Leadership Team
Enspire’s leaders are committed to maintaining a company culture that empowers our team to provide innovation and value to our customers.
Bjorn Billhardt
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Bjorn founded Enspire Learning in 2001 with the vision to change the way people learn. He has been a speaker at conferences such as Training, ASTD, and ISPI, and he has helped clients such as Microsoft, Bank of America, Harvard Business School, and the World Bank develop successful leadership development programs. Bjorn conducted training classes in Europe and the US as a consultant and corporate trainer for BAAN, a Dutch software company, and he also worked for McKinsey & Company, a strategic management consulting firm. A native of Hamburg, Germany, Bjorn holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a dual BA/BBA from the University of Texas, where he is an alumnus of the Plan II and the Business Honors Program.
Ed Garner
VP of Custom Solutions
Since beginning his career in the US Army as an M-1A1 tank platoon leader, Ed has devoted the last 12 years to educational technologies. He is experienced with Java and .NET development, as well as C++ and embedded systems development. Ed also has experience with Shockwave and Flash browser-delivered interactivity, and he has technical expertise in both PC and Macintosh OS X environments. As a lead programmer at Fusion Learning Systems, Ed developed “Redbeard’s Pirate Quest,” which was named Newsweek Magazine’s “it” toy for Christmas 1999. Ed also led the Fusion engineering team, a position in which he helped build a full content management database and automated website build system. Ed joined Enspire in 2008, where he now uses his technical and managerial abilities to provide effective custom learning solutions for our clients. Ed received his BA from The University of Texas at Austin.
Mary Maltbie
VP of Operations
Mary’s project management experience in the e-learning industry began in 2000, and she has since worked for companies such as Story Stores, LLC, Fusion Learning Systems, Ignite! Learning, and Thinkwell. Previous to coming to Enspire, she was an executive team member and interactive exhibit development director for Story Stores, LLC, a for-profit museum startup. She has led the development of projects in the areas of medical training, software training, interactive museum experiences, and K-12 education. She has an extensive background in research, content management, and information sciences. Mary holds a BA in English Literature and an MLIS in Information Science.
Nathan Kracklauer
VP of Operations, Europe
Nathan manages the operations of Enspire’s European branch in Berlin, Germany. One of Enspire’s first employees, Nathan has contributed thought leadership and business management since 2002. As VP of Product Development he managed the design and development of Enspire’s business simulations and online curricula. As the first Director of Content Development, he established Enspire’s approach to instructional and simulation design. He has led game design and instructional design workshops at leading industry conferences on both sides of the Atlantic. Nathan is also an avid musician and has performed on stages around the world, including at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002. Nathan holds a BS in Mathematics and BA degrees in Philosophy and Liberal Arts Honors from the University of Texas at Austin.
Jeff Miller
VP of Information Technology
Jeff aligns Enspire’s IT vision with the company’s overall business strategy, ensures that all IT assets and systems are functioning smoothly for Enspire’s employees and extended workforce, and establishes the technical vision for Enspire’s simulations. Jeff’s IT experience began at Compaq, where he developed innovative software solutions to support Compaq’s PC server products. Later, he led a team of engineers at startup internet software consulting firm Red Sky in developing enterprise-level web-based applications. After surviving a life threatening experience with a brain tumor in 2003, Jeff was inspired to give back to the world and began Realtruism, a real estate company that contributes to local and global charities. Jeff graduated from Rice University with BS degrees in Computer Science and Cognitive Linguistics, and he earned his MBA at the University of Texas at Austin.
David Crumley
Executive Producer, Houndstooth Studio
David joined Enspire in 2003 and has built Houndstooth Studios, Enspire’s multimedia production and experience design studio, from the ground up. He has organized and executed large video productions for many clients, including the American Heart Association, Charles Schwab, Honda, CIGNA, and Hilton Hotels. Prior to Enspire, David worked for the University of Texas Learning Center, and he has produced, directed, and edited numerous films that have been screened at festivals around the world, including the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. David is a graduate of the University of Texas Film School with focuses in DV production, post-production, and interactive media.
