About Us
Faculty & Leadership
J. Kent Crawford, PMP, PMI Fellow
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Kent Crawford is the CEO and founder of PM College and Project Management Solutions, Inc. (PM Solutions). His experience spans more than twenty five years, where he has been responsible for the development of systems requirements and the functional design of integrated project management systems for a number of Fortune 500 organizations.
He is the Former President and Chair of the Project Management Institute (PMI®). During his tenure in office, Mr. Crawford implemented innovative programs, which resulted in an astounding fifty percent membership growth for the Institute. His leadership in PMI has been widely recognized as a primary driver in PMI's success.
Mr. Crawford is a recipient of the PMI Fellow Award, PMI's highest and most prestigious individual honor. A prolific speaker and advocate of the profession, he is also the award-winning author of The Strategic Project Office: A Guide to Improving Organizational Performance (for which he won a David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award from PMI), Optimizing Human Capital with a Strategic Project Office, Project Management Maturity Model: Providing a Proven Path to Project Management Excellence, and Project Management Roles & Responsibilities.
Deborah Bigelow Crawford, PMP
President
As President of PM College, Debbie Bigelow Crawford is responsible for the fiscal management and quality assurance of the PM College program. Her previous experience as Executive Director of the Project Management Institute (PMI) during its high growth phase has given her the expertise to manage and develop new initiatives and programs for this fast-paced and innovative project management training company. Ms. Crawford also serves as Executive Vice President of Project Management Solutions, Inc. (PM Solutions).
Previously, she served as the Executive Director of the Project Management Institute (PMI), and was instrumental in providing the foundation and infrastructure for the exponential growth that the Institute has maintained over the last 10 years. In addition, she served as the Executive Director of the PMI Educational Foundation.
Over the last decade, she has authored numerous articles in PM Network, Chief Project Officer, and Optimize magazines. Ms. Bigelow Crawford is also co-author of the book Project Management Essentials. She has presented a variety of papers as a speaker at international symposia and conferences, and is a member of the National Association of Female Executives and the Project Management Institute.
Dan Crick
Account Executive
As Account Executive for PM College, Dan Crick partners with our clients and strategic accounts to develop customized professional development solutions which provide the targeted knowledge and skills essential to achieving and maintaining a high performing organization.
Mr. Crick brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the learning and development field. Prior to his five years with PM College, Dan worked for Convergys Corporation Learning Solutions as a Senior Account Executive providing Learning Business Process Outsourcing solutions to Fortune 500 companies. He also worked for AT&T as a Senior Performance Technologist in the Network Sales Training organization.
Mr. Crick holds his Master of Science degree in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University, and his Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Politics from Coventry Polytechnic in Coventry, England. Dan is fluent in German and Swiss German.
Helene Matthews, PMP
Director of Product Development
As Director of Product Development for PM College, Helene Matthews is responsible for maintaining the entire curriculum, developing new PM College courses, and customizing courses for clients. Additionally, she introduced a new instructional design model currently in use at PM College.
Ms. Matthews has over 20 years of experience and success in training and development. Prior to PM College, Ms. Matthews worked as an assistant vice president at Aon Consulting, as a global technology training manager for Towers Perrin, as an education consultant for PRC, as a training officer for First USA Bank, and as a teacher of group dynamics for Red Clay Consolidated School District. At Aon Consulting, she developed and deployed a project management curriculum, designed and implemented a competency-based learning program for professional staff, and implemented a new learning management system to support the program.
Ms. Matthews has a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Delaware and a Master's in Education from Penn State University. She is an active member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD).
Maria Kelly O’Hara
Director of Operations
As PM College's Director of Operations, Maria Kelly O'Hara leads the operational functions for developing, implementing and administrating the delivery of PM College training programs. Ms. Kelly O'Hara joined PM Solutions from the Project Management Institute (PMI) where she held the position of Education Administrator during the launch of PMI Seminars. In this position, she managed seminar administration, marketing and instructor communications. She also initiated the expansion of PMI Seminars worldwide.
Ms. Kelly O'Hara has published in PMI's Seminars & Symposium Proceedings and has also been a presenter at PMI's Annual Seminars and Symposium. She is a member of the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD).
William P. Athayde, J.D., PMP
Senior Instructor
As a Senior Faculty Member of the PM College, William Athayde's responsibilities include classroom training, course development, and consulting on training issues as well as project management. Mr. Athayde gained his project management experience working in oil spill and hazardous materials remediation projects, construction, systems development and integration, and as the program manager of a team composed of 120 representatives of fourteen federal agencies, six state governments, and industry.
Prior to joining PM College, he served as President of EHS Associates, an environmental, health, and safety consulting firm providing services to companies such as Exxon Chemical Americas (and its successor, Exxon Mobil Chemicals), and taught project management courses for various organizations, specializing in procurement management and risk management. Previously, he served as Technical Director, and then Executive Vice President and CEO of Industrial Marine Service, in Norfolk, Virginia.
Mr. Athayde has authored various papers and spoken on disaster recovery planning and operations, project and program team dynamics, CAMEO® (Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations), and emergency response. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from the University of San Francisco (California) (USF), and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from University of Houston Law Center. He also studied law at Universidad Catolica Santa Maria (Arequipa, Peru). He is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
Ruth Elswick, PMP
Senior Instructor
In addition to teaching the PM College curriculum, Ruth Elswick contributes her extensive project management experience in curriculum development and instructor mentoring.
Ms. Elswick gained her project management experience working within FDA-regulated industries. She has held various project management positions for major pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device organizations. These positions included managing a multi-million dollar global biotech start-up as well as establishing a project office and the implementation of a project selection process. Prior to joining the PM College, she was President of Elswick Project Management, Inc., performing consulting and training services to Fortune 500 companies such as Baxter Healthcare, Dade International, Warner Wellcome, IBM, Motorola, AT&T and UPS.
Ms. Elswick holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of South Carolina and a Master's Degree from East Carolina University. She currently serves as an adjunct professor in project management at Florida International University and is active in the South Florida PMI chapter as a PMP Exam Prep Instructor.
Paul Lombard, PMP, CQM
Senior Instructor
As a senior faculty member of the PM College, Paul Lombard's responsibilities include classroom facilitation, course development, and project and quality management consulting and instructor mentorship. Mr. Lombard gained his project management experience as a project and program manager for the U.S. government. Prior to his government work, he was a principal at Global Training Group. During his tenure with Global, he consulted and trained at numerous Fortune 500 companies including Deloitte and Touche, Genentech, IBM, Motorola, NCR, Nortel, Sprint, The New York Times Company, The Vanguard Group, and Verizon. He also has significant consulting and training experience in government program and project management, having worked with the Commander in Chief Naval Forces in Europe, New York New Jersey Port Authority, Naval Personnel Command in New Orleans, and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries among others.
Mr. Lombard is a certified master trainer and curriculum developer. He has developed numerous on-site and distance learning training courses in Project Management, Leadership, Team Skills, Core Facilitation, Quality Management, Program Management, Complex Project Management, and Strategic Management.
Mr. Lombard is an active member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), the American Society for Quality, and the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). Mr. Lombard was awarded a Distinguished Civil Service Medal for his project work while assigned as an internal consultant to the Department of the Navy. He has also been recognized by the Quality Special Interest Group of PMI for his long service to that SIG.
Don Lauro
Operations Coordinator
As Operations Coordinator for the PM College, Don Lauro assists the Operations Manager in the implementation and operational administration of PM College training programs. His other responsibilities include executing the administration of training programs, academic transcript service, registration services, maintaining the College's website, and responding to inquiries regarding PM College training.
Before joining PM College, Mr. Lauro was the Publications Coordinator at the Project Management Institute (PMI) for five years. While at PMI, he was instrumental in the development of its order processing systems.