Among other things, what makes our team of superstars especially great is the vast amount of experience we have in K-12, higher ed, instructional design, and Canvas.
We’re proud to use all that experience to bring innovative products and stellar support to Canvas course designers everywhere.
Meet the Cidi Labs team! (Click on an image to view the bio)
CEO & Co-Founder
Chief Instructional Designer & Co-Founder
Chief Technology Officer
VP Business Development
VP Product Management & Marketing
HR & Accounting Manager
Regional Sales Director, West
Regional Sales Director, East
Regional Sales Director, K12
Regional Sales Director, APAC
Sales Support Manager
Customer Success Manager
Amanda González Izquierdo
Customer Success Manager
Jennifer Walsh
Training & Documentation Manager
Customer Support Specialist
Sarah Gregorio
Customer support specialist
Ken Turner
Director of Marketing & Customer Engagement
Events Manager
Instructional Tools Developer
Instructional Tools Developer
Instructional Tools Developer
SYSTEMS DEVELOPER
LTI Tools Developer
LTI Tools Developer
LTI Tools Developer
LTI Tools Developer
Alyssa Gonzales
Development Project Manager
Jacob Bates
Director of LTI Development
© 2023 Cidi Labs, LLC All Rights Reserved
Mike Zackrison started Cidi Labs in partnership with Utah State University in 2016. He’s an ed tech veteran with 20 years experience in product management, marketing, and start-up leadership. In some form or another he’s touched every major system schools use to deliver education. From the LMS (Canvas, Sakai) to the SIS (Banner, Kuali Student) and all the systems in between (CampusPipeline, SCT Luminis, uPortal, plus dozens of integrations), he’s helped forge the unified digital campuses of today.
Right before Cidi Labs he was with Instructure from 2012 to 2015 where he led Canvas’ openness initiatives including growing the partner program to over 150 partners and the number of LTI integrations to over 200 (made available thru Eduappcenter). Working with so many start-ups in this role helped Mike decide that he wanted to start his own company. After a chance meeting with Utah State’s commercialization office and Kenneth Larsen he jumped at the opportunity to start Cidi Labs with them and become a Canvas partner.
Mike holds an MBA degree from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and BA degrees in German and Finance from the University of Utah. When not Edtech-ing, he enjoys traveling with his wife and two daughters, exploring the 40 miles of trails in the foothills above his home on foot or bike, and golfing. Two herding dogs ensure that he gets a walk each day too!
Kenneth is the genius behind DesignPLUS (formerly known as Kennethware), which he invented when he worked as a programmer/analyst with Utah State University’s (USU) Center for Innovative Design and Instruction (CIDI).
Kenneth blends a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences from USU with 14 years of Internet development experience to empower teachers and designers to push the boundaries of online course development.
Kenneth loves exploring the outdoors with his wife and 2 daughters and often spends downtime taking pictures, drawing, reading and scheming new features to add to DesignPLUS.
Chuck Crandall has been working in web development for over 17 years, with 12 of those years working in education technology. Chuck graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, and received an MBA from Arizona State University.
He ran his own web development company for 8 years, and now enjoys his role as head of software development at Cidi Labs.
Chuck is happily married with 5 children. If he had free time, he would spend it hiking, golfing, playing tennis, and skiing.
Matt has spent his career marrying technology with learning by overseeing strategic education software projects, partnerships and institutional improvements. Matthew has provided leadership both inside of education institutions and as part of organizations supporting and providing services to K20 institutions throughout the world.
Matt is dedicated to providing, for all students, regardless of situation or background, the opportunity to succeed in academic endeavors. He has contributed to the building of a student academic performance platform, an open source Student SIS, the most prolific higher education portal in use today and a community-wide adaptive virtual desktop environment for students.
Prior to joining Cidi Labs, Matthew was COO of eLumen, CTO of Hartnell College, Director of IS at Delta College, and Strategic Architect/Snr. Product Manager at Ellucian. He has also been active in multiple open source projects, such as Kuali, Etudes, Drupal and Sakai.
Matt holds an M.S. in Instructional Technology from Utah State University and was raised by his wife and 5 children. When not talking to an institution, you can find Matt being walked on the beach by his dog or nearly drowning in the nearby pacific ocean attached to a boogie, surf or paddle board.
Jennifer’s experience in the ed tech industry dates back to the early days of WebCT, one of the original learning management system companies, where she developed a passion for building tools that enhance teaching and learning. From there, she had the opportunity to work for a variety of companies, all of which serve to enhance some aspect of the educational experience – from college admissions through student retention and even career services – with technology. She earned an M.S. in Educational Technology in a fully online program which enabled her to truly understand the student experience.
She is a Boston native (though you won’t ever hear her say “pahk ya cah”), loves to travel, ski, practice yoga, and spend time with her family.
Kylee joined Cidi Labs in March 2023 as the Accounting & HR Manager. She holds a BS Degree in Business Management from Utah Valley University and enjoys helping the business run efficiently. She brings valuable experience to the position and is happy to be a part of the Cidi Labs Team.
In Kylee’s spare time, she enjoys biking, running, hiking, reading, watching plays or movies, and anything else she can talk her family into doing
Jacoba joined the Cidi Labs team in 2018 as the resident extrovert of the group. She’s done a little bit of everything–face-to-face and online teaching, technology marketing, fundraising, and now has the best gig of her life selling software that makes teaching and learning more accessible.
She has a Master’s Degree in American Studies from Utah State University, has been known to say “rad” in customer emails, loves jigsaw puzzles and books, and has recently begun teaching herself hand embroidery.
Other facts: she’s a mom of two humans, two pigmy goats, and three terrible (albeit sometimes delightful) dogs. She lists the ‘scariest things ever’ as the following (in order): 1. Rabies, 2. Bats, 3. Squirrels, 4. Moose, 5. Birds of prey.
Jen joined Cidi Labs in 2017, after working as a Customer Success Manager at Instructure.
While at Instructure, she supported early Canvas higher ed customers on the west coast and now gets the opportunity to work with amazing schools on the east coast.
Jen has been working for technology companies most of her career although transitioned to the ed tech space 6 years ago and hasn’t looked back.
When not working, Jen loves to entertain and throw dinner parties, exercise, garden and spend time with her husband and 5 step sons!
Brad Moser is an experienced and fun-loving education technology leader with over 15+ years of working with several K-12 school districts. Prior to joining Cidi Labs, Brad graduated from Brigham Young University in Physics Teaching, taught high school physics, and earned his Master’s from the University of Missouri.
Recently, Brad led the Blue Valley School District as their Director of Blended Learning. He is an active participant and always learning with his professional learning network via Twitter and Facebook.
When he’s not tinkering with the latest technology app in the edtech space, you might find him running outside, playing adult league soccer, strumming on his guitar, or riding bikes and exploring Kansas City with his family. He loves to make things more fun. When you are with Brad, life and work are just more rad.
Bob brings over 25 years of experience in education across multiple sectors and geographical contexts, understanding the critical role that educational technology companies play in enabling educational organisations to deliver on their goals. He works diligently to identify, communicate, and bring to life a vision for his team and clients that clearly articulates where we’re heading, how we’ll get there and how we’ll know when we’ve succeeded.
He brings a high level of energy, passion and enthusiasm to his work. Living in Melbourne with wife and two teenage daughters he spends his time balancing family life with being a golf tragic.
Abby comes to us from the partnership team at Instructure, where she happily worked for 4 1/2 years. While at Instructure, she managed and oversaw 150+ partners, working with them to create dynamic event and marketing opportunities. She loved working with partners and developed a love for the EdTech industry!
Each year, she worked alongside Instructure’s Events Team in creating the much-anticipated annual user event, InstructureCon where she managed and directed the popular “partner hall.”
Abby recently moved to New York City (go figure), where she now calls home. Running in Central Park is her new favorite thing to do, and she secretly wants to steal every dog she sees. She loves people and is an inveterate people watcher. She is a recently converted Yankee fan, much to the dismay of her father, a diehard Red Sox fan. A fun fact, she is a triplet!
Katie has built a career focused on fostering innovation and partnerships in the technology and education sectors. With extensive experience leading strategic initiatives and managing high-impact relationships, Katie has worked with some of the largest names in tech, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, and AWS, to deliver meaningful integrations and solutions that drive success for K20 institutions and beyond.
Before joining Cidi Labs, Katie held leadership roles at Extra Space Storage and Instructure.
Passionate about creating opportunities for all learners, Katie has played a pivotal role in advancing product partnerships and strategic programs that make education more accessible and effective. She has overseen critical initiatives in areas such as business planning, onboarding, and customer advocacy, always prioritizing collaboration and impact.
Outside of work, Katie enjoys outdoor adventures with her husband and daughter, planning road trips, and indulging in her love for black licorice—controversial, but true!
Michelle was Cidi Labs’ first full-time employee. She came to the company with many years of experience in higher ed administration and marketing.
She holds a Master’s degree in Learning Technologies & Instructional Design from Utah State University where she had the honor of working alongside Kenneth. Michelle was a military brat turned military spouse and calls many places home including New York, Hawaii, and Germany.
Her family lives in Utah’s beautiful Cache Valley where they enjoy collecting all the animals – including many chickens and a few mustangs – that they couldn’t move around the world while connected to the military.
Amanda is a first generation college graduate with a passion for helping to create meaningful learning experiences for students. Before joining Cidi Labs, she was an instructional designer at FIU Online, where she first became a fan of Design PLUS. She consistently leveraged Cidi Labs tools to design beautiful, accessible, and consistent online courses.
Amanda has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature. Her studies focused on the literary, theoretical, and cultural productions of the Caribbean and its diaspora.
Amanda is originally from Havana, Cuba, and has lived in Miami for most of her life. She is a lover of books, desserts, art and art history, musicals, and palm trees.
Jennifer brings over 20 years of dynamic experience in Australian K-12 education to Cidi Labs. Based in sunny Sydney, she has taught a diverse range of subjects including Technology, VET (Construction), Geography, and Information Technology across various school sectors. Her passion for technology naturally led her into leadership roles, where she played a pivotal part in integrating learning management systems into vibrant school environments.
It was during this journey that Jennifer discovered her love for DesignPLUS. Captivated by its ability to empower educators to create innovative, engaging learning resources with ease, she quickly became the go-to expert for schools seeking support, inspiration, and strategic leadership to enhance their educational experiences and captivate students.
Outside of her professional life, Jennifer enjoys the best of both worlds living in Penrith and Wollongong with her family. In her downtime, you can find her whipping up delicious dishes in the kitchen, diving into a good book, taking leisurely walks on the beach, or savoring her favorite meal of the day: brunch!
Juli’s Educational Technology career started in 2000, when her community college’s Online Instruction program had just recently launched its first couple classes. Over the years, she worked to grow the program, provided documentation and personal guidance to faculty, and participated in (and later led) many systems transitions, such as WebCT to Blackboard, and Blackboard to Canvas. In an effort to meet increasing demand for support (with a very small team) as the program grew, she began recording video tutorials, built a resource center for faculty, and designed and taught an online Introduction to Canvas course.
When a faculty member introduced her to DesignPLUS, it was love at first sight. She campaigned to get it adopted in her district, had an immense amount of fun creating a webinar training series for it, and ultimately realized a career dream by joining the amazing Cidi Labs team!
Juli combines her love of training and fitness by teaching Pilates at a local studio, and in her downtime is an avid reader and board-gamer. She is a strong believer in the power of playfulness in our everyday lives.
While studying Math and Stats at Utah State University, Claire worked with the university’s instructional technology team, CIDI (yes, the place where Cidi Labs was born!). She loved it so much and was excited to take all that she learned in that role to continue supporting customers at Cidi Labs after graduation.
In her free time, you will find Claire outside running, hiking, and skiing. She also enjoys cooking, painting, and learning new hobbies. She resides in Orem, Utah with her husband.
Sarah comes to Cidilabs with 6+ years of experience serving customers in EdTech. She lives in Midvale, UT with her husband and two kitties, Xellos and Filia. In her spare time, you can find her playing Japanese taiko drums with Kenshin Taiko in SLC, painting, writing, and playing video games.
Ken’s journey in educational technology began with a mission to help educators create meaningful learning experiences through innovation. Starting as a Social Studies teacher and instructional technology coordinator, Ken quickly recognized the power of digital resources to transform classrooms, leading efforts to support teachers in integrating technology in engaging, impactful ways. From guiding districts in adopting platforms like Canvas to designing interactive, inquiry-based curriculum, he has worn many hats—all with a focus on bringing learning to life.
Ken has built a career on empowering educators with tools and strategies that make learning engaging, effective, and meaningful. As a Training & Documentation Specialist at Cidi Labs, Ken focuses on making educational technology accessible, intuitive, and genuinely valuable for instructors. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring the world with his wife and two children, loves learning and always trying to tackle new things, and spending time on the golf course. Passionate about education and dedicated to innovation, Ken believes in the power of technology to open doors and inspire change in education.
Kristin brings to Cidi Labs two decades of varied edtech experience from K-12 classroom teaching and curriculum design to higher education research in online learning. Kristin holds a Master’s in Film and Digital Media from UCF. Kristin’s blend of design insight and creative problem solving have made their way into digital products for Florida Virtual School, McGraw-Hill, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They’ve designed K-12 educational games, presented at SWSX Edu on the field of instructional design, and delivered a keynote presentation on ELL and ESL digital design.
Kristin has a passion for making things; painting, baking, crafting, and costuming are just some of their hobbies. They reside in Central Florida where they can spend oodles of time in nature foraging for wild mushrooms and edible plants. Pumpkin and Zucchini are Kristin’s furry feline office mates that love to join Zoom calls. Kristin believes storytelling can change who we are and how we work together in this world for positive change.
Hannah is a recent 2022 Utah Valley University graduate with a degree in Business Management and minor in Event Planning. She is excited to join the team as an Event Manager! With experience in event and wedding planning, Hannah has been able to successfully plan and execute a wide variety of events. Hannah enjoys spending time with friends and family, organizing fun activities and trips for them. She really enjoys going to the movies, pickleball, traveling, and most importantly, Chick-fil-A...the 3-count chicken strip meal with a Dr Pepper to be exact!
Stefanie is a teacher at heart and a problem-solver by nature. With a master’s degree in Education Policy and a decade teaching high school English, Stefanie loves connecting great research with practical application. She put that passion to work in her previous role as an instructional designer where DesignPLUS enabled her to dream up engaging, customized course design for instructors. Stefanie became a total Cidi Labs superfan and is excited to continue sharing simple yet powerful course design solutions!
Despite being generally techy, Stefanie has a sweet spot for old things: she grew up restoring classic cars with her dad and will nerd out about techniques for stripping wood from renovating her 120-year-old home. She lives in southern California with her husband and two young children and enjoys chances to get outdoors. Stefanie is both a picky eater and a foodie and can taste the difference between the pink and white circus animal cookies.
Ethan Deceuster (dee-CUS-ter) is an elementary school teacher turned higher ed instructional designer turned Cidi Labs tools developer. Ethan loves teaching and has a current Utah Level 2 Teaching License. He also has degrees from Brigham Young University and Utah State University.
Ethan currently lives in sunny Washington, Utah with his wife and four children. He is an avid musician and plays many instruments including guitar, bass, drums, and accordion. A few other fun facts about Ethan: he’s enjoyed mild success in the local standup comedy scene, he loves writing songs and micropoetry, and he is deathly afraid of self-driving cars.
Justin has been developing enterprise web applications for over 15 years. Justin graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Information Systems.
Justin has had experience in a wide array of development industries, ranging from ecommerce, automotive, and aerospace.
Justin and his wife have one son and one golden retriever. In his spare time, he enjoys producing music, staying active, playing disc golf, and traveling.
Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Brigham Young University Hawaii. He has been working as a developer for the past 5 years and enjoys working on many projects varying from virtual reality to backend development, learning technologies to implement in his new career at Cidi Labs.
Alongside his wife of 6 years, he spends his free time fixing up his 1930’s home, gardening, mining bitcoin, and training his two rambunctious Australian Shepherd puppies
Jonathan started at Cidi Labs as an intern in the spring of 2022, and joined the company full time after graduating later that year. He completed his B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics from Utah State University. He currently lives in Arizona with his wife and daughter.
In his free time he enjoys nerding out about Sci-Fi Fantasy books, overthinking board game design, and running a D&D campaign for his friends. He also enjoys hiking, Pickleball, and cooking.
Ethan was the first in a wave of new developers to join the Cidi Labs team this past year.
While getting his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Central Florida, he worked on a team of developers there known as the Techrangers. It was there that he got introduced to the world of ed tech and was able to work directly on amazing products such as UDOIT. He was overjoyed to be able to take that experience to the next level by joining Cidi Labs.
In his off-time, Ethan loves to hang out with his cat and play online games with his friends.
John’s passion for coding began in 2011 when he was introduced to the exciting world of Visual Basic. However, he soon discovered that there were better languages to develop in, which led him to pursue a degree in Computer Science at Utah Valley University. While studying, John began working in the university’s Web Development department in 2015, where he honed his skills by integrating various systems and rebuilding their Portal/Intranet system.
Over the years, John’s hard work and dedication paid off, and he eventually landed a role in Mobile Application Development, where he created applications that made it easier for students to access the university’s resources. After several successful years at UVU, John joined Cidi Labs in the spring of 2022 and has been thriving in his new role.
As the youngest of five sons, John learned the importance of being scrappy and adaptable, which led him to pursue Jiu Jitsu and MMA. When he’s not coding or training, John enjoys reading science fiction and fantasy novels, although he occasionally ventures into other genres. He’s also an avid gamer, although he struggles to find the time to play due to his busy schedule. Despite his many interests, John is committed to managing his time effectively and excelling in all of his endeavors.
Skyler holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Brigham Young University-Hawaii. He has experience working in development across various industries such as e-commerce, tourism, and education. Always up for a challenge, he enjoys diving into new opportunities and staying ahead with the latest tools and technologies.
In his spare time, Skyler, along with his wife and daughter, loves spending time outdoors hiking and playing sports. He enjoys anything competitive and fun, so if you ever find a new game to play, just let him know and he’ll be excited to join in!
A Texan turned Coloradan–while she still hasn’t traded in her cowboy boots for hiking shoes, she found her Wonderland in the scenic landscapes of Colorado. Alice in Wonderland is not just a book (or 10) on her shelf; it’s a reflection of her whimsical spirit and love for the extraordinary.
Sunshine is her elixir, and you’ll often find her basking in its warmth with a good book in hand–the great outdoors is her preferred reading nook. Her love for literature, skeletons, and nature collide in a dance of macabre words and sunshine.
The title of “Aunt Salsa” is worn proudly, and she embraces the chaos and joy of little feet running around; family is not just a bond but a source of endless laughter and cherished moments.
Shaunty joined Cidi Labs in 2023 as Project Manager for the product development team. She worked at Instructure in the early days of Canvas and her career. Since leaving Instructure she has worked as a project manager in a variety of environments before coming home to ed tech at Cidi Labs. She enjoys bringing Agile and Lean practices to development teams and has made a career of supporting teams through major organizational improvements.
In her free time, she enjoys crafting, video games, and hanging out with her husband.
Jacob has been in the EdTech industry since 2004, when he started as a part-time developer for the University of Central Florida on the “New Media” team, where he created web applications using Flash and PHP. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, he spent a few years doing web development, mobile app development, content development, marketing, and project management in the military simulation and training industry.
He eventually returned to UCF to lead the Techrangers™ team, which is a group of student developers that help create custom Canvas integrations. One of these integrations was the open source version of UDOIT, and Jacob was the lead developer for that project from 2013 through 2024. You may have met him at InstructureCon after reading the “Ask me about UDOIT” sign on his backpack. He left UCF in early 2024 to join the Cidi Labs team!
In his free time, Jacob enjoys vintage electronics, photography, 3D printing, and generally collecting new hobbies. Also, even though he lives in Florida, he’s originally from Virginia, so don’t go calling him “Florida man”!
Alyssa is the second Alyssa and Business Analyst at Cidi Labs — yes, you read that right, two Alyssas. It’s never confusing. Really. She may be second in that department, but she was first in her family to snag a college degree and dive into the white-collar world. She calls South Carolina home, but with a military background, she’s more of a global nomad than a hometown hero.
With a Bachelor’s in English and a Master’s in Secondary Education, Alyssa’s career path has been anything but traditional. But no matter what role she’s in, Alyssa is all about making an impact — and now, as a Business Analyst, she’s eager to help Cidi Labs cook up even more innovative ideas.
When she’s not turning data into gold, Alyssa enjoys reading (she devours at least 2 books a month), hosting board game nights (prepare to lose), and playing nostalgic GameCube games. She’s also the queen of sneaky vegan cooking, leaving her omnivore friends wondering what kind of magic they’ve just eaten. She’s a dancer at heart, whether she’s swaying to Carolina Shag or spinning through East and West Coast Swing. Don’t be surprised if you catch her twirling on the dance floor — she’s got moves.
Description