Headshots and Bios
John Baker
President, CEO and Board Chair
John founded D2L in 1999, at the age of twenty-two, while attending the University of Waterloo. He strongly believes that learning is the foundation upon which all progress and achievement rests.
He is a member of the Business Council of Canada, board member of the Business Higher Education Roundtable, member of the Industry Strategy Council in Canada, Chair of the Digital Economic Strategy Table in Canada, has served on the Governing Council of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, is the Past Chair of the board of Communitech, and is a board member of Canada’s National Ballet School.
John was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year (Ontario for Software and Technology), Young Alumni Achievement Medal from University of Waterloo, and Intrepid Entrepreneur of the Year in Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.
John graduated from the University of Waterloo with an Honours B.A.Sc. in Systems Design Engineering, with First Class Honours and an option in Management Sciences.
Brian Finnerty
Chief Marketing Officer
Brian is a dynamic marketing leader with extensive experience building successful go-to-market teams. He believes in the transformative power of marketing, leveraging a potent combination of brand strength, targeted demand generation, tight sales alignment, and compelling customer stories.
Prior to D2L, Brian has held pivotal leadership roles at high growth companies including Udacity, Demandbase, Marin Software, and Skillsoft. He has been a driving force behind aligning sales and marketing around a bold and compelling message – resulting in quality pipeline generation, increased bookings, and strong customer retention.
Brian has an unshakable belief that marketing offers one of the most enjoyable and rewarding careers available. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, three boys, and a very friendly chocolate labrador.
Dr. Cristi Ford
Chief Learning Officer
Dr. Cristi Ford serves as the Chief Learning Officer at D2L. She brings more than 20 years of cumulative experience in higher education, secondary education, project management, program evaluation, training and student services to her role. In this role, she offers thought leadership and direction to the academic affairs unit of the organization. Her previous roles have allowed her to have impact in education from secondary and higher education settings within North America and as part of the international landscape. Her reach has allowed her to focus on building online education in the US and in Africa.
In addition to her experience building new online learning programs and research related to online teaching and learning, Dr. Ford possesses significant experience in the design and delivery of integrated educational support, training and transition services for young adults and children with neurodevelopment disabilities.
Dr. Ford was selected by the Online Learning Consortium as the 2022 OLC Fellow (the highest professional distinction offered by the association). She is a tireless advocate for quality online education and has leveraged her passion and expertise in many realms in the education space. She is known for utilizing her leadership in extraordinary ways to help institutions build capacity to launch and expand online programming through effective faculty development, instructional design and pedagogical practices.
Dr. Ford holds a PhD in Educational Leadership from the University of Missouri-Columbia and undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field of Psychology from Hampton University and University of Baltimore, respectively.
Christian Pantel
Chief Product Officer
Christian was appointed Chief Product Officer in 2024. He leads global Product Strategy, Product Management, Product Design, User Experience Research and Accessibility at D2L. Christian first joined the company in 2015 and has expanded his leadership in product, design, and engineering. He has extensive experience in Education Technology and knows D2L customers well. With deep empathy for diverse learners and educators, Christian has led D2L to develop products with a world-class user experience.
Christian has over 25 years of leadership experience building software at notable enterprise software companies including Workday, Infor, and PeopleSoft. Christian earned a Master of Science in computing science from Simon Fraser University, specializing in human-computer interaction and Web-based learning environments. He also holds a Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours) from the University of Manitoba. Christian lives in Winnipeg with his wife and four children.
Josh Huff
Chief Financial Officer
Josh Huff was appointed Chief Financial Officer in February 2023. Josh has been with D2L for more than eight years in progressively senior finance positions, most recently as Vice President, Finance. He leads all finance-related functions, including financial reporting, financial planning, strategic finance, controllership, and investor relations. Prior to joining D2L in 2014, Josh worked with KPMG Canada within the assurance practice focused on public and technology company audits.
Josh has an Honors Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, a CPA-CA designation, and was awarded the Governor General’s Gold Medal for the highest standing in Canada on the CPA Uniform Final Evaluation.
Ira Stuchberry
Senior Vice President, People and Culture, and Deputy General Counsel and Business Affairs
Ira Stuchberry oversees corporate governance, equity administration, securities and regulatory compliance at D2L. She leads a team of professionals and reports to the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Anna Forgione. Ira is passionate about mentoring, teaching and training employees as they move through their career development journeys at D2L.
With more than five years of leadership experience at D2L, Ira has held increasingly senior positions at the company, including Vice President of Compliance and Assistant General Counsel. Prior to joining D2L in 2018, Ira worked in private practice at a Toronto-based corporate law firm, Minden Gross LLP, advising clients on a diverse range of corporate and commercial legal matters. She also spent nearly a decade in private wealth management at TD Bank.
Ira holds an International Bachelor of Business Administration (iBBA) degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a J.D. degree from The University of Windsor. She resides in Toronto, Ontario with her husband and three children and is co-author of “The Director’s Handbook,” written with Hartley R. Nathan, K.C., through Lexis Nexis.
Kenneth Chapman
Senior Vice President, Strategic Alliances and Channel Sales
Kenneth Chapman has been a pivotal member of D2L’s early team since 2003, significantly contributing to the company’s growth and culture. He has previously led customer, product, and engineering teams, instilling a strong emphasis on the voice of the customer, which continues to influence the organization today.
Strongly influenced by the principles of Universal Design for Learning, Kenneth is passionate about inclusive access to education and how D2L’s mission can help create the systemic changes needed for a more equitable society.
As Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Channel Sales, Kenneth oversees global partner strategy, leads analyst relations as D2L’s spokesperson, and ensures the company maintains a strong “outside-in” perspective.
Kenneth holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Statistics and a Bachelor of -Computing from the University of Guelph.
Kevin Capitani
Senior Vice President, Employee Training Sales and Strategic Initiatives
Kevin leads our Employee Training Sales team with a passion for company culture and an eagerness to build alongside our talented cross-functional ET teams. He brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in education and IT, with expertise in strategy, business process improvement, customer success, and go-to-market execution.
Kevin has led teams across Fortune 500-1000 companies and advised startups on business development and go-to-market standardization. As the former President of Pearson North America, he drove digital transformation and operational efficiency. Prior to that, he spent over two decades at SAP, holding GM and COO roles where he built and restructured business units across industries and regions.
Outside his professional career, Kevin is a board member and advisor to numerous organizations, including Julias Education Services, SportsShare, TMG (The MakeOver Group) and graduated from the University of CA Berkeley.
Sandy Rezendes
Head of Corporate Learning and Development
Sandy Rezendes is a seasoned leader in talent development and corporate learning, currently serving as Head of Corporate Learning and Development at leading LMS provider D2L. She brings extensive experience from senior leadership roles at Ameriprise Financial Services, Manulife / John Hancock, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citizens Bank and Fidelity Investments. Throughout her career, Sandy has built a reputation for driving innovative learning strategies, fostering leadership growth, and creating cultures of continuous development. Her global expertise and results-driven approach have transformed learning organizations, enabling companies to adapt, grow, and thrive in today’s fast-changing business environment.
