Hands-On Learning is pleased to announce Kevin Melendy as President and CEO, and John Miller as Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer. Melendy, with a track record of more than 25 years of transforming technology organizations, and Miller, a serial technology entrepreneur, have combined efforts to address and solve the current experience gap between the STEM workforce and needs of industry. Melendy and Miller were drawn to Hands-On Learning for its unique approach to solving this problem in today’s STEM workforce through innovative distance learning solutions and consulting services. Hands-On Learning is a distance learning technology and consulting company providing innovative STEM solutions to align higher education and private industry for effective workforce development.

“Joining an organization like Hands-On Learning is invigorating. Everyday we’re taking a major problem in this country and advancing real solutions to impact change,” said Kevin Melendy. “The United States has made significant progress in addressing the STEM challenge at the K-12 level. However, we’re targeting an entire generation that, despite its potential to effect change immediately, has been largely overlooked: today’s generation.”

As President and Chief Executive Officer, Melendy is building long-term business strategies that focus on Hands-On Learning’s core competencies to drive business. Melendy is poised to serve as a leading agent of change for Hands-On Labs relative to corporate culture and product development and is developing the personnel resources necessary to fulfill the company’s vision and empower employees to act as change agents. Prior to joining Hands-On Learning, Melendy served as CEO at Spectral Response, helping to transform the company from a struggling family-owned business to a leading competitor in its market.

Serving as Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner, Miller leads Hands-On Learning’s consulting arm, HOL Consulting Services, working to align private industry and higher education institutions to prepare students for STEM-discipline careers. Miller utilizes more than 14 years of experience serving 700 universities and hundreds of thousands of student experiences in distance learning to advance Hands-On Learning’s initiatives. He founded and led three successful Silicon Valley technology ventures – two M&As and one IPO – with successful outcomes.

“My concern lies in how the United States can differentiate in the world economy. With innovation as the hallmark of our nation’s success, we must take considerable steps to address the gap in STEM workforce competency,” said John Miller. “Hands-On Learning tackles this issue head on by pairing the STEM industry with higher education institutions to improve competency-based learning and deliver it in a way that is unhindered by time, place or education level.”