Alan Watson Alan Watson, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Alan Watson is a skilled technical leader with nearly 20 years of experience in information technology infrastructure and implementation. He leads the company's IT team and is responsible for development and continuous improvement of software, information systems, technical operations, infrastructure and internal technology solutions.

Alan Watson, Executive Vice President, and Chief Information Officer Alan D. Watson, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Alan Watson is a skilled technical leader with nearly 20 years of experience in information technology infrastructure and implementation. He leads the company's IT team and is responsible for development and continuous improvement of software, information systems, technical operations, infrastructure and internal technology solutions.

Alan Watson, Senior Vice President, Information Technology Alan Watson is a skilled technical manager with nearly 20 years experience in information technology, infrastructure, and implementation. Alan Watson is a skilled technical manager with nearly 20 years experience in information technology, infrastructure and implementation. He leads ESA's IT team and is responsible for software development, technical operations, infrastructure and internal technology solutions for ESA and its divisions.

Alan Watson of Educational Services of America (ESA), parent company of Ombudsman Educational Services and Spectrum Center Schools and programs, was recently interviewed by Sarah Rich of "Government Technology" during last week's Citrix Industry Analyst event. Alan Watson, CIO of the ESA, said the program started using Citrix about three years ago with virtual desktops. ESA staff became familiar with virtual computing through ESA's data center, since the company is operating a private Citrix cloud. "As with everything in education, you have to go slowly," Watson said. "You have to prove that it works." ESA shifted away from using PCs in its learning centers and began to transition to the use of thin clients. The ESA no longer has had to put Microsoft Windows software and other products in its existing computing environment, and is finishing the conversion later this year. Watson said shifting to a virtualized environment was the best way to address the ESA's small IT staff. After developing a comfort level with the virtualized desktops, the ESA began to introduce apps to its virtualized platform - apps accessible from any device that students would use to complete course curricula. With the cloud technology students can use their device of choice, such as a laptop or tablet. Watson said many of ESA's students can't afford higher-end tablets, so the company issues computing devices to the majority of its students. Because software use requirements can vary from school district to school district, Watson said the cloud has helped the ESA test and deploy software within days as opposed to weeks or months, like the program had done in the past. Besides what Watson says is slower-than-ideal rollout of technology in education, he said ESA didn't face challenges when deploying the cloud. The initial million-dollar rollout may seem like a hefty price tag, particularly with similar technology being developed specifically for education. But Watson said costs incurred in the past when purchasing new PCs made it more cost effective for the ESA to switch to thin clients.

News Release: Educational Services of America Promotes Cate Lewandowski and Alan Watson | Full story Educational Services of America | News > News Release: Educational Services of America Promotes Cate Lewandowski and Alan Watson News Release: Educational Services of America Promotes Cate Lewandowski and Alan Watson NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 4, 2011) - Educational Services of America (ESA) today announced that Alan Watson has been promoted to executive vice president and chief information officer, and Cate Lewandowski has been promoted to executive vice president and chief marketing officer. ESA provides specialized programs for students who are at risk of dropping out of school through its Ombudsman program and for students with behavioral/learning disabilities through its Spectrum Center Schools. "Under Alan's and Cate's leadership, ESA has developed and implemented innovative technologies that benefit students, staff and our school district partners, and marketing strategies that support our brands and help grow our business," Mark Claypool, ESA president and CEO said. Watson was previously ESA's senior vice president of information technology. He is responsible for the development and operation of the company's information technology systems and services as well as the development of ESA's overall technology strategy. Watson, who earned a Bachelor of Science in information technology from Austin Peay State University, has more than 16 years of experience as a technology consultant in the fields of manufacturing, healthcare, insurance and education. Lewandowski was previously ESA's senior vice president of marketing and public relations. She is responsible for the organization's marketing, media communications and advertising.