Our Story
“Great schools require great oversight and accountability. This is often an overlooked or under resourced role in the charter schools movement, yet key for the charter promise to be fulfilled. Our passion to equip the crucial work authorizers do and positively shape the educational landscape is the core motivation behind Epicenter’s® development.
Our desire- Help authorizers effectively and efficiently manage the communications and exchange of information and documentation necessary to fulfill all the legal, contractual and regulatory reporting requirements associated with chartered schools.
Epicenter® is the embodiment of our passion. A web-based software system leading authorizers around the country are using to organize, streamline and automate this work 24/7/365. We hope that Epicenter becomes the base – or Epicenter – upon which you, your team and the schools you charter will rely on to end the paper chase and get the peace of mind that comes from knowing your organization is on top its game.”
-Jim Goenner
Founding Team, Epicenter (Formerly AOIS)
President & CEO, National Charter Schools Institute
Our Team
» Niroshena Jayawardena
Niroshena Jayawardena
Senior Software Engineer
Niroshena holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from Central Michigan University. He was honored by having his Master’s Thesis selected for International recognition at IADIS International Conference Applied Computing in 2004. He is a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer for .Net (MCSD.Net) and holds the additional Microsoft certifications for Microsoft Certified Application Developer for .Net (MCAD.Net) and Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). He has the unique honor of scoring a perfect 1,000 on the test “Developing XML web services and Server Components with Visual C# .NET and the .NET Framework”. Niroshena has been a part of the development team since 2003.
» Dave Talsma
Director of Application Development
Dave Talsma
Director of Application Development
Dave is a graduate of Michigan Technological University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. He has over thirty years experience in the technology field including United Airlines and Gallagher Bassett. Since 2001, Dave has worked on designing and developing information management solutions for the charter schools industry. Dave functions as the leader of the development team as well as fulfilling the roles of business analyst, application designer, database developer, and programmer.
» Paul Mulder
Datacenter and Technical Support Administrator
Paul Mulder
Datacenter and Technical Support Administrator
Paul graduated from Calvin College with a BA in Sociology and earned a Masters in Public Administration degree at Western Michigan University. Prior to working in IT, Paul spent over a decade in the mental health field as a service provider in both inpatient and community settings; he insists that the career change from mental health to IT is not as drastic as it sounds. Paul has also traveled to various locations in Asia and Europe as a member of the Calvin College Alumni Choir; he has sung with that group since 1986.
Paul joined Corporate Computer in December of 2005 after nearly ten years of IT experience at a large, family-owned department store. Paul’s primary responsibilities include backups, system and network support for hosted and non-hosted clients, database maintenance, and user support.
» David Schroeter
Chief Technology Officer
David Schroeter
Chief Technology Officer
David attended San Diego Community College and Grossmont College in San Diego, CA. David is a Microsoft Certified Professional and has led our networking group since 2002. He is responsible for all datacenter monitoring, service dispatching and helpdesk support.
» Katie Hawthorne
Katie Hawthorne
File Accepter
Katie has obtained an Associates degree in Arts from Kellogg Community College. She is currently working on a Bachelors of Science in Nursing at Grand Valley State University. Katie is a member of our assurance team who reviews files uploaded into our performance tools. This valuable service saves our client’s time during the compliance requirement and file review process. Katie also assists with client related projects.
» Becky Nix
Becky Nix
File Accepter
Becky holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Office Administration from Milligan College, Tennessee. She was previously employed by The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation in Dayton, Ohio before moving to Grand Rapids. Becky is a member of our assurance team who reviews files uploaded into our performance tools. This valuable service saves our client’s time during the compliance requirement and file review process. Becky also assists with client related projects.
» Stephanie McKean
Business and Account Manager
Stephanie McKean
Business and Account Manager
Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting and Finance from Grand Valley State University. Stephanie is responsible for the financial and office administration functions as well as assisting the sales team in providing onsite and online demonstrations of our performance solutions and services. She is the leader of the assurance and customer support team and works closely with clients from the initial setup to providing daily support that exceeds our client’s expectations. Stephanie also works closely with our development team on providing client feedback for new enhancements, testing and design.
» Meghann Murphy
Sales and Marketing Representative
Meghann Murphy
Sales and Marketing Representative
Meghann holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Central Michigan University (CMU). While attending CMU, she worked for The Center for Charter Schools and gained valuable experience using the Authorizers Oversight Information System (AOIS), after graduating from CMU in 2002 she came to work for Corporate Computer, Inc. After working for Corporate Computer, Inc. for over three years, Meghann was promoted to the Sales and Marketing Representative. Her position involves marketing our performance solutions and services nationwide, contacting potential clients, and providing demonstrations over the internet or onsite. She works closely with new clients on the initial setup and implementation as well as conducting training to new users. She assists users on a daily basis to ensure that our team is exceeding client’s expectations.
Meghann enjoys playing an active role in fundraising for local charities. She is a founding member of Kyomi’s Gift and regularly volunteers for Rays of Hope for Haiti.