In 2004, Alex Stone and Greg Voss assembled a team of instructional technology experts and business professionals whose primary mission was to devise a new model for distance learning designed specifically for K-12 learners, teachers and public school administrators. The result of this collaboration is the holistic model for blended learning. In order to offer this exciting new form of learning and teaching to as many students as possible, they began the application process with the PA Department of Education to begin a cyber charter school. Soon after they began this process, they realized that they could serve PA's public schools better if they offered their products and services directly to districts, so they abandoned their efforts to start another cyber charter school and they began building their network of districts.
VLN’s Founders
Dr. Alex Stone
Alex has been immersed in the field of instructional technology since 1990. He has extensive experience as a consultant and a good deal of hands on experience as a designer and developer of educational multimedia. In 2003 he began to explore cyber schools and he worked as a high school technology teacher for a cyber school in Pennsylvania as he completed his doctoral studies. In addition to his experience as a K-12 cyber school teacher, Alex has designed, developed and delivered many online courses for both adult and K-12 learners and he has done a good bit of research on distance education with an emphasis upon its practical use in public schools.
In 2007, Alex received his doctorate in the field of instructional technology from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and his research interests include: blended learning, learning objects & learning object-based instruction, pragmaticism, semiotics & abductive logic, critical theory, clarifying the differences between online education for K-12 learners and adult learners, and dropout prevention.
Greg Voss
Greg Voss has an extensive business background that includes finance, business operations, and business valuation. He brings the financial and operational expertise needed to successfully manage VLN Partners’ growth. Mr. Voss will be responsible for business-planning and operations as well as establishing and maintaining financial operations and he helps with the educational consulting activities.
Board of Directors
Our board of directors is actively involved in many aspects of our organization's operations. Our board includes several prominent educational researchers, K-12 teachers and administrators, instructional technology and online learning experts and business professionals who continually conduct research on blended learning and other relevant topics that affect K-12 distance education.