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The 21CLS™ Team

The professional staff of 21CLS™ includes experts in instructional design, digital media, digital media applications, Web development, and learning management systems including Blackboard, WebCT, and eCollege. In addition, the 21CLS™ staff includes subject matter experts, content developers, writers, and course instructors. The professional staff of 21CLS™ is dedicated to using the latest in video technology, text, and graphical layouts to bring the best online learning experience to the student and is led by the following management team:


Randy Gunter, Ph.D.
Chairman & Chief Visionary Officer

Dr. Gunter has a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from Mississippi State University and is a retired Air Force instructor pilot, spending most of his career in Air Force Education and Training Command. Dr. Gunter is an experienced course developer and instructional designer and has developed numerous professional development/training solutions for the United States Air Force, more than 20 air/army forces in Latin America and Europe, defense contractors, universities, corporations, and school districts. He has more than 35 years experience in education and training, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in instructional design, educational technology, and educational research. Some of his achievements include:


  • Logging more than 4,000 hours of flying time. Aircrafts flown include the Northrop T-38 (2,800 IP hours), F-5, C-130, and T-37.
  • Managing the development of more than 300 online graduate courses (master’s, and doctorate).
  • Co–authoring 12 educational textbooks for pre-service and in-service teachers.
  • Developing company-owned online graduate courses taken by more than 12,000 in-service teachers and more than 500 university faculty.

    • Dr. Gunter’s research agenda includes researching the math and science crisis and finding solutions to help ease its impact on America’s competitiveness. He is an active member of the Technology Association of America’s (formally AeA) Florida Council Executive Committee and the Florida Education Consortium to improve math and science education.

Vicki Rath, Ph.D. Candidate
President & CEO
Ms. Rath has a Master’s in Instructional Technology/Educational Technology from the University of Central Florida and is a Ph.D. candidate in Instructional Design. She has more than 12 years of experience in online course development and has developed more than 250 online graduate courses in mathematics, computer science, business, public health, nursing, and engineering, as well as numerous online professional development courses. While a classroom teacher, she was named Teacher of the Year by USA Today. Her research agenda focuses on the relationship between various types of interactions in the online classroom and their impact on learning.
Matt Johansen
Director of IT & Media
Mr. Johansen has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Digital Interactive Systems from the University of Central Florida. In 2003 and 2004, he was part of the Technological Academy of Northeast Nebraska, where he received an award for Web development. In 2006 he was recognized as a Goodrich Scholar at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. While attending UNO, he participated in a Data Visualization competition, hosted by Gallup, and was selected as one of the finalists to present to CEOs of companies in the Omaha area, including the CEO of Gallup. Mr. Johansen has professional experience in seven different programming languages and six years of experience working as a multimedia/software developer for GRW Studios, Inc. and a systems application developer for Gallup. He continues to develop strategies, methods, and techniques for integrating multiple types of media into training and development.
Taryn Hess, Ph.D.
Senior Instructional Designer
Dr. Hess has a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from the University of Central Florida. During her Bachelor’s and Master’s studies at Florida State University, Dr. Hess was a member of the Women of Mathematics, Science, & Engineering Program. She has contributed to the development of courses in homeland security, criminal justice, public administration, international finance, business, human resource management, public health, nursing, and education. Her research interests are in the effectiveness and effective use of serious games for teaching and learning in a variety of settings: corporate, government, and education. Her dissertation is titled “Comparison of Learning Experiences and Outcomes between a Serious Game-Based and Non-Game-Based Online American History Course.” Based on Dr. Hess’ literary research, her dissertation study is the first known comparison of a serious game-based and non-game-based online course. She is in the process of publishing her findings.
Rebecca Rogers, Ph.D.
Senior Instructional Designer
Dr. Rogers has a Ph.D. in Educational Technology from Walden University. She served as the northern California area representative for the Waterford Early Reading Program, an online reading curriculum developed by the Waterford Institute. In Florida, Dr. Rogers was a teacher–on assignment in the curriculum department for Seminole County Public Schools, where she developed a training program to assist teachers in learning a Web-based management system. At 21CLS, Dr. Rogers has helped develop Master’s level courses in global leadership, business management, change management, technology innovation, and sustainability. Her research interests are on understanding how people learn. Her dissertation examined how theories of learning could be combined with an understanding of the criteria for an effective diffusion of technology to ensure successful training programs.
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