Gisele Larose

Biography

Gisele Larose is President of WebStudy, Inc., (www.webstudy.com) a growing provider of in-class and online learning solutions that go beyond traditional course management systems (CMS) to maximize student engagement and retention. A self-described philapreneur - a cross between a philanthropist and an entrepreneur - Larose commits her talent and resources to fulfill the dual purpose of promoting human welfare while managing WebStudy's fiscal health and customer loyalty. Larose's background in corporate education and training, along with her success in building growing businesses, has helped fuel WebStudy's expansion nationwide. As president of WebStudy, Inc., Larose leads a team of "philapreneurs" with successful track records in information technology, product management, software development, training, marketing, web design, and higher education. Through dynamic research and development, WebStudy's intuitive course management software (CMS) suite provides today's faculty and students with the most advanced online education experience available. Larose began during her early career in occupational therapy, when she realized she enjoyed teaching fellow therapists more than working with patients. She took a position at the Philadelphia Hand Center, whose annual conference gathered 750 experts in the field of hand rehabilitation. Soon, Larose was invited to lecture at clinics and conferences all over the world. Larose left clinical practice to pursue teaching. She joined TheraKinetics, a durable medical equipment manufacturer, at a pivotal stage in the company's growth. As part of the executive team, she helped take TheraKinetics from a $200,000 company to a $30 million company in three years. By hiring medically trained therapists and teaching them sales, Larose was able to create a product brand image that was more about caring for the patient than just selling a product. In her next position, as division director of Continuing Education at NovaCare, Inc., Larose found another opportunity to put her passion for education into practice. Thanks to her focus on clinician education, NovaCare began to develop a reputation for a highly trained staff on the leading edge of rehabilitation. In 1996, when Larose and Joseph Curt Corbi had an opportunity to invest in technology that could revolutionize the online learning environment, she knew that WebStudy, Inc. would be her next challenge. Larose recognized that technology could address two of the fundamental challenges faced by educators: Differences in learning styles and the need for repetition of materials in education. She also recognized the value of giving each student the opportunity to learn at his or her own pace, at his or her own convenience.

EDUCAUSE Publications

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