Sandra C. Kemp, CPA
Director, Finance and Accounting
Sandra C. Kemp, Director of Finance and Accounting, is a certified public accountant with more than 30 years experience in public accounting for a large variety of businesses. She most recently owned her own CPA firm in Cary, NC and sold the firm after 10 years to relocate to AZ. Her experience prior to that was with large regional and national accounting firms, including Grant Thornton. She is also a CFP® and holds series 7 and 63 stockbroker licenses as well as insurance licenses.
With a passion for nonprofits, Ms. Kemp has served on many boards including as president of the boards of The Carying Place, an organization that provides transitional housing for homeless families and the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Raleigh NC Chapter. Currently she volunteers as the state tax trainer for the AARP volunteer tax program and as a member of the Valley of the Sun United Way’s Community Investment Committee.
Ms. Kemp received her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and accounting from West Virginia University and her Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
Alison DuBose
Director, Product and Technology Synthesis
Alison DuBose joined Cisco Learning Institute after 7 years of working as a consultant for CLI and Cisco Networking Academy. During this time she focused on implementing process and communication improvements contributing to the successful completion of Technology projects. Alison has experience implementing technology products supporting content management, delivery, and assessment authoring. Prior to joining CLI, Alison was Director, Professional Services for Unicon, an open source services company for education, and held positions with Accenture, Modis and MicroAge. She has her BS in Management Information Systems from University of Phoenix. Beyond her professional commitments, Alison is also committed to her community. Since 2004, she has served on the Auxiliary Board of the Gilbert Boys & Girls Club and been a team captain for the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, benefiting Komen for the Cure.