DAYTON JOHNSON began his career as a teacher, during which time he pioneered the application of computer technology to meet the individual needs of special education students.  Based on his success with his students, Dayton began teaching instructional technology courses for the University of Wisconsin.  Within a few years he stepped up to serve as Director of Instructional Technology & Media through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, ultimately supporting 60 school districts with contracted services in technology and special education, and was elected for two terms as Director of the Wisconsin Instructional Computing Consortium.  

Dayton then began consulting for IBM in the research, evaluation and strategic implementation of its products in K–12 Education.  Over time he joined IBM, designing, selling and implementing school technology solutions.  Through rigorous recruiting he produced a quality-oriented team, exceeding sales goals of increased market share and profitability.  Following his success at IBM, he joined Scholastic, Inc., and rose from Area Director to Regional Director, to Vice President of Strategic Sales and to Vice President and National Sales Manager, overseeing a field sales force of 150 and revenues in excess of $105 million.  Since leaving Scholastic in 1999, Dayton has been developing infrastructure, recruiting sales teams and directing sales and marketing strategies for developing companies and educational startup companies.  

Dayton has co-authored several publications on instructional technology.  He has been the recipient of numerous achievement awards and holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration.

FRANKLIN SMITH, Ed.D. is a renowned education professional with a multifaceted background that includes  top level public school administration experience as Superintendent of the District of Columbia Public Schools in Washington, DC as well as Superintendent for Dayton Public Schools in Dayton, Ohio and Petersburg Public Schools in Petersburg, VA.  Additionally, Franklin has extensive experience in Sales Management of educational support products at the national level with Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt, Lightspan , PLATO Learning, and Voyager Expanded Learning.

Dr. Smith has an extensive portfolio of professional contacts and associated good will with administrative leaders from major metropolitan school districts nationally.   He is an affable organizational ambassador,  podium presenter and  is an exceptional relationship builder,  producing  win/win outcomes and long-term business success with diverse client constituencies.

EILEEN JOHNSON brings more than 20 years of experience in Teaching, Publishing and Educational Technology to the company. Early in her career, Eileen was well known for her innovations in elementary science research and was featured on the cover of On Wisconsin Magazine and several other journals for her success in developing hands-on science curriculum. As Educator and Head of the Science Department, Eileen was recognized for her successful work in initiating business literacy partnerships as well as her results in accelerating the success and achievement of struggling students.

As CEO of Stepping Stone Software, Eileen broke new ground in integrating technology into the classroom through her leadership and specialized consultative services to school districts. She continued her work in Senior Management for Harcourt School Publishers where she recruited and managed a successful sales team achieving significant growth in market share and revenue attainment. Following her success at Harcourt School Publishers, Eileen developed sales strategy and initiated early marketing approaches for ETS / Pulliam and Texthelp Systems.

Eileen has a Bachelors Degree from the University of Wisconsin / Madison and joined Dayton Johnson Executive Search in 2006.

ROBERT GILPATRICK, Ph.D., is a well-known speaker, instructor and consultant in educational technology. Robert has challenged the status quo in education with innovative ideas and provocative questions. As Superintendent of the Verona Area School District in Wisconsin, he founded Wisconsin’s first parent-run Charter School and also founded Wisconsin’s first Charter School with an independent board. Robert’s leadership success resulted in his district’s prestigious award of School District of the Year.

Robert’s corporate experience includes his work as Chief Executive Officer for Solutions Associates, a consulting firm focused on productive partnerships between business and education. Prior to his work with Solutions Associates, Robert was Chief Operating Officer of LEARN, Inc., an educational technology firm producing interactive products for Character Education. Additionally, Robert has worked as a Consultant and Facilitator for IBM on intra-corporate relationships and workplace wellness. He has also achieved national recognition for his training program “Closing Sales Using Mind Styles”.

Robert is the author of numerous articles for The American Association of School Administrators, Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, Educational Leadership, The School Administrator and Technology Today. He was a featured presenter at the Beijing, China 2000 Conference on Education.

Robert has a Masters of Education Degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI.

ANKUR BHASIN is the Founding Partner & CEO of Bhasinsoft Animation Studio.  Having achieved many milestones at a young age, Ankur brings the passion of young blood and the swirl of creativity to Dayton Johnson Executive Search as Director of our affiliate Bangalore Talent Solutions Office.

Ankur is an active member of the IT Committee of FKCCI (Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry)  and a member of Bangalore Management Association. He is also a prolific writer and a poet and has been awarded and published by the National Library of Poetry and International Society of Poets, USA. Ankur also scripts for animated TV series titled ‘Auto Swamy’ and is one half of the Hindi pop band ‘Dhunn’.