Executive Bios

Jennifer Thalhuber

President/CEO

Jennifer Thalhuber joined AbleNet, Inc., as Vice President of Sales and Marketing in August 2006, and was promoted to President and CEO in April, 2007.

Before joining AbleNet, Ms. Thalhuber was CEO of Atka Software, a Minnesota-based company that develops products designed to enhance home computer activities.

Prior to her work with Atka Software, Ms. Thalhuber founded Jenex Consulting, a privately owned enterprise specializing in business development, planning and strategy. She also served as acting Vice President of Sales and Marketing for AlivePromo, a point-of-purchase technology company based in Minneapolis, and as a product management executive with Kroll Ontrack, a technology firm that provides legal professionals with electronic discovery litigation support software and services.

Jen Thalhuber holds a Master of Business Administration, with an emphasis in New Venture Strategies, from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is also a chemical engineering graduate of the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology. Thalhuber is married and has three children.

Cheryl Volkman

Co-Founder, Board Member

Cheryl Volkman, AbleNet Inc., Co-founder and former Chairman of the Board, stepped down as company's CEO in 2006 to drive a new initiative that focuses on merging academic research with market research. Ms. Volkman's efforts are dedicated to delivering assistive technologies and curricula that consistently meet the highest standards for academic rigor, and can also be brought to market in timely manner to benefit persons with disabilities.

Prior to launching AbleNet, Volkman, a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant, served as the Director of United Cerebral Palsy Center's Preschool Developmental Achievement Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ms. Volkman also founded, and serves as CEO of White Pines Concepts LLC, a company that holds several U.S. patents for accessibility products used by people with and without disabilities.

A committed professional, Cheryl Volkman has served as Board President, Board Member and/or advisor to the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA), the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA), the National Center on Technology, the Illinois State University Special Education Assistive Technology Program, and the Governor's Council for People with Disabilities. She has also served as a Minnesota Chapter President and Officer of The ESOP Association, and was a trustee of the ESOP Foundation for three years.

Volkman is a graduate of Metropolitan State University, Anoka Hennepin Technical College and the Executive Program at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.

Paul Sugden

Vice President of Finance, IT & CFO, Trustee

Mr. Sugden joined AbleNet in 1990 as Head of Financial and Accounting Services, and was named CFO in 2001. Prior to joining AbleNet, Paul Sugden was employed as Controller and Treasure of Bulan, Inc., and served as the Auditor, Financial Analyst and Regional Controller for Minnesota Title Insurance Corporation.

Paul is a member of NOREX, an international association of information technology professionals, and is a professional volunteer affiliate with the Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Sugden holds both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in accounting from the University of Minnesota.

David Binczik

Vice President of Operations & Engineering

Mr. Binczik joined the board of AbleNet in 1994, and has served the company in a variety of executive positions, including Manager of Customer Service, Technical Support and Engineering, and Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining AbleNet, David Binczik was employed as a Production Engineer and Lead Process Control Specialist in the Space and Avionics Group of Minneapolis-based Honeywell.

Mr Binczik is a member of the Executive Group Key Leaders Program and the Minnesota Leadership Manufacturing Alliance. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Metropolitan State University, as well as an associate degree in electronics from Northwestern Electronics Institute.

Jackie Levin

Co-Founder, Director of Research, New Product Development

Jackie Levin earned a Master of Arts degree in Communication Disorders from the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining AbleNet, Inc., Ms. Levin worked in special education as a speech pathologist and educational programmer for 15 years. She was instrumental in establishing a district-wide simple technology project in Intermediate School District 287, an organization serving 13-member public school districts in the west metro area of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The project brought assistive technology equipment and a support service network to over 500 students with severe disabilities.

Over the years, Jackie Levin has served AbleNet in a variety of capacities, including marketing, market development, product development and research. She is a professional member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the American Association for Mental Retardation and the US Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

In addition to her work with AbleNet, Ms. Levin is the founder and CEO of Imagine the Possibilities, and has authored and-co-authored a number of disability-focused papers and books.

William Mills

Board of Director, Chair of AbleNet Executive Committee, & Strategic Planning Chair

Mr. Mills joined the board of AbleNet in 1999. He is President and CEO of William Mills and Associates, a well-known and successful Minnesota management and consulting firm. In addition, Mr. Mills serves as CEO of The Executive Group, a group of CEOs and presidents who meet regularly as an executive think tank, and is a partner in Red Dragon, LLC, an online brainstorming/idea management process. William Mills' work with such industry leaders as 3M, Pillsbury, ATT Wireless, and Alliant Techsystems led to his being recognized as Facilitator of the Year by Leadership Management, Inc., a national network of more than 500 training organizations.

William Mills is an honors graduate from the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota where he received his degree in Engineering in 1979.

Bill Sproull

Chairman of the Board

Bill Sproull has been involved with AbleNet since it was founded, and enjoyed a long and successful career with Minneapolis-based Honeywell from 1955 to 1988. During his time with Honeywell, Mr. Sproull served in a variety of roles, including Strategic Planning, Mergers and Acquisitions and Director of Business Development.

Mr. Sproull also served as President and Chairman of the Electronics Company, President and founder of a private airport focused on sports flying, Trustee and Chairman of the Soaring Society of America Foundation and taught Strategic and International Management at the Graduate School of Business for the University of St. Thomas. He also holds the distinction of being inducted into the US Soaring Hall of Fame.

Bill Sproull holds a PhD in Business Administration from the American University of Washington, D.C.