Our Faculty | Valar Institute

Dr. Paul Lacourbe

Faculty, Operations & Supply Chain

Paul earned his Ph.D. from INSEAD in Operations Management. From there he spent 4 years as an Assistant Professor at ESSEC in France, and then over 10 years at CEU — both considered among the top 10 MBA programs in Europe. Dr. Lacourbe is also a skilled speaker on the Tedx stage.

Alexie Harper

Co-founder, Chief Product and Academic Officer

Previously a leader of R&D and researcher at Rosetta Stone, Alexie holds an M.A from New York University and an A.B. from Harvard University. She is an entrepreneur and Co-founder of Valar, its sister institution Quantic School of Business and Technology, and both institutions’ parent company, Pedago, which was named one of Inc.’s 5000 fastest-growing companies in 2024.

Michael Horn

Academic Advisor

In addition to his role on the Valar and Quantic Academic Advisory Board, Michael is the co-founder and distinguished fellow of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, a non-profit think tank, and teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Michael serves as an executive editor at Education Next, and his work has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Harvard Business Review, and NBC.

Kristina Batiste

Librarian

Before joining as Quantic’s Librarian, Kristina was a content strategist and UX researcher for the University of Southern California and taught in the Master of Management in Library and Information Science program at USC Marshall School of Business. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University and her Master of Information and Library Science from the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Paul Lacourbe

Faculty, Operations & Supply Chain

Alexie Harper

Co-founder, Chief Product and Academic Officer

Academic Leadership

(in alphabetical order)

Dr. Darshan Desai

Academic Program Director, Business Analytics

Holds an MBA and Ph.D. in Customer Analytics and lectures at Columbia University. A thought leader in AI and data strategy, she connects cutting-edge technology with business impact through research and mentorship.

Alexie Harper

Co-founder, Chief Product and Academic Officer

Dr. Koh Herlong

Sr. Director of Instructional Design

Holds an MS and PhD in Educational Technology with over 15 years of experience in corporate learning and global training. A published author and expert in cyber ethics and safety, she combines academic rigor with practical expertise, bringing a global perspective to education and training.

Dr. Skylar Neil

Sr. Director of Academic Affairs

Holds a PhD in Archaeology from Cambridge University, along with an MA in Classical Archaeology from Tufts and a BA in Ancient Studies from UMBC. With nearly a decade of experience in the education industry, Dr. Neil combines expertise in instructional design and program operations to create impactful educational experiences.

Dr. Natalie Sappleton

Academic Program Director, Business

Holds a PhD in Entrepreneurship and an MA in Economics and Politics, is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs (UK), an AHRC/ESRC Scholar.

Dr. Robert Steele

Academic Program Director, Software Engineering

Holds a PhD in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence and is a former research scientist for IBM’s Watson. Specializing in AI, machine learning, and health informatics, his expertise spans deep neural networks, IoT, and innovative applications of technology in software engineering and mobile computing.

Dr. Cuddalore Sundar

Associate Director of Academic Programs, Business Faculty, SME (Finance)

Holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering, along with an MS, MBA, and PhD, and brings nearly 20 years of finance leadership experience at leading technology companies, including Cisco. With more than 20 scholarly publications in corporate finance, international economics, and research and development, Dr. Sundar offers significant expertise in strategic planning, technology integration, and mergers and acquisitions.

Kristina Batiste

Librarian

Holds an MS from USC School of Business and a BA from Stanford University, combining expertise in content strategy, user experience design, and online education. Kristina is passionate about simplifying complexity and crafting meaningful solutions across disciplines.

Dr. Angela Xu

Executive Director, Asia

Holds an MBA from CEIBS, a PhD in Organizational Change, and served as Chief Culture Officer at EF (China’s largest ed-tech company) where she played a key role in transforming it into a household name. As a certified counselor and executive coach, she is dedicated to fostering personal growth and advancing careers.

Academic Advisory Board

Dave Cook

BA Northwestern
MS Carnegie Mellon
MS Univ. of Maryland
Intel Community AI/ML Subject Matter Expert, Cornerstone Defense
CEO and Founder, The Training Data Project

Smita Deshpande

Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology
Head of Technology, JP Morgan

Pawel Swiatek

MBA Harvard Business School
BA Harvard University
COO Moniepoint
Formerly McKinsey, Bridgewater Associates

Michael Horn

MBA Harvard Business School
BA Yale
Co-founder, Clayton Christensen Institute
Acclaimed author and speaker

Faculty & Subject Matter Experts

(in alphabetical order)

Dr. Michael Sahloul

Faculty, SME (Accounting)

Former President of the American Accounting Academy, Dr. Sahloul, holds a PhD in Business Administration and is a Certified Fraud Examiner with 25+ years of teaching experience. With advanced degrees and certifications from Harvard, Wharton, and Rutgers, he champions lifelong learning and knowledge sharing.

Dr. Sara Alshareef

Faculty, SME (Leadership & Entrepreneurship)

Holds a Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship and co-founded MENAGEN, an organization supporting women entrepreneurs in the Arab world. A growth specialist and educator, she has judged startup competitions, hosted international conferences, and earned the NASBITE International Program Excellence Award for her contributions to entrepreneurship and international business.

Dr. Eleonora Carr, CPA

Associate Director of Academic Programs, Business Faculty, SME (Accounting & Finance)

Holds a PhD in Business Administration from Temple University with over 20 years of experience in higher education and accounting. A licensed CPA and former Tax Manager at Citibank, she blends academic excellence with practical expertise, mentoring future leaders and serving on nonprofit boards.

Dr. Magdalena Cutler

Faculty, SME, Economics & Statistics

Holds a PhD in Economics and an MS in Information Management from Arizona State University, with extensive experience in teaching economics and statistics. A serial entrepreneur, she has founded and successfully sold two businesses.

Dr. Paul Lacourbe

Faculty, SME (Operations & Supply Chain)

Earned his PhD in Operations Management from INSEAD and has served as a professor at ESSEC Business School and CEU, both ranked among Europe’s top 10 MBA programs. With a background in world-class institutions, he brings deep expertise in operations and management education.

Dr. Harsh Mishra

Faculty, SME (Leadership & Entrepreneurship)

Holds a PhD in Business Administration. As the founder of iSEED, Dr. Mishra has mentored early-stage startups and conducted research at the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology, and emerging industries, publishing extensively on innovation, strategy, and leadership.

Dr. Amos Olujide

Faculty, SME (Strategy)

Holds an MBA, MSc in Strategy from Edinburgh Business School, and a PhD in Strategic Management with over 24 years of experience in financial services, consulting, and transnational education. He has taught MBA students in six countries, led multi-million-dollar projects, and managed a UK business school’s education model in Nigeria, generating $10M in revenue.