Our Team

NewPath Learning Management

NewPath Learning's management team possesses extensive experience in the educational market as well as in the development and management of successful, customer-focused businesses:

Kurt Gelke, President & Co-Founder – Mr. Gelke is responsible for NewPath’s general management, marketing, sales, finance, and administration. Prior to co-founding NewPath, Mr. Gelke was the President of Neo/SCI Corporation, another successful startup in the science education market. Neo/SCI was sold to the Wickes Group, a New York City private equity firm, in 2004 and later to School Specialty where its products continue to be a significant part of that Company’s science education business. Before co-founding Neo/SCI, Mr. Gelke was President of Ward’s Science (currently a division of Avantor/VWR) and, previous to that, spent eight years as the Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Planning for Bush Industries which grew from $40 million in annual sales to nearly $500 million during his tenure. Mr. Gelke holds a B.S. in Applied Science and Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Upon graduation from West Point, he served as Combat Engineer Officer in the 101st Airborne Division. Following completion of his military service he received an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Mr. Gelke has served as a board member of the High Technology of Rochester business incubator; Howe & Rusling Wealth Management, LLC; the President’s Advisory Council at Aquinas College; the Private Industry Council of Chautauqua County, NY; and the Jamestown Jammers Professional Baseball Team.

George Nassis, Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer – Prior to co-founding NewPath Learning, Mr. Nassis co-cofounded Neo/SCI which was sold to Delta Education a division of School Specialty in 2004. At Neo/SCI, Mr. Nassis was responsible for the development of the company's innovative line of interactive virtual lab software, hands-on lab investigations, as well as a variety of other teaching resources. In addition to the commercial success generated from the 500+ products developed during his tenure, Mr. Nassis' efforts were widely recognized by the industry for their innovation and quality. His efforts resulted in receipt of the coveted Teacher's Choice Award as well as the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers. Furthermore, Mr. Nassis has worked extensively on the development & production of educational programs for a variety of publishers & organizations which include Intel, Pearson; HRW; the Smithsonian Institute; NASA; & the American Chemical Society. Prior to founding Neo/SCI, Mr. Nassis headed product development at Ward's Science, (currently VWR) where he was responsible for the research, development and production of Ward's proprietary products. Prior to joining Ward's, Mr. Nassis worked in research and development at the Bio-products Division of Eastman Kodak. Recently he was the principal investigator for two SBIR Phase I and Phase II grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He holds a B.A. in Biology and an M.S.Ed. in Science Education, both from the University of Rochester. Mr. Nassis is a member of the Dean's Advisory Committee at the University of Rochester Warner School of Education and a member of the George Eastman Circle at the University of Rochester. At NewPath, he directs the product development strategy and innovation, as well as shares in general management responsibilities.

Linda Johanneman, Accounting Manager - Ms. Johanneman is an experienced financial professional who graduated Summa cum Laude from St. John Fisher College with a B.S. in Accounting, with a minor in Economics. Linda was awarded the Charles P. Wolfe Accounting Award for excellence in her academics as well as demonstrated qualities of character and integrity. Subsequent to graduation, Ms. Johanneman was a Senior Accountant at Eldredge, Fox & Porretti, LLP. She was later employed by Eastman Kodak as a Financial Reporting Analyst in the Controller’s Office. Most recently, Ms. Johanneman was the Accounting Manager at Flightline Electronics where she received the President’s Award for Excellence. Linda holds a license as a Certified Public Accountant in New York.

Dr. Lynn Gatto, Director of Professional Development - Dr. Gatto taught in Rochester City Schools for 35 years and is known for her highly motivating and innovative teaching methods. As a lead teacher, mentor and professional developer, Lynn’s presentations, workshops and speeches have been widely attended and highly acclaimed at the national, state and local level. Her methods and research have been described in numerous education journals and books. In addition, Lynn has been featured in an hour-long documentary, "A Life Outside" that chronicles six months of life in her classroom. Lynn was the recipient of Disney’s American Teacher Award, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and a Toyota Tapestry Award. In 2004, she was New York State’s Teacher of the Year. Ms. Gatto holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Monmouth College, a M.A. in Special Education from Nazareth College and a PhD from the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education. In addition to developing and presenting NewPath’s professional development courses, Lynn has also contributed to the company as the author of several of its products.