Prior to joining SANS, Liz worked in higher education for over five years at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL), first as a graduate student research assistant in K-12 Character Education, then as a Student Support Specialist and a Project/Program Coordinator. While employed at UMSL, Liz earned her M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Liz also completed her undergraduate education at UMSL in 2010, with a Psychology major, Political Science minor, and an African Studies certificate. Liz currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri where she enjoys weight lifting, cooking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Anne graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Missouri and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Fontbonne University.  Anne worked in the social services field for 4 years and has worked in Education for 6 years. In her most recent position at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Anne successfully helped build countless programs, serve as an advisor to students and served on the Student Success Taskforce.
Anne lives in St. Louis, MO and is married to Greg. Together, they have one son, Rex. In her spare time, Anne enjoys running, hiking, gardening and reading.

Krysta is responsible for mentoring, coordinating, and enabling a subset of students to complete their academic programs.  Krysta has worked in higher education administration for over 3 years.  Prior to joining SANS Technology Institute, Krysta was the Assistant Director of Veteran Affairs at James Carroll University.  Krysta earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from DePaul University and a master's degree in clinical counseling from John Carroll University.

Rebecca has over four years' experience mentoring/advising students in higher education. Prior to joining SANS, Rebecca was the manager of Veteran and Military Services at the University of Missouri-St.Louis where she oversaw enrollment and retention programs for military-connected students. Rebecca earned her Master's of Education in Counseling and Student Affairs Leadership from Youngstown State University in 2015 and undergraduate degree in International Relations from Kent State University in 2008.  Rebecca currently resides in the city of Saint Louis, Missouri, and enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and gardening in her spare time.

Bridget has nearly 9 years of experience in Higher Education, with a background in working with student veterans. After graduate school, Bridget saw an opportunity to use her own GI Bill experience to serve the student Veterans at The University of Akron, and then continued that work at Cuyahoga Community College, before joining the STI team. Bridget grew up in the military, and also served in the 122nd Army band for 12 years; part of her duties included serving as the unit?s Education Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO). Bridget resides in the Cleveland, Ohio area with her spouse and their daughter.

Ken Smith is the Research Proposal Coordinator for the SANS Technology Institute. He works with students in the Masters program as they prepare their research projects and ensures that their proposals are of the highest quality and cover topics relevant to the industry at large. Ken works full-time as a penetration tester for a large financial institution and is also an adjunct professor of computer science at the University of Mount Union where he teaches coursework in the school's Network Security minor. Prior to becoming an information security professional, Ken spent five years as a signals intelligence operator with the U.S. Army including time served as a member of the Special Operations community. Ken earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems at the University of Dayton and a Master of Arts in Security Policy Studies at Notre Dame College in Cleveland, Ohio.

Wendy has nearly twelve years of experience in Higher Education during which she has held positions in the areas of admissions/recruiting, student affairs, academic affairs, and student advising. Most recently, Wendy served as a Student Success Advisor for transfer students and Veterans at Auburn University at Montgomery where she developed the foundational Veterans Resource Center on campus, instituted the inaugural chapter of the Student Veterans Association of America, and designed a training program for faculty and staff on "Teaching and Working with Military Students." Prior to this position, Wendy lived abroad in the United Kingdom and worked with graduate students at a university just south of Oxford, England. Wendy earned her Masters in Liberal Studies in Behavioral and Social Sciences from Southern Methodist University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Huntingdon College. She currently resides near Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and two daughters and enjoys traveling, photography, running, reading, cooking, crocheting, and coffee!

Leah graduated Magna Cum Laude with her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with a Licensure in Adolescent Young Adult Education for Integrated Language Arts from John Carroll University in 2013. Since graduating she has worked as a Professional Tutor for John Carroll University's Services for Students with Disabilities Office providing writing instruction and support for students registered with the office. Leah has been working part-time for the SANS Institute as a Writing Instructor for the past year and a half reviewing student papers and assignments to support the development of SANS students' writing skills.