
About Us
What if there was a place where students could find everything they need to connect to the right opportunities for their future that match their unique skills, talents, and abilities?
What if there was a place where colleges and universities could easily identify students with specific interests and skills for recruitment?
What if there was a place where corporations could develop relationships with existing and future talent with the critical thinking and problem solving skills necessary to create a high-velocity organization in the 21st century global business environment?
This is the crossroads where students, colleges and corporations meet.

A constantly evolving online ecosystem

Tallo is the first online solution that assists students in designing a career pathway, educators in recruiting top talent to their schools, and employers in developing a stable, continuous talent pipeline.
Tallo creates a world of possibility by bringing together:
Current & Future Talent from middle school and high school to college and PhD
Resources, including scholarship opportunities, internships, and career opportunities
Mentorship
Teachers
Guidance Counselors
Parents
Colleges & Universities
Companies & Corporations
We want to bring talent out of the shadows, and level the playing field for all students - no matter who they are or where they live.
This is the platform where the tools, resources, data, and connections collide allowing schools and organizations to out-educate and out-innovate the competition in the 21st century.
It all boils down to one goal: Create prosperity and possibility for students, educational institutions, and companies -- together.
Our Mission
Our mission is simple: Give talent everywhere the ability to discover and connect with the opportunities in higher education and the global workforce – as early as possible.
The Tallo Team

Casey Welch
President & Chief Executive Officer
Casey Welch comes from an extensive background in technology and education. Before co-founding Tallo, he held leadership positions with NorthTech Partners, Inc. and Stimulus Engineering Services as their Director of Business & Technology Development. Prior to that he served as Lead of Global Policy Management Group at Citigroup. Casey attended Purdue University where he earned his Masters in Engineering/Technology Education and Bachelor of Science in Technology. While attending Purdue’s graduate program, Casey was an instructor for various courses including Manufacturing, Power & Energy, Communications and Construction. Due to his performance, Casey received the Indiana Outstanding Future Educator Award. He also played football for the Boilermakers and earned Scholar-Athlete and All Academic Big Ten honors.
John Welch
Co-Founder
John Welch brings to Tallo over 40 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience. He has held senior executive positions in various sectors including vertically integrated energy operations; fiber optic telecommunications networks; weather related risk management services; cloud based software development; and technology evaluation, investment and commercialization. Mr. Welch was directly responsible for over 20 acquisitions and 6 company start-ups, and served as an associate of a Boston based investment banking firm specializing in energy, engineering and environmental services. Moreover, Mr. Welch has spoken both domestically and internationally in areas related to competitive marketing, data retrieval technology and corporate development. He also has been published in various trade journals and served in a corporate advisory capacity and been a board member to numerous companies and organizations. After 21 years of service, he left as President of Equitable Gas Company to launch DQE Holdings into several new, complementary energy related businesses and technology investments. He was instrumental in the founding of the first energy related weather risk mitigation company in the US. More recently Mr. Welch served as the Chief Technology Officer and Director of an engineering and technology commercialization company and the President and CEO of a technology and project development company. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a BS degree in Environmental Resource Management and also completed the Ventures & Mergers Executive Program at Northwestern University.

Donald Tylinski, Ed.D.
Co-Founder
Dr. Donald Tylinski brings with him over 35 years of experience in education. Before co-founding Tallo, Dr. Tylinski served as Superintendent of Schools for the Seneca Valley School District in Pittsburgh, PA. Under his leadership, the district was recognized for drastically improving it’s ranking for academic achievement in all of Western Pennsylvania. Additionally, Dr. Tylinski led two other school districts to many accolades including recognition as being National Blue Ribbon Schools and top 100 schools in the nation. During his tenures, Dr. Tylinski has been the recipient of numerous awards with most notable being Superintendent of the Year for Innovation in Instruction and Use of Technology and Superintendent of the Year for Instructional Leadership. Dr. Tylinski holds a Doctorate in Education as well as certifications in Guidance, Secondary and Elementary administration. He also earned a BS in General Science and Elementary Education.

John Drozdowski
Chief Financial Officer
John Drozdowski oversees all financial aspects of Tallo. He brings over 34 years of experience and has served in numerous financial leadership roles including CFO of Schoolwires, Stimulus Engineering Services, Inc., NorthTech Partners, Inc. and CombineNet, Inc. Prior to that Mr. Drozdowski held financial management positions with several private and publicly traded service and technology companies. He began his career with Arthur Young & Company where he was a CPA and worked for six years in various audit capacities across a diverse industry group. Throughout his career Mr. Drozdowski has raised over $25 million in private equity and banking transactions, overseen all facets of the accounting, treasury and finance functions, led internal control reviews and performed strategic business planning. Mr. Drozdowski holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University.

Shea Tighe
Chief Engagement Officer
Shea currently directs all college, company, organization, and secondary-level school engagement initiatives. Additionally, he provides air cover and support for the leadership team in strategic planning/vision. He's also a big-time culture enthusiast and strives daily to make Tallo the best place to work in the world...yes, he knows that's ambitious. Prior to joining Tallo, Shea held marketing and design positions with creative firms across the Southeast - the most recent being an Urban Designer with a land planning firm in Charleston, SC. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2008 - Go Dawgs! When not collaborating with his colleagues at Tallo HQ, you can find Shea surfing out on Folly Beach or making his next cup of coffee. He loves coffee.
Channelle Ragland
Director of Strategic Partnerships
Channelle brings leadership experience in youth program development and outreach, fundraising, and executive management. She has experience developing, managing, and sustaining collaborative partnerships and outreach education programs for regional, state, and national organizations. Channelle comes to Tallo from Project Lead The Way where she served as Director of Student Relations. Prior to PLTW, Channelle served as State Director for Indiana’s Twenty-first Century Scholars program and Executive Director of Southwest Indiana College Access Network. Channelle is passionate about transforming youth into thriving, educated, socially conscious citizens. Throughout her career, she has worked to provide under-represented students access to a college education and expose youth to academic and professional opportunities. Channelle is a graduate of Indiana University Southeast with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Masters of Social Work from the University of Southern Indiana. She also studied education leadership and administration through Brown University and Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation's Leadership Learning Cadre. Channelle resides in Atlanta and remains a committed fan of the Indianapolis Colts.
Valerie Keller
Account Manager
Valerie attended the College of Charleston, where she studied English and French. Her account management experience comes from the world of book publishing, but her true passion is empowering students and increasing access to quality education! On the weekends, you can find her lying on the beach, doing poor improv, reading, or (very occasionally) exercising .

Rebecca Craig
Account Manager
Rebecca comes from a family of educators and hopes to continue her parents’ legacy of helping students reach their full potential. She received her Bachelors in English from the University of Illinois and her Masters in English from The Citadel-College of Charleston. While in graduate school, she began teaching developmental English and Composition at Trident Tech, spent a few years doing the same at The Citadel, and although primarily focusing on a career in educational publishing and media, has continued teaching in some vicinity throughout the past eight years. Her favorite thing is connecting with people and learning their stories, so she loves working at Tallo where she gets to collaborate and work with all those committed to student success and opportunity. Above all, Rebecca’s heart lies with working with students and finding inspiration in watching them grow and prosper. She was also born and raised in Chicago and thus will want to feed you, talk sports, and become best friends. It’s best just to let her do it.

Sarah Musser
Account Manager
Sarah graduated from Florida State University and majored in history and anthropology - go Noles! She was so excited to live in a historic city that she moved to Charleston on the very day she graduated. Sarah joins Tallo with a background in educational software and customer support. She is a true people person and thrives when on the road meeting new people! Growing up with a family full of educators, she enjoys nothing more than being in the classroom, engaging with students. When out of the office, you will typically find Sarah chasing her Vizsla, Charlie, or in the kitchen cooking up something new for friends.

Trey Goode
Account Manager
Trey helms from the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, but is happy to now call the beaches of Charleston home. Trey received his Bachelor's degree from UNC Charlotte and spent a few years after college traveling the country as a NASCAR pit crew member. He also has taught Project Lead The Way to Middle Schoolers to help them get an idea of what careers in life they may want to pursue. Building relationships and helping others succeed has always been his passion, and he knows through Tallo this passion will continue to thrive. Most of the time you'll find Trey running with his wife, eating tacos, or cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs!

Brett Lucas
Account Manager
Brett graduated from the University of Findlay with a degree in Special Education and a passion for helping kids in the local community. Having about all he could handle of cold, northern winters, Brett traded snow days for beach days and made the move to the Holy City. Brett comes to Tallo with a background in teaching, recruiting, sales, and account management in a variety of industries and capacities. Brett loves having the opportunity to present and work with people on a daily basis and really thrives on being able to solve difficult problems. When not in the office you can typically find Brett and his wife at the gym, the beach with their two dogs, or enjoying the Charleston food scene!

Emily Todd
Account Manager
Emily is a native of the Upstate of South Carolina, who recently moved to Charleston with her husband, and their golden retriever. After graduating from the University of South Carolina she taught middle school science and computer science for four years. Emily is excited to connect with students and help them use Tallo find inspiration and opportunities to be successful. In her spare time you can find her at the beach, trying new restaurants in Charleston, or going for a run.
Stokes Player
Director of Software Engineering
Stokes thinks in ones and zeros. He started his love of software on an Apple IIe in elementary school in the 80s and never looked back. Stokes went on to receive a BS in Computer Engineering from Clemson University. He thought he would end up in a big city in the southeast, but was lucky to land a job in Charleston after graduation. Since then, Stokes has enjoyed watching the tech scene in Charleston explode. Coincidence? He has worked on everything from messaging systems for the military to enterprise level data exchange software. Stokes now leads the development of the Tallo platform with a super-talented team. He enjoys getting a run in when he can and would love to put his private pilot license back to good use. Most weekends you will find Stokes acting silly at a playground or the beach with his wife and two young sons.

Francis Ani
Software Engineer
Francis Ani worked for nearly 3 years as a software developer for ICF International before joining the Tallo team in February of 2014. He was drawn in by the idea of Tallo because if it existed when he was in high school, he may have studied somewhere else other than in the car during the 12-minute ride to school. He gets instant gratification from bug fixes and loves to solve problems -- so much so that he likes to call himself "The Exterminator." No one else calls him this. Sixty percent of the time, he fixes the problem every time. Francis served 6 years in the US Navy as a Nuclear Machinist's Mate before earning a BS in Computer Science degree in 2011 at the College of Charleston. He would enjoy long walks on the beach if it weren't for the sand. His favorite movies include: When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, and Whiplash. He does rock, rap, and pop karaoke with friends on the weekends.

Jacob Mishler
Software Engineer
Jacob Mishler handles a majority of the technical support and testing for Tallo. He also brings young blood and insight to the college student of today. He recently graduated from the ECPI University with a bachelor degree in software development. He enjoys night walks on the beach under the pale moonlight and a great night for him is sitting at his computer play some good old League of Legends or watching a movie. He is a Scorpio so that should tell you enough about his personality. He is so mysterious that big foot takes pictures of him. He once won a fist fight, only using his beard.

Jenny Schutzman
Software Engineer
Jenny comes to Tallo after a decade of traveling the globe working with international non-profits. Before becoming a Software Engineer, her expertise centered around designing data monitoring and evaluation systems; including data collection, analysis, visualization, presentation and reporting. During that time she worked in 8 countries, lived overseas 4 years, and was most recently based in DC. After a couple of years of being in a plane most weeks, and a different country most months, Jenny decided it was time to remain on the ground and is thrilled to now call Charleston home! These days she is more than content to code non-stop a whole day, giving her introversion the freedom to enjoy playing in puzzles and feels lucky to call it “work”. Hailing from Kentucky, she is regularly looking for live bluegrass and folk music around town and can often be found in her happy place at Awendaw Green.
Ben Martin
Account Executive
Ben brings 7 years of educational and sales management experience to the Tallo team. After graduating from Clemson University with a bachelors degree in History, and a minor in Secondary Education, Ben moved back home to the Pittsburgh area where he began his career. He has held positions ranging from High School teacher to Advertising Sales Manager. Most recently, Ben held the position of Educational Outreach Manager, where he managed a group of inside and outside admissions representatives at Rosedale Technical College in Pittsburgh, PA. Ben has experience developing customized training curriculum for audiences ranging from high school students to corporations needing additional training. Ben thrives on growing a business and seeking new avenues to expand their market. He has developed and managed numerous sales training and sales related initiatives. Basically, Ben is passionate about education and selling and has found his dream job with Tallo! While he is not talking about the importance of education, Ben can be found balling hay, amongst other farm chores he shares with his family on their farm in Fombell, PA. GO TIGERS!!!!

Will Norris
Account Executive
Will is a Baltimore native, who recently moved to Charleston to become an account executive for Tallo. Prior to joining the team, Will helped grow a number of startup companies in the Baltimore/DC area focusing in the higher education, cyber security, and hospitality industries. While not making sales, you can find Will checking out live music or hitting the Beach!

Jen Kolb
Account Executive
Jen Kolb’s blood runs orange after graduating from Clemson University with a marketing and psychology degree. After graduation she moved to Charleston, working as an Educational Courseware Specialist with university professionals from across the country. She is passionate about student success and knows that Tallo will give millions access to the opportunities they deserve. When it is not football season, you can find her on the beach and enjoying time with family and friends.

Stirling Rentz
Engagement & Partnerships
Stirling is from a small town in the upstate of South Carolina but made her way to the coast, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Arts Management and Dance from the College of Charleston. She has a variety of experience in the realm of education including recruiting students for a state university and selling educational software to colleges and universities nationwide. Her true passion is helping others reach their personal goals in education, the workforce, and beyond, which is something she gets to do everyday at Tallo! A few of Stirling’s favorite things are cheering on the Clemson Tigers, trying out new recipes for dinner, running outdoors, and spending time with her family and loved ones.

Kristen Young
Office Coordinator
A proud South Carolina native, Kristen has been living in Charleston for almost a decade. She has eight years of diverse experience in public service, higher education, nonprofit and program management and brings a unique perspective to our team. Kristen received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Augusta University and her Master of Public Administration from the College of Charleston. She has a knack for strategic planning and a passion for helping others in any capacity. Outside of work, you can find her enjoying the outdoors, reading non-fiction and creating original watercolor artwork.

Zach Sciales
Marketing Strategist
Zach runs Air Traffic Control for Tallo’s marketing efforts. He's ideating constantly, optimizing endlessly, and pushing pixels occasionally. Zach is a UNC Chapel Hill alumnus with a penchant for crafting, testing, and perfecting digital marketing assets and strategies. After several years of training, Zach's growth driving capabilities were tested and proven at Brandzooka in the tech startup maelstrom of Boulder, Colorado. The Wilmington, NC native enjoys surfing and writing dark, frivolous fiction in his spare time.
Read All About It
Press Releases
STEM Premier Releases Annual Top 100 National STEM Student Rankings
SME Launches High School Membership Program to Build the Manufacturing Workforce Pipeline
NexTier Bank Sponsors STEM Premier Program in Armstrong School District
SCMA and State Officials Announce the Debut of SC Future Makers
Ed Tech Companies Combine Efforts to Increase Access to College
STEM Premier Releases Annual Nation-wide Ranking of Top 100 U.S. STEM Students
Coding Talent Pipeline Emerges from Eleven Fifty Academy Partnership with STEM Premier
CollegeWeekLive and STEM Premier Team Up To Support STEM Students
STEM Premier and ECPI University Breaking New Ground in Student Connectivity
STEM Premier Announces Partnership with Midlands Technical College
National Technical Honor Society Partners With SCRA-Supported Stem Premier
In The News
USC: Incoming college students commit to STEM studies during ‘Signing Day’ at the S.C. Statehouse
Boeing Presents First South Carolina STEM Signing Day Tuesday, May 9
STEM Premier Top 100 rankings feature four District Five students
York County has the jobs, but students need the skills, experts say
Shaler Area Middle School students learn about career possibilities
Branchville students get new opportunities to find STEM careers
SC Technical College System receives $900,000 grant for apprentice program
Greenville Technical College Announces Partnership with STEM Premier
A window to the future: Online platform connects kids with careers
Summerville High School's engineering program gives students head start on career path
Bridging the Gap for Top-Ranked Female Stem Students Requires Disruptive Strategie
'LinkedIn for students' pairs with state firms to launch STEM initiative
Statewide Campaign to Boost Manufacturing Careers is Unveiled
Opportunity clicks: Mount Pleasant tech firm a matchmaker for students, manufacturers
Building an Educational Pipeline to Create a Skilled Workforce
Panelists discuss training and technology at Florence luncheon