I own and operate schools in the US and Canada. I enable higher ed institutions to eliminate paperwork, cut costs, and make technology actually work.
I don't just advise businesses on tech. I build and run the schools using it:
Founder and CEO of an accredited online school. Built its technology, operations and back office from the ground up.
Ran operations, marketing and partnerships for a multi-site organization serving institutional clients.
Founded a SaaS platform and built automated acquisition and onboarding processes that scaled without adding headcount.
More than 15 years working at the intersection of operations, business and technology.
Most schools don't wake up one morning with a "digital transformation problem." These problems simply grow.
A form gets created here. A spreadsheet appears there. Someone starts tracking applications by email. Another system is introduced for student records. Before long, staff are moving information between systems and keeping track of processes that were never designed to work together.
I've experienced this myself while building and operating education businesses. I understand the pressure on staff, the importance of accreditation, the need to control costs and, most importantly, the fact that technology has to work for the people using it every day.
My job is to help you find the unnecessary work, simplify the process and use technology where it actually makes a difference.
ALB in Business Management. ALM in Digital Media Design.
Digital transformation doesn't have to mean replacing everything. Often, the biggest improvements come from fixing a few processes that are creating unnecessary work.
The goal isn't to buy more software. It's to make your institution easier to operate—for your staff and for your students.
Replace repetitive forms, manual approvals, document handling and routine administrative tasks with practical digital workflows.
Find the processes consuming unnecessary staff time and identify where automation, integration or a simpler process can reduce operating costs.
Good processes shouldn't depend on one person remembering how everything works. Build workflows that are clear, repeatable and easier for your team to manage.
Organize processes, records and documentation so evidence is easier to maintain, find and present instead of becoming a last-minute scramble.
Applications, documents, communication and administrative services should feel simple from the student's perspective—not like a collection of disconnected systems.
Better processes and automation can help your institution grow without allowing paperwork and administrative complexity to grow at the same rate.
You don't need to have a digital transformation strategy before we talk. We can start with what is frustrating your team today.
Forms, approvals, records and documents are often good candidates for simpler digital workflows.
If staff are copying information from one system to another, there may be a better way.
Repetitive work is often where automation can provide the fastest return.
We can look at the processes and documentation that make reviews harder than they need to be.
Important processes shouldn't depend on one person's memory or inbox.
More software isn't always the answer. Sometimes simplifying is the better solution.
My experience comes from actually running education organizations, building technology and dealing with the operational realities that schools face every day.
Founded the first accredited online school and built its technology, operations and digital infrastructure.
Worked with public and private K-12 and university institutions, with responsibility for operations, marketing and partnerships.
Founded a SaaS platform for art schools, including automated acquisition and onboarding processes.
Helping education organizations simplify processes, connect systems and make practical use of automation and AI.
Canada Impact Award recipient for e-Learning Technology and recognized for contributions to educational technology.
Digital transformation sounds like a huge project. It doesn't have to be. We can start with one process, one department or one problem that is consuming too much time.
Find the problem.
Understand the process.
Make it better.
Sometimes the answer is automation. Sometimes it's connecting two systems. Sometimes an old system needs to be replaced.
And sometimes the best answer is to leave the technology alone and fix the process first.
The objective isn't to create a giant technology project. It's to make your institution work better.
Tell me what's taking too much time, creating too much paperwork, costing too much money or simply not working as well as it should. We can start there.
mariopochat@alumni.harvard.edu · vanas.ca · Vancouver, BC, Canada
