Leadership
Our leadership team has over 80 years of combined high technology and educational experience. We’re focused on creating the most trusted learning solutions in adult basic education and workplace training.
OUR TEAM
Jonathan Blitt
CEO
Mr. Blitt has a long and distinguished career spanning 31 years in the high technology arena, including the development of educational software, telecommunications, and establishing network infrastructure. He has leveraged his extensive experience and skillset and committed his time and energy to create the most innovative educational technology company in the adult education space.
Mr. Blitt’s passion for helping people achieve their academic and employability goals led him to design and execute a strategically aggressive roadmap for future learner-centered growth. This growth has included the acquisition and strengthening of Life Skills Education and Paxen Publishing (including Steck-Vaughn adult education), which have secured Aztec’s position as the largest and most comprehensive adult education resource provider globally.
His record of successful private-sector ventures, belief in education as a pathway for sustainable success, and his service to the betterment of communities have led him to be a highly sought-after and active thought partner. He has been an active subject matter expert in the use of multimodal technology in education.
Michael Kheyfets
COO, President
Mr. Kheyfets has more than 25 years of experience in high technology, which he brought to the adult education and employability ecosystem. His deep knowledge of the technology space has proven influential in pioneering much of the contemporary innovation and evolution recently experienced in delivering support services to adult education and employability programs.
A central tenet of his leadership inside and outside Aztec is “continuous improvement,” as it leads to better outcomes and improved quality of life for all. As an experienced policymaker, with a decade of service as both a school board member and city councilman under his belt, Mr. Kheyfets is uniquely positioned to understand the adult education and workforce employability space from both a humanistic and business-strategic perspective.
His complex understanding of the confluence that exists between an individual’s potential and the need for collective impact grants him the flexibility in thought and openness that is required to establish intentional and thoughtful partnerships.
Lindsey Alf
Chief Financial Officer
Lindsey Alf contributes a deep level of strategic knowledge and skill as Aztec’s CFO, having dedicated 17 years in the workforce preparation and adult education industry in the area of finance and accounting. She leads Aztec’s finance operations, accounting, human resources, order processing, and supply chain functions.
Lindsey’s record of professional leadership has proven successful and expansive. Prior to joining Aztec, she served as President/CFO of Paxen Publishing which was acquired by Aztec in 2020. Before that, she served as the Vice President of Finance at Eckerd Connects, a large Florida-based nonprofit. Lindsey has a strong passion for the shared missions of Aztec and Paxen and has spent her career in roles that allow her to focus on providing tools to enable success for every learner.
Phil Thompson
Chief Technical Officer
Mr. Thompson began his 42 year career in technology by starting his own company while in high school programming computers for the light industry. After college he joined Bell Laboratories, leading multiple teams, and cross-industry partnerships creating technology being used every day in your business and home, such as the first voice mail system. Phil was on the team of engineers that created the USB, and while leading the team responsible for Bell’s partnerships with companies including, Microsoft, IBM, and Seimens he received multiple awards including the esteemed Partner Choice Award.
After becoming Vice President of Engineering for Ascend, Mr. Thompson moved on to Lucent Ventures where he held the title of CTO, followed by start-ups including Simtone, a cloud computing company before joining Aztec Software in 2015 as its CTO.
For fun, Phil is the captain of a local First Aid and Rescue Squad, enjoys ham radio, and construction projects.
Michael O’Brien
Chief Revenue Officer
Mr. O’Brien joined the Aztec team bringing over 25 years sales & marketing leadership in software and technology organizations. Currently responsible for all revenue and sales operations at Aztec, he has a history of building teams which bring a blend of continuous process improvement, technology, and team skills development to provide an overall exceptional customer experience. Earlier in his career he spent time in roles around Product Management, Marketing, and Sales Operations to round out experience that helps bring a truly engaging and cross functional approach to leading sales.
In the past, he has worked within education, healthcare, and data management industries, each with a focus on SaaS and/or technology solutions. Prior to Aztec, Mr. O’Brien held head of sales roles in professional education serving the Financial Services industry. Bringing a consultative and trusted advisor approach to customer engagement, he focuses on long term successful relationships between Aztec and their clients.
Adriane Fajnor
Vice President of Operations
With over 30+ years of client support, sales and training expertise, Adriane Fajnor serves as the Vice President of Operations for Aztec Software, a leader in implementing cutting-edge technology to serve at-risk learners. By understanding how adult learners interface with education and technology, Ms. Fajnor is responsible for directing the client relations activities and is passionate about ensuring and pursuing client satisfaction and their engagement while sharing best practices for implementation with Aztec’s learning solutions as well as presenting these proven results at various conferences around the country.
Ms. Fajnor has held several key leadership roles related to sales and training in various New Jersey-based organizations throughout her career. She continues to be an advocate for reaching communities and the underserved through technology & education at various charitable and faith-based organizations. Making connections is her sole pursuit wherever she goes! She holds a B.A. in English/Education from Rutgers University.
Rafa Diaz Martinez
Vice President of Client Success
Rafael, Vice President of Client Success, is responsible for leading the Client Success Team focused on increasing the overall success and growth of programs and the adult learners they serve.
For over 15 years, Rafael has passionately worked and served at the intersection of community advocacy, public policy, education technology, government relations, and business development. Before joining Aztec, he worked at the GED Testing Service for seven years in different roles, including director of community and corporate engagement.
Rafael is a recognized educational leader who serves in multiple capacities, including as an elected member of his local school board and several non-profit and workforce development boards. The intersectionality of his positions has shaped his deep conviction that every learner – regardless of age – can unlock their untapped potential via a solid infrastructure of support and education.
Deanna Crosson
Strategic Director – Adult Education
Deanna Crosson leads the Aztec sales team to provide organizations with thoughtful, customized solutions for their educational and workforce challenges.
With over 30 years of educational publishing experience, helping adult educators and uplifting adult learners is her passion. She and her team work closely with programs to understand their overall community and system stakeholders, allowing a deeper insight into structuring outcome-centric solutions tailored to meet their needs.
Her long history of sales leadership includes serving as the national sales director for Paxen Publishing, which joined the Aztec family in 2020. Additionally, she has held external-facing positions at various organizations, including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Deanna is recognized as a thoughtful, knowledgeable leader who is always willing to share her vast experience with clients and staff.
Sal Scotto
Chief Architect
Sal ScottoDiLuzio joined the Aztec team as the Chief Architect in 2015. Throughout his career, he has gained extensive experience in the areas of system and software engineering, database administration, hardware, data application services, IT security, enterprise architecture, applications development, testing, and technical writing.
Sal’s 20 years of experience as a Software Developer has transitioned the Aztec Software platform from a desktop application to an online resource available to students nationwide.
Ryan Yuran
Director of Support
Ryan Yuran serves as the Director of Product Support and brings 16 years of experience to Aztec. As the Aztec Support Team leader, Ryan leverages his wealth of programmatic experience, technical knowledge, and consultative approach to deliver operational and professional development support to clients.
His team is responsible for ensuring that each client receives a comprehensive yet tailored training and support experience from implementation through the entire engagement furthering Aztec’s goal of continuously enhancing the client experience.
Ryan’s extensive leadership and experience have played a key role in client satisfaction and service. He is committed to ensuring that his team provides effective thought-partnership, achieving high-quality service, and building and maintaining lasting client relationships.