FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2021 – A true pioneer of research who funded laboratories worldwide at Apple’s Advanced Technology Group, a PhD in child and youth care, and a proven leader in transforming new opportunities into market success have joined the Snorble® Advisory Board.
The trio joins the first group of dynamic entrepreneurs who committed their expertise to the development of the interactive children’s companion when the Advisory Board was created earlier this month. Further members from diverse backgrounds will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We are delighted with the way the advisory board is taking shape and we will continue to add more influential people to benefit Snorble,” said Mike Rizkalla, CEO and Co-Founder of Snorble. “We are engaging a dynamic and wide-ranging combination of experts in many fields, including child education and care, research, robotics, AI, mathematics, strategy and business development.”
The latest group of influencers joining the Snorble Advisory Board are:
Michael Carter, who has overseen educational new media research and technology-rich classrooms and funded laboratories worldwide at Apple’s Advanced Technology Group. He advised Steve Jobs in the early days of Mac and NeXT and earned his PhD at Stanford University.
Heather Modlin, who has worked with young people in residential care for 30 years, most recently as Provincial Director of Key Assets Newfoundland and Labrador, an organization providing residential and family-based care to children and youth. She has a PhD in Child and Youth Care from the University of Victoria.
Brent Shelton, who is a proven leader in identifying and transforming new opportunities into market success and has a wealth of expertise in health tech operations and financing. He was the Senior Business Program Manager for M&A, Integration, Business Development and Technology Scouting at Medronic.
The trio joins previously announced members Steve Chambers, an experienced high-tech CEO, who has led start-ups and large tech company operations, including Jibo, the world’s first social robot and is currently an Ed.L.D. doctoral candidate at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education; Bob Christopher, an entrepreneur renowned for his pioneering in robotics with the creation of Pleo, the first life-like robot using the LifeOS AI platform; and David Saab, former managing director at JPM and the co-founder of Aperture Investors, who is a successful serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in the financial industry.
Snorble encourages the adoption of healthy habits through learning and fun playtime activities, and then, at the end of each day, supports the development of positive customized bedtime routines for children. Snorble is the brainchild of a team that has extensive backgrounds in education, kid’s entertainment, children’s health and wellness, and consumer products, and includes a former Walt Disney Imagineer. Currently, Snorble can be preordered through
Backerkit.
Snorble Advisory Board Bios
Michael Carter oversaw educational new media research and technology-rich classrooms, and funded laboratories worldwide at Apple’s Advanced Technology Group. He advised Steve Jobs in the early days of Mac and NeXT. He focuses on learning, digital media, and games, strategy, research, design, and development.
In Paris he studied with brilliant observers of human experience including Claude Levi-Strauss, Jacques Lacan and Michel Foucault. He advised Vint Cerf when he founded the Internet Society, made a home for Douglas Engelbart's Bootstrap Institute at Stanford University, and was coached by Chairman of the Board of Intuit, William Campbell.
At Apple’s Advanced Technology Group, he oversaw educational new media research and technology-rich classrooms, and funded laboratories worldwide. He shaped the curriculum that Oxford, Stanford and Yale delivered to their alumni online and created programs with faculty from leading business schools at Pensare.
At Digital Pictures, he created ‘What's My Story?’ to help children learn to tell their stories. As Chief Playwright at Zookazoo.com, he designed and produced games for kids in a virtual world to help them appreciate endangered species and conserve natural resources. He helped design a new generation of online mathematics courses for the Hewlett and Gates foundations and created more than a dozen math games to help students decipher arithmetic and master algebra.
“I am honored to have been invited by such a dedicated and passionate team to help bring the best learning to the kids they will serve,” said Michael.
Heather Modlin has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the child and youth care field.
Heather has published several journal articles and book chapters and has presented at multiple national and international conferences. Her areas of interest include residential care, family involvement, child and youth care worker development, supervision, organizational culture, and holding environments.
Heather is a former president of the Council of Canadian Child and Youth Care Associations and the Child and Youth Care Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, a founding board member of the Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation Board of Canada and a former board member of the Child and Youth Care Certification Board. Heather is the Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the International Child and Youth Care Network, an editorial board member of the Relational Child and Youth Care Practice journal and a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Social Services Workforce Alliance.
Heather has an MSc in Child and Youth Care Administration from Nova Southeastern University and a PhD in Child and Youth Care from the University of Victoria, where she is also a sessional instructor. In 2017 Heather received the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for Community and Social Development in Newfoundland and Labrador, in 2018 was the Atlantic Canada nominee for the RBC Women of Influence Social Change Award, and in 2019 was shortlisted for the Lynn Factor Stand Up for Kids Award.
“I am honored to be joining the advisory board of Snorble,” said Heather. “I truly believe Snorble has the potential to be transformative for children experiencing sleep and bedtime issues.”
Brent Shelton is a proven leader in identifying and transforming new opportunities into market success with a wealth of expertise in health tech operations and financing.
He was formerly VP of Clinical/R&D operations at Cardialen, President of Virtias, CEO of Lumen Medical, and VP of Once Innovation and Sr Business Program. He was the Senior Business Program Manager for M&A, Integration, Business Development and Technology Scouting at Medronic.
As President & Principal Consultant for business planning, fundraising and program management at Virtias Advisors, Inc, Brent provided start-up Fortune 100 businesses the guidance needed to excel at expansion, fundraising and execution in business, business planning and product development, specializing in medical technologies.
Brent is a dynamic product champion who delivers value to a business by identifying and cultivating high-value business and product innovation for providers and their patients.
“I am excited to be a part of a very talented team focused every day on supporting the development of healthy customized routines for children,” said Brent. “Importantly, the technology that makes Snorble so magical is also extensible to other applications, making Snorble an important platform play beyond the children’s market alone.”
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About Snorble:
The flagship Snorble product is an engaging and intelligent buddy that helps children and families develop healthy habits and bedtime routines. By blending proprietary natural language processing and AI with an animated character, Snorble creates an experience for families that has never been seen before. For more information about the company and its products, visit
Snorble.com.
