Dr. Benjamin Heuston President and COO
Heuston is president of Waterford Institute. Heuston graduated from Swarthmore College and earned his doctorate degree in psychology from Brigham Young University. His studies are focused on the relationship between “dose response” and success in children working with technology-based learning programs.
Dr. Haya Shamir VP of Applied Research & Learning and Chief Scientist
Shamir’s research focuses how to best utilize technology to educate young children, and she has been instrumental in the design, validation, and reliability testing of the Waterford Assessments of Core Skills (WACS). Shamir received her B.A. from Haifa University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
Vicki Maetani Education Design Director
Maetani’s primary role is to research and assist in continual content development for Waterford Early Reading Program (WERP) and prepare and present training modules for hundreds of teachers and administrators using Waterford programs. She received her B.A. degree from Brigham Young University and taught in the classroom for nine years before joining Waterford.
Michael Tirenin VP of Design and Creative
Tirenin has extensive experience in developing custom animation and interactive multimedia products. He received his B.S. in Biological Sciences from Drexel University, studied fine arts at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and received his M.A. in Medical and Scientific Illustration from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Cynthia Douglas User Experience Designer
Douglas’ expertise and primary role is to ensure the best possible experience for all users who interact with Waterford products, especially young children. Along with overseeing the Usability Lab, her user experience designs — including games, songs, lessons, navigational systems, and user interfaces — can be found in Waterford Early Learning (WEL) and Waterford Assessments of Core Skills (WACS). She received a B.S. in Elementary Education from Brigham Young University.
