About Us

As a Marketing Manager, Kellen focuses on finding and connecting with the audiences that could benefit from our rankings, resources, and articles. Growing up, Kellen was surrounded by a family of educators, which sparked his interest in the industry. However when looking for colleges, he struggled to find accurate information. Now, he's passionate about helping Optimal create the resources he would have appreciated when making a college decision, and making sure other students can find our sites. Kellen holds a bachelor's in Business Administration from Seattle Pacific University. Outside of work, he enjoys reading fantasy books, crafting with his hands, and watching sports. Kellen brings the spirit to Optimal through his Music Friday DJ role and his Christmas costumes.

In his 11 years in marketing, Brian has worked in several different industries with the common thread of helping connect people to their passions, whether that be through a music license or a college degree. At Optimal, he manages the outreach team, sharing our resources with the relevant audiences including news outlets, students, and organizations. He also supports our data collection efforts to ensure we have the most accurate and timely data for our sites. Brian holds a drama degree from Kenyon College, and in his free time spends countless hours exploring the music world through live shows, music blogs, and wandering through record stores. He also enjoys the Seattle culinary scene, paddleboarding, and playing squash.

As an outreach specialist, Adrian enjoys getting the word out about our content and resources. His background in content writing and customer support have helped him understand the best ways to connect with relevant audiences, whether that be students, schools, or journalists. Adrian is passionate about the education industry because he gets to support people who are working towards a better version of themselves. Adrian previously served in the U.S. Navy, and in his free time, he's either reading and learning how to write books, or enjoying the outdoors through hiking and biking.

As a former teacher and youth worker with 12 years of experience, Sarah understands the urgent need to expand access to higher education. Through her research and data collection work, she helps create resources that enable students to make informed decisions about their educational future. Sarah also assists students directly by serving as our communications and outreach liaison. A graduate of the University of Washington, Sarah holds a Bachelor of Social Welfare and a Master of Social Work. When not working with prospective college students, she can be found mentoring children through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, traveling, and studying other languages.

As the engineering lead, Gustav ensures Optimal’s products deliver value to users as quickly and seamlessly as possible. He was drawn to Optimal’s small team and mission of helping others obtain a strong educational foundation. Gustav holds two bachelor’s degrees from University of Washington, one in Computing and Software Systems and another in Applied and Computational Mathematical Sciences. In his free time, he enjoys working with his hands and taking care of his family. Some of his favorite projects include constructing an elevator for his workshop, renovating a barn, and building a covered playground for his sons.

In his six years with the company, Samuel has supported several teams including accounts, business growth, and marketing. Currently, he works to develop and maintain our internal reports, administrative tools, and email management system. Before Optimal, Sam spent four years as an English teacher in Japan, allowing him to develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the education space. He holds a B.A. in political science from Transylvania University and an M.A. in East Asian Studies from Stanford University. Outside of work, Sam enjoys spending time with his spouse and son, tabletop board games, and pen-and-paper role playing games.

At Optimal, Valeria works to build out our content efforts across our websites for a seamless end-to-end user experience. She is passionate about contributing to Optimal's mission by displaying data for better decision making and ensuring students can access the resources they need for pursuing higher education. Prior to joining Optimal, Valeria worked at an insurance company in Peru as their webmaster. Valeria holds a Computer Science degree from Manhattan College. In her free time she enjoys learning Peruvian sign language and crocheting -- she has made seven different styles of bucket hats!

As a publishing developer for Optimal, Mario makes sure all of the content we produce goes live on our site for prospective students to access. He also handles any styling changes and content edits on our sites. Mario enjoys being able to work on the front facing side of our sites and derives passion from helping connect students to higher education opportunities and information. He strongly believes that everyone should have the ability to pursue a form of higher education, regardless of economic status or societal biases. Mario holds a Computer Science degree from Western Washington University and in his free time he enjoys ultimate frisbee, playing his ukulele, and cruising through town on his moped.

A specialist in visual design with 15 years of experience, Brian is inspired by creating visuals that are both engaging and creative. Brian is responsible for making Optimal's content and design as visually appealing and intuitive as possible. Brian holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Emporia State University, and has gained design experience working with many companies in the digital space, such as Microsoft and T-Mobile. When not sitting in front of his computer, Brian can be found cruising around Seattle on his Honda Ruckus, listening to music, working out, or spending time in the sun.

In his fifteen years at Optimal, Alan has developed strong relationships with Optimal's partners and employees alike. As the Account Lead, he works to support our partner colleges and bootcamps through campaign management and optimization. Alan is a graduate of Montana Tech of the University of Montana, with a BS in Liberal Studies. He was attracted to work in the education industry based on his belief in the virtue of free thought and personal improvement through discussion, dissent, and analysis. In his free time, Alan enjoys philosophical discussions - in his words, an honest and respectful conversation is about the best thing in the world. The meaning of the name Alan, swift and cheerful, is a true fit for Alan's character.

As an account manager, Susan works to support our partner colleges and bootcamps. Susan came to Optimal with a variety of previous experiences working as an editor, project manager and account manager. As an English Literature and Writing graduate from Marylhurst University, she knows the importance of clear, accurate information and attention to detail. Susan has been passionate about the education industry for as long as she can remember, and understands that selecting the right path is essential to reaching your goals and finding your passions. She enjoys being part of an organization that helps students reach their full potential and loves being a resource for our partners. In her free time, Susan enjoys playing tennis, birding, pickleball, and searching for Seattle's best cup of coffee.