Our Team
Yardstick takes great pride in the quality and integrity of Yardstick Software employees.
We take serving our customer as seriously as we do our culture of fun, creativity, and professionalism. Please take a minute to meet our team and learn about our fantastic crew and how they are anxious to work with your organization.
Ben Arledge
Developer
Working closely with Don, Ben makes sure that the T2 Platform is in top form. His ability to architect and build custom features ensures that we provide a first class software platform that all our partners enjoy. Ben has a passion for SaaS, and around here a few of us call him a programming rock star. A fan of foosball, baseball, and hockey, Ben spends his spare time traveling or camping with his wife and kids.
Chris LaBossiere
Corporate Development & Co-Founder
As one of the founders of Yardstick, Chris works to see our company grow through satisfied customers and strategic partnerships. A pilot and motorcycle junkie, Chris is happiest when he’s riding around town or flying above it, hunting with his dog Murphy, hanging with his family, or simply enjoying coffee and the morning paper. When he is not completely entrenched in growing Yardstick, Chris is active as a Director on several Boards, including the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation.
Chris Senger
Customer Support Manager
Always ready to lend a hand, Chris helps to set up and maintain our partner’s websites, and keeps them informed about using our platform. Chris is a young pilot with lots of experience in social networking and community management. He loves flying, foosball, fishing and sailing.
Cindi Cunningham
Sales and Operations Coordinator
Working closely with Greg Kureluk and the team in Operations and Sales, Cindi is the queen of reports and spreadsheets. With over 10 years of customer service experience, she is willing to go the extra mile to ensure customer delight.
A collector of graphic tees and all things Wonder Woman, when not glued to her iPhone, she can be found at the local Farmers’ Markets, hanging with her kids, Eliora and Elijah, or baking a batch of her famous cookies for her fellow Yardstickers.
Damon Clooney
Accountant
As part of the finance team, Damon brings to Yardstick an accounting education and 8 years of customer service experience. He ensures the day to day accounting duties are complete and tidy. When he is not crunching numbers, you will find Damon on a softball diamond coaching his excellent Hurricanes softball team. Other than softball, Damon enjoys traveling and spending time with his family and girlfriend Ayvi.
Daniel Huckstep
Developer
Where there’s a problem, there’s Daniel to write software to fix the problem. While enjoying most kinds of programming, Daniel has found a particular interest in the Ruby and RubyOnRails web development communities. As a result, Daniel is a great asset to the team working on Yardstick Measure, bringing next level features to the platform. Not to be confined to only one domain, he is always exploring new technologies and frameworks to try to solve interesting and tough problems. When the laptop lid closes, Daniel reaches for his Kindle or guitar, takes care of his many pets, and finishes it up with a trip to the movies with his girlfriend.
Dianne Riep
VP Finance
As head of all things finance, Dianne works to ensure that partner payouts and invoices are accurate and timely. Dianne also makes sure the Yardstick team gets paid, which guarantees her a spot at the foosball table and a place in our hearts. A fan of books, movies, and spontaneous adventures, Dianne is an enthusiastic mom and friend, who is always up for sharing a nice bottle of red wine, biking the outdoors, and camping with Don and their kids, Courtney and Mark.
Derek Weisbeck
Web Designer
With an extensive skill set and an appreciation for design Derek adds his passion to all websites. Derek enjoys staying on top of current design trends with reading his favourite design blogs. Derek can be found enjoying great food and drink with friends.
Don Riep
President & Co-Founder
An enthusiastic pilot and hockey fan, Don is the sole architect and original programmer of the T2 Platform. Together with Chris, Don founded Yardstick and now works to identify and develop strategic ideas that ensure the continued positive growth of our company. Always up for a game of foosball, Don is your best bet for a partner if you want to win. As much as Don loves coming to work every day, he is equally jazzed at the end of the day when he returns home to spend time with Dianne and his kids, Mark and Courtney.
Emma Lausen
Exam Centre Coordinator
Emma joins the crew of the Good Ship Yardstick, manning the helm of our test centre, deftly navigating the waters of scheduling and coordinating exams across the country. She is the competent and professional face of our in-house invigilation and friendly, enthusiastic voice that manages the booking needs of our clients and candidates alike. Emma is fierce on the soccer pitch, talented behind a camera, loves her cats and shares a birthday with her twin sister.
Greg Kureluk
VP Sales & Marketing
Before you choose Yardstick, you will have many questions. As each partner is unique, so too is Greg’s ability to find the perfect solution for your needs. A sincere workaholic, Greg can’t live without his alarm clock, his iPhone, and his Mac and Monkey. A motorcyclist and music fan, Greg loves a good ride and a loud concert. When not working (which rarely happens), Greg can be found enjoying beers with friends and hanging out with Carole.
Greg Sadesky, Ph.D
VP Psychometric Services
As the big man on campus for our Professional Testing Services, Greg applies his expertise to ensure that your tests are fair, sound, and interpretable. He works with our partners to demystify the process at any stage of the assessment cycle. In his spare time, Greg is passionate about rock climbing and loves to play the upright bass, but his favorite activity is spending time with family and friends.
Greg Pope, MSc
VP Examination Services
As VP Examination Services Greg is obsessed with ensuring that our high stakes customers get the services they need for their examination program, on time, and of the highest quality. Greg Pope and Greg Sadesky are joined at the hip when it comes to psychometrics, providing high stakes customers with soup to nuts psychometric services framed within the Assessment Life Cycle. With a diverse background in psychometrics, product management, and customer service Greg is well positioned to ensure that Yardstick customer solutions are valid and reliable. Working in the past in high stakes testing contexts and leading software developments in cheater detection and Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT), the assessment domain energizes Greg. Informally known within the company as “the third Greg” he has a passion for psychometrics, backpacking, camping, and spending time with his wife Alina and two boys, Logan and Nathanial.
Jenn Lausen
Exam Centre Manager
As exam centre manager, Jennifer brings to Yardstick 17 years senior administrative experience that spans the private sector, post-secondary education and health care fields. Providing support to the sales team and customer service to our clients is her passion. She is the proud mom of grown twin daughters, a lover of food, books, movies, yoga, Star Wars and candy.
Jill LaBossiere
Manager of Administration
Working as part of our finance team, Jill’s strength is in her ability to multi-task and balance work loads while maintaining a positive attitude and team approach. Jill is an avid runner who enjoys the challenge of a marathon and spending time outdoors. When not working or running you can find Jill relaxing with Chris and their two girls.
John Holmes
Customer Support Specialist
John keeps himself busy as a Yardstick Customer Support Specialist by day, and a NAIT Web Design & Rich Media student by night. With any free time that he can find, John can be found playing and listening to music. He is also a huge science fiction fan, and along with that follows closely on NASA’s many on going projects. He is also a big fan of anything with an engine, and very excited about owning his first car, a Chevy Cruze! Any other spare time is spent hanging out with friends, family and his dog.
Melissa Ziebart
Web Designer
Keen to help our Yardstick customers with the design and maintenance of their websites, Melissa has a passion for web and graphic design. Her goal is to approach each project with a unique design solution. Her sketchbook and Mac are always on hand. Melissa is a dabbler of many things and gets inspiration from variety: pilates, painting, reading, traveling and of course a big fan of Dr.Who.
Miao Xu
Psychometrics Project Coordinator
As a Project Coordinator, Miao works closely with Greg Sadesky on the Psychometric Service team. She is responsible for coordinating and project managing the exam administration and development activities for Yardstick’s high stakes customers. Miao enjoys working on data manipulation and analysis. With a computer science background, she is enthusiastic about new technologies and innovations. In her spare time, Miao loves reading, writing, travelling, cooking, and discovering new things. She loves spending time with her fiancé, family, and friends!
Michael Tsao
Regulatory Solutions Specialist
As an expert in the needs of licensing and regulators, Michael works to ensure Yardstick delivers solutions meet the needs of its regulatory partners. Michael has worked in the regulatory world and has diverse experiences, from public policy to product management. He is never far away from his gadgets, and likes to keep up-to-date on the latest and greatest technologies. He loves being on the move, and going up to the mountains to hike or snowboard is always simulating for his mind and body.
Nathan Youngman
Developer
Nathan joins the team with a strong database skill-set and a background in web development that spans 14 years. To stay sharp, Nathan is constantly reading and learning. He recognizes the value of online training, and is excited to be innovating on your behalf! When not glued to his Mac, Nathan enjoys photography and hiking.
Sherri Gebhardt
Customer Support Specialist
A gamer at heart, Sherri fills a dynamic and important role at Yardstick, ensuring that each customer receives website support in a timely and accurate manner. Sherri takes pride in a job well done, and brings to the table a love of the internet. She enjoys all things geek, but particularly likes spending time with her husband enjoying their new home.
Tracey Hill
Director of Media & Communications
Tracey’s positive outlook and creative flare come in handy as she works to further the Yardstick brand through traditional external communications and non-traditional web-based media. A professional communicator, Tracey’s key role focuses on contributing to the company’s strategic communications plan and utilizing company resources to execute that plan. She is a fan of movies and sports, but also enjoys hanging out with friends and family, sharing a good laugh, and planning her next trip abroad. Whether it is camping, biking or climbing a mountain, Tracey is always on the go.