Dedicated to the Evolution of STEM Education

We’re a lively group of dedicated folks who live and breathe online education and the development of digital learning resources. We are strategists, educators, technologists, and applications specialists. We listen to our customers and deliver the features and functionality they need. We address challenges of an ever-changing landscape, and we love what we do.

Jeremy Morton
Jeremy Morton

Jeremy Morton, PhD
CEO and Founder

Jeremy Morton founded Expert TA on his vision for improving the way students learn physics.
Dr. Morton first identified and defined the market need for a technology that could offer human-like grading and tutoring interactions while working on his PhD at North Carolina State University. Dr. Morton developed the business concept and convinced his PhD committee that the rigidity of online homework systems was a solvable problem. He published his dissertation, which focused on Expert TA technology, later in 2006.

In 2008, Dr. Morton began the formal business development of Expert TA. He acquired first round of capital and launched the company as an LLC in late 2009. He has served as President and CEO since.

During his tenure, Expert TA has continued to sign up new customers. The company has successfully released new product features and enhancements in response to marketplace requirements. More than a dozen recognized leaders in physics education serve as problem authors for Expert TA.

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Daniel Vail
Daniel Vail

Daniel Vail
Director of Technology

As Chief Technology Advisor, Daniel brings more than two decades of diverse IT industry experience.

Daniel’s experience ranges from hardware and software engineering to team management with companies such as TanData, The Williams Companies, FW Murphy, Occidental Petroleum, and Interactive Collegiate Solutions. He has been an analyst, software developer, DBA, and chief architect on projects as varied as real time telemetry to critical alarming systems and leading edge SAAS architecture.

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Robert Szalapski
Robert Szalapski

Robert “Dr Rob” F. Szalapski
Director of Content

Dr. Rob holds a PhD in Physics with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in addition to a B.S. in Physics with a Minor in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota – Minneapolis. His area of specialization is High-Energy Physics emphasizing theory and phenomenology and building on thesis work of probing and constraining new physics by extending the Standard Model with effective-Lagrangian techniques. He additionally holds four Professional Certificates from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) for teaching Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Students with Disabilities.

After obtaining his PhD, Dr. Rob spent four years in the theory group at KEK in Tsukuba, Japan followed by an additional year in a research position at The University of Rochester. He spent the first decade of this century as a software engineer, first developing electrostatics modeling software for the semiconductor industry, and then working in a dynamics & controls group in a very multidisciplinary aerospace engineering environment. There was some adjunct teaching along the way, and then the second decade of this century was devoted to his true passion: education. After spending six years teaching in public and private high schools, he spent four years teaching in a workshop format at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

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Kathy Blackett
Kathy Blackett

Kathleen D. Blackett, Ph.D.
Content Specialist

Kathy Blackett earned her B.S. in physics from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and her Ph.D. in experimental particle physics from the University of Tennessee. Her dissertation involved searches for photoproduced mesons with exotic quantum numbers. In 1996, Kathy accepted a position as a postdoctoral research associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory, where she continued studies in light quark spectroscopy. Following the postdoc, Kathy worked in the private sector as systems engineer and test engineer for AT&T Local Services.

After taking some time to care for her children, Kathy’s career took a turn to teaching math and physics. She has taught at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg College and Eckerd College. Kathy is passionate about science and is an active outreach volunteer. She has served on the steering committee for the St. Petersburg Science Festival for many years, and currently volunteers for NASA as a Solar System Ambassador.

Kathy is very pleased to be a content author on the Expert TA team.

Jason Smolinski
Jason Smolinski

Dr. Jason Smolinski
Astronomy Content Specialist

Dr. Jason Smolinski earned his B.S. in physics with an astronomy concentration from Central Michigan University (2005), and his M.S. and Ph.D. in astronomy and astrophysics from Michigan State University (2011). He worked as an assistant professor first at the SUNY College at Oneonta and then at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI. During this time he taught introductory physics, introductory astronomy, and upper-level astronomy courses. His research interests focused on globular star clusters, and he has a strong interest in public outreach and pedagogical development. In his spare time, he trains bonsai trees, collects coins, and plays golf.

Jack Cameron
Jack Cameron

Jack Cameron
Director of New Business Development

Jack Cameron earned his B.A. degree in Advertising at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. He started his professional career in brand development and marketing. He was also employed by the OU Student media team helping to manage key accounts for many of the campus publications. He become aware of the importance of customer relationships and retaining those with a long-standing history of supporting the university through paid ad placements.

He is passionate about math and sciences, sports and travel, and family and friends. Before joining the Expert TA team, he was a successful technical sales and account manager for ANSYS Simulation Software in North Texas. ANSYS is an industry leader in the Computational Fluid Dynamics, Mechanical, and Electromagnetics Simulation space with end customers in various industries. He joined the Expert TA team in 2017, and he carries his desire to innovate and help contribute to the company’s bottom line in a multi-faceted capacity.

Spencer Peavey
Spencer Peavey

Spencer Peavey
Technical Account Executive

Spencer is originally from the Kansas City area, and earned his B.A. in Business Marketing with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from the University of Kansas. He has spent his professional career in sales and consulting roles across industries such as tobacco, employee benefits, and Software as a Service, most recently joining the Expert TA team in 2020. His primary focuses at Expert TA are in cultivating new partnerships with instructors and departments, as well as managing ongoing relationships with current users.

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Paul Boody
Paul Boody

Paul Boody
Content Development Manager

Paul Boody is an accomplished educator and world traveler. He is originally from the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. He graduated with an International Business degree (B.S.) in 2008 from Oklahoma State University – Tulsa, with a focus on marketing and management. After graduation, Paul studied Japanese intently by living and working in Japan for nearly ten years. There he was as an elementary school educator, and mentored students on both American language and culture. His primary interests revolve around electronics, music, travel, and science. Paul has been with Expert TA since 2017, and goes above and beyond the call of duty daily. He loves being part of a team that is passionate about education, technology, and customer success.

Lee Younts
Sales Advisor and Member of the Board of Directors

Lee Younts delivers more than 10 years of engineering and customer experience to Expert TA.
With a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University, Lee has focused his professional career in the utility and energy sectors. He has held leadership roles in sales and business development at Progress Energy, a Fortune 500 energy company, and Utility Service Agency where he is integral in the growth and development of the company.

Lee Younts
Lee Younts