With his extensive experience in education technology and enterprise SaaS, Marc Barron leads Portico’s high-performing sales team, go-to-market strategy, and revenue organization. He’s passionate about helping institutions improve operations, align product offerings with workforce needs, and enhance student outcomes. As a co-founder of a leading career and technical education platform, Marc was critical in its success, building a strong sales infrastructure, finding the right market fit, and connecting cross-functional teams. At Portico, Marc oversees enterprise sales, specializing in GTM design and account-based growth. He is also an active mentor in the SaaS and EdTech sectors.

Personal philosophy: “Leadership should be grounded in a deep understanding of institutional challenges, and technology should solve real-world problems at scale.”

Natalie Gleason is passionate about transforming higher education through technology and storytelling. She brings over a decade of experience in edtech and B2B marketing to Portico, where she blends strategic vision with creative execution. Previously, she held senior roles at Mongoose, where she helped promote their pioneering student engagement technology, and Direct Development, where she worked on dynamic marketing programs to grow enrollment. Driven by the belief that education should be accessible and personal, Natalie helps schools adopt tools and strategies that truly support student success.

Fun fact: Natalie prides herself on being well-rounded. Great at parallel parking, 99% solve rate on the bonus round of Wheel of Fortune, and bakes (boxed) brownies to the optimal level.

Edward Crowder oversees infrastructure, systems architecture, and long-term technology strategy. He brings over 15 years of experience in enterprise IT, specializing in cloud migration, automation, and scalable real-time systems. Prior to Portico, he led engineering teams across both startups and global platforms. Edward holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and is known for building strong, collaborative teams grounded in trust.

Personal philosophy: “A team that feels heard will go further than one that’s just told what to do. The job isn’t just to lead, it’s to listen.”

Tina Tran leads Portico’s customer success strategy, overseeing implementations and ongoing client support. With more than 15 years of leadership in academic operations, Tina brings deep expertise in SIS integrations, compliance, and institutional change management. She previously served as VP of Academic Operations at a multi-campus nursing school, where she led digital transformations and system standardization across states. Tina holds degrees in sociology, political science, and commerce and administration with a focus in HR management. Her background uniquely bridges institutional needs with system capabilities to ensure schools—and students—thrive.

Fun Fact: Originally from New Zealand and loves to cook – she’s currently making homemade butter.

Ahmed Hafeez is the Chief Technology Officer at Portico, where he leads global engineering, architecture, data, and technology strategy across the company’s SaaS platform. With deep experience in SaaS enterprise software, Agile methodologies, AI/ML innovation, and platform integration/modernization, Ahmed is known for transforming organizations and building resilient, unified technology ecosystems. Prior to Portico, he served as CTO at Veriforce and CAMP Systems, where he drove multi-platform integrations, scaled global engineering teams, and elevated development, quality, and product practices.

Fun facts: Ahmed is a competitive table tennis player, former cricket athlete, and proud father of two NCAA epee fencers. He’s a long-time fan of Calvin and Hobbes—often inspired by the quote, “If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.”

Danny leads payments across Portico. He brings over 15 years of financial experience, 9 of them focused on Payments and FinTech. Experience includes working for processors such as FIS and Worldpay, and leading payment operations at Automattic (the creators of WordPress). His background includes strategy and optimization efforts, as well as defining GTM work and commercial negotiations, to implement the most well-rounded payments landscape.

Fun Fact: Danny always prefers working with his hands, whether it’s restoring classic cars, or finding the next home project to work on.

James Sonderegger leads client, partner, and employee training programs. He brings over three decades of experience evolving training programs and consulting teams for companies including Juniper Networks, Ericsson, Palo Alto Networks, and Alteryx. He is a published technology author, an agentic AI hobbyist with a Master’s degree in Information Systems, and a lifelong learner.

Fun Fact: When not building out role-based learning paths or researching adult education theory, he plays drums for a pop rock cover band in the Seattle Metro area.

Jen Miller helps companies grow without losing their humanity. As a senior HR leader in private equity–backed tech firms, she’s guided executive teams through mergers, rapid scaling, and culture shifts — always with a focus on aligning people strategy to business goals.

Known for turning abstract values into real-world behaviors, Jen builds systems that support performance, leadership, and connection. Her approach balances clarity with compassion, helping organizations operate as one team while staying grounded in what makes them unique.

Fun facts: Jen is a former competitive figure skater!