Management Team
Our team brings you extraordinary expertise and service. As you’ll see from the bios below, the people at KnowledgeAdvisors have been around the training block. They know about knowledge. Let our team become part of your team. Contact Us today for your consultation. (Think you might have what it takes to be part of our team? Explore our Careers page.)
Kent Barnett
Founder, Chairman and CEO
Co-founder and former president of Productivity Point International (PPI), Kent helped grow PPI to over $100 million before it was acquired by Knowledge Universe. Kent has 15 years of training leadership and 9 years of ROI analysis experience. Kent has an MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Jeffrey Berk
Chief Operating Officer
Jeff led the Benchmarking Group at Andersen prior to joining KnowledgeAdvisors and he brings a deep level of expertise in measurement and benchmarking. He is responsible for managing the internal and customer facing operations of the business and formulating strategic solutions. Jeff is a certified public accountant and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and is an Adjunct Professor at Loyola University of Chicago.
Sara Chizzo
Vice President, Global Accounts
Sara has more than 20 years of experience in the learning & development and measurement space. Prior to joining KnowledgeAdvisors in 2001, Sara spent 10 years selling enterprise-wide learning solutions to Fortune 500 companies and managing $10 million sales organization. Before working in the L&D space, Sara spent seven years as a global business development executive, opening new sales opportunities and partnership in the Asia Pacific region. At KnowledgeAdvisors, Sara is responsible for global business development, specifically focusing on multi-location enterprises who have a large global foot print and complex talent measurement requirements. Sara holds degrees in Japanese and International Business from the University of Minnesota.
Rick Graves
Senior Vice President, Sales
Rick has over 23 years of experience helping clients solve business problems by leveraging innovative technology solutions, with over 15 years of experience in the training and performance improvement industry. Prior to joining KnowledgeAdvisors, he served as a Regional Vice President for Books24x7, a division of SkillSoft, and has also worked for organizations that include PepsiCo, Apple Computer, and Silicon Graphics. Rick is responsible for KnowledgeAdvisors sales management and strategy. Rick holds an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University.
Jeff Grisenthwaite
Vice President, Operations
Jeff oversees service and support to Metrics that Matter® customers, helping clients to optimize use of the technology and improve the impact of their workforce. Before coming to KnowledgeAdvisors, he led the development of eLearning, courseware, and customer training programs for DDC Training Services. Jeff earned a BA in English from Kalamazoo College.
Barbara Kandemir
Vice President, Finance & Administration
Barbara brings 20 years of experience in Finance, Accounting and Risk Management. Prior to joining KnowledgeAdvisors in 2008, Barbara spent 13 years in international banking working for Crédit Agricole in Chicago and at their international headquarters in Paris, 3 years working for the consulting firm, CapGemini Ernst & Young, and 3 years in the Business Intelligence space. Barbara is the Controller of KnowledgeAdvisors and is responsible for the Finance & Administration group, overseeing Accounting, internal IT and Facilities. Barbara holds a B.A. from Valparaiso University and a diploma from the Université of Paris IV – Sorbonne.
Kendall Kerekes
Vice President, Human Capital
Kendall brings over 10 years of Human Resources Executive experience to KnowledgeAdvisors, along with her project management, strategic planning, leadership development, training evaluation, personnel selection/validation, performance assessment/improvement, and change management experience. Having held senior HR positions at Ameriquest and Indymac Bank, her individual practitioner, business project manager, team leader, and Human Resources executive experience brings a real world perspective to measurement methodologies. Kendall earned an MS in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from California State University of San Bernardino.
Jeb Metric
Senior Vice President, Product
Jeb brings over 10 years of experience in custom software development, architecture, data warehousing, and application development to KnowledgeAdvisors and is responsible for all facets of Metrics that Matter® application architecture, development, and infrastructure. Jeb earned a BA from the University of Chicago and is currently studying Chinese.
