Ann Marie Sastry, Ph.D.

President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board

Dr. Ann Marie Sastry is Founder and CEO of Amesite, and started the company to address one of the most important challenges of our time: to deliver effective online learning that engages, educates, and enables people to advance economically. Amesite is an artificial intelligence software company that provides turnkey learning platforms to universities, businesses and government, and delivers 99% learner retention. Dr. Sastry was CEO and co-Founder of Sakti3 (acquired by Dyson in 2015 for $90M), recognized as one of MIT’s 50 Smartest Companies (2015), and as a Crain’s Detroit Business Cool Places to Work winner (2017). Sastry was invited to the White House in 2015 to be recognized for her technology entrepreneurship, and meet with President Barack Obama. Her technology and business work have been featured in WSJ, Fortune, Forbes, The Economist, USA Today, The New York Times and on the cover of Inc.

Prior to starting her companies, she was Arthur F. Thurnau Professor (UM’s highest teaching honor) at the University of Michigan, and served on the faculty for 17 years. Tenured and promoted early, Sastry was recognized with some of the highest honors in her scientific fields, including the ASME Frank Kreith Energy Award (2011) and NSF’s Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (1997). She has co-authored over 100 publications and 100 patents and filings, and has delivered invited technology and business lectures and seminars globally (including NSF, MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and others). Her technology and business work have been featured in WSJ, Fortune, Forbes, The Economist, USA Today, The New York Times and on the cover of Inc.

Sastry is active in business mentorship and philanthropy, with emphases on education, environment, and poverty alleviation. She serves on the Boards of the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), the Alpha House Family Homeless Shelter, Laidlaw Venture Partners and the Oxford Company, among others. She holds PhD and MS degrees from Cornell University, and a BS from the University of Delaware, all in Mechanical Engineering.

Sherrie Farrell

Chief Financial Officer

Sherrie’s career started in college working for the Arizona Senate Education Committee specializing in school finance. After graduation, she worked for KPMG progressing to Audit Manager specializing in audits, investigation, and reporting for financial services clientele where her clients included Security Pacific, Mellon Financial, and the Rocky Mountain insurance clients of KPMG. In addition to her work on complex audits, Sherrie was awarded KPMG's prestigious National Instructor Excellence Award in recognition of her training programs for Senior Accountants around the nation. 

After her time with KPMG, Sherrie joined RiskCap  (subsequently sold to Beecher Carlson) as a Partner / Senior Consultant where she focused on implementing and managing specialty insurance programs including medical malpractice, workers' compensation, general liability, and warranty programs for clients which included Johns Hopkins, Pulte Homes, Residential Warranty Corporation, the Good Sam Club, and the largest Colorado school districts. 

Subsequently, Sherrie became the CEO of RGL Forensics (subsequently sold to Baker Tilly).  Sherrie enjoyed providing executive leadership to this dynamic forensic accounting firm, coordinating the multi-faceted growing partnership in 25 offices around the world through organizational strategy and tactics, mentorship and development of partners and directors, and corporate-wide training while also leading a team of home office professionals in the areas of partnership structure and compensation, Board of Director leadership and operations, marketing, human resources, accounting and finance.

For the past 18 years, Sherrie has been providing strategic planning; CFO oversight and financial analysis; program management including contract writing and management; development of key performance indicators, compensation plans, and marketing plans; detailed accounting preparation for mergers and acquisitions; and Board of Director reporting for multiple clients across a variety of industries. 

Brandon Owens

Vice President of Sales

Brandon Owens serves as the Vice President of Sales at Amesite, utilizing his extensive experience in sales leadership, technology, and business strategy. Known for routinely presenting to boards of directors and implementing learning systems used worldwide, Brandon consistently exhibits strategic expertise.

Prior to joining Amesite, Brandon worked at Pluralsight where he ascended through various roles demonstrating his prowess in generating net new revenue. Before joining Pluralsight, Brandon was the Director of Business Development at a healthcare analytics company and developed its sales strategy and led the day-to-day operations of its business growth. Early in his career, Brandon worked for Corporate AT&T in its enterprise sales technology division where he skillfully managed premier enterprise clients. His early triumphs garnered company-wide recognition, establishing a robust foundation for his future leadership roles.

Renowned for his strategic understanding of complex issues, negotiation skills, and unwavering integrity, Brandon also brings a solid work ethic and attention to detail. A graduate of Brigham Young University, he sits on a board for preserving Samoan history and culture. His blend of experience and dedication is pivotal in driving growth and innovation at Amesite.