Dr. Joseph A. Pica is the founder and CEO of Educational Benchmarking, Inc. (EBI®), a company that provides nationally benchmarked assessments and student retention services to over 1,500 colleges and universities globally, surveying over 12 million students and faculty. Dr. Pica founded EBI in 1994 with a mission to help students make the most of their college experience through the creation of assessment and retention solutions rooted in theory, research, accreditation and professional standards, statistical methods, and the principles of continuous improvement.
Dr. Pica received his Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from Indiana University, as well as his M.Ed. in Counselor Education/Student Personnel Services and his B.S. in Community Development from Pennsylvania State University. In 1983, Dr. Pica joined the M.B.A. program staff at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, and in 1986 he became the first Director of the M.B.A. Program. In 1990, he assumed a newly created Assistant Dean position, where he facilitated the development of new M.B.A. curriculum, established a minority advisory board, and designed and implemented a new student orientation program.
From 1994 to 1998, Dr. Pica served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Graduate Management Council (GMAC). As a member of the Board, he served on the Diversity Project Advisory committee, the Research Advisory committee, the Computer Adaptive Testing Advisory committee, and chaired the Membership Committee and the Research Task Force. Prior to joining the Board of Directors, Dr. Pica was chairperson to the Professional Development Advisory Committee and was a member of the Strategic Planning Task Force. He also served on the Board of Trustees for the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, an 11-university organization to recruit minority students.
Prior to his career in management education, Dr. Pica was a Student Affairs professional at Western Illinois University, including Assistant Director of Residential Programs and Facilities.
Dr. Pica is a recipient of the Lawrence J. Miltenberger Excellence in Housing and Dining Award, the S. Earl Thompson Award, and the ACUHO-I Outstanding Corporate Friend Award. In addition to his role as CEO at EBI, Dr. Pica can be found as a frequent guest lecturer at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, conducting presentations in the areas of team building, presentation skills, marketing of M.B.A. programs, and the challenges of personal and professional growth.
Joanne P. Zinski, Ed. S., is Vice President of Operations for EBI®. Ms. Zinski received her Ed.S. with Highest Distinction in School Psychology from University of South Florida, her M.A. in Diagnosis and Assessment in the College of Social and Behavioral Science from University of South Florida, and her B.S. in the Education of Exceptional Children from Pennsylvania State University.
Ms. Zinski joined EBI in January 2003 and is primarily involved in the supervision of marketing, human resources, and financial management. She previously worked in elementary and secondary education in both the public and private sector in the areas of assessment, diagnosis, curriculum design, and treatment and therapy for students with learning differences and special needs. She has presented numerous workshops for teachers and parents on topics such as understanding and interpreting assessment, functional analysis, behavior management, social skills training, and designing treatment plans.
Tonya Stoll, Vice President of Operations, has been with EBI® for 15 years. Tonya graduated from Missouri State University with a B.S. in Mathematics and a minor in Computer Science. She received her Master of Science Applied Mathematics degree from Oklahoma State University. After graduating, she worked for McDonnell Douglas in their Missile Systems Division for seven years.
Tonya joined EBI in 1996 as their first employee and has been involved in all aspects of the business. Currently, she manages the EBI Service Center in Springfield, MO, and oversees all customer service and support.
Darlena Jones, Ph.D., has been the Director of Education and Project Development for EBI® since 1998. Dr. Jones received her Ph.D. in Physics at Oklahoma State University (OSU) and her B.S. in Mathematics and Engineering Physics from Missouri State University (MSU). Prior to her work at EBI, she served as a faculty member in the Physics Department at both OSU and MSU, earning several research and teaching awards.
Since arriving at EBI, Dr. Jones has published numerous articles in journals including BizEd, Perspectives, and E-SOURCE for College Transitions. She has delivered more than 150 presentations and pre-conference workshops at national and international conferences focused on assessment strategies, program improvement, student success, and retention. She has repeatedly been an invited speaker at the National Conference on First-Year Assessment and at workshops for the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education’s Foundations of Excellence.
Sherry A. Woosley, Ph.D., joined EBI® as Director of Analytics and Research in 2011. Prior to EBI, Dr. Woosley worked at Ball State University in institutional research and assessment, where she led many of the university’s assessment projects, including Making Achievement Possible, the precursor to MAP-Works®. She also founded and directed a graduate-level program in institutional research.
Dr. Woosley is nationally recognized for her work in assessment and predictive analytics related to student retention. She has published numerous articles in publications such as the Journal of College Student Retention, the Journal of College Student Development, the College Student Journal, and Assessment Update. She has delivered more than 100 presentations focused on college student success, the transition to college, assessment methods, and institutional research.
Dr. Woosley received her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Organizations from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), her M.A. in Educational Leadership and Organizations from UCSB, and her B.S. in Secondary Education from the University of Vermont.
As Director of Client Services, Diana McGregor Fulkerson has led over 100 institutions in the implementation MAP-Works®. She is responsible for the Client Services Team as they assist campus project leaders with system set-up, identification of goals, creation of strategic plans, and training of users.
Prior to joining EBI in 2008, she served as a Senior Retention Consultant with Noel-Levitz, an enrollment management consulting firm. Diana has consulted with or conducted trainings at over 50 institutions in the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean. She has also served as the Director of Academic Advising at Eastern Kentucky University and as the Director of Retention and Student Success at Millsaps College.
Diana earned her M.Ed. in Student Personnel Services from the University of South Carolina and her B.A. in Organizational Communication from Murray State University.
Since joining the company, Todd Pica has been instrumental in the growth and development of EBI®’s benchmarking assessments along with the MAP-Works® program. Responsible for all EBI product and service sales, Todd plays a critical role in the overall execution of the company’s mission to have a positive influence on the educational experience of the college student.
Prior to EBI, Todd served in numerous executive sales roles for three of the largest Fortune 100 companies in the country. Todd is committed to helping colleges and universities find effective and efficient solutions for their critical and changing needs.
As Director of Marketing, Lisa is responsible for all company communications, marketing programs, public relations, web marketing and events. Prior to joining the company in June 2010, Lisa spent 13 years working for one of the largest for-profit education companies in the world, where she held various roles in sales, marketing, and regional management.
She has presented at numerous high schools, colleges and universities, and graduate and professional schools across the country. Ms. Hickey has spent over 14 years working with both higher education administrators and students, helping them to enhance the college experience.