Every Conversation Matters

Dave Marshall isn’t just Mongoose’s CEO; he’s the guy who saw a gap in higher ed communication and decided to change the game. Before founding Mongoose, he co-created LiquidMatrix, a platform that helped over 400 institutions better engage students, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Datatel (Ellucian). His expertise goes beyond education, having consulted on digital engagement for the NFL Network, NHL Network, and major sports franchises.

For Dave, this isn’t just business—it’s personal. Having overcome a severe stutter in his late 30s, he knows firsthand the power of clear, accessible, and meaningful conversations. That same philosophy drives Mongoose’s mission to create technology that removes barriers and builds trust. When he’s not shaping the future of student engagement, Dave is on a relentless quest to simplify the complex, believing that removing the unnecessary is a gift to others.

Andrew Veatch is the tech backbone of Mongoose, the guy who helped bring the platform to life by writing its first lines of code. With more than 20 years in EdTech, he has built products that solve real problems for higher ed institutions. Before Mongoose, he helped lead integration efforts at LiquidMatrix, playing a key role in its acquisition by Datatel (Ellucian). Later, as Director of Software Development at Campus Labs, he helped scale the company’s tech operations before its acquisition by HigherOne.

Andrew doesn’t just see problems; he engineers solutions, guiding Mongoose’s product evolution while making sure the technology stays nimble, scalable, and powerful. A SUNY Geneseo graduate with degrees in Computer Science and Psychology, he brings both logic and human behavior into the mix. When he’s not tackling complex challenges, you’ll probably find him cooking, gardening, making music, or wrangling his four daughters.

Jua Park is a culture builder, change driver, and people strategist. As Mongoose’s VP of People & Talent, she ensures that the company isn’t just hiring great people but creating an environment where they thrive and grow. She has scaled global teams and led organizational transformation at Udemy (NASDAQ: UDMY), Princeton Review (NASDAQ: REVU), and Chorus.ai | ZoomInfo (NASDAQ: ZI), helping fast-growth SaaS and EdTech companies align talent strategy with business success.

With a B.A. in Sociology from UC Berkeley, Jua blends data-driven decision-making with a deep understanding of what makes people tick. When she’s not helping shape the future of Mongoose, she’s exploring new places, indulging her foodie side, or diving into a true crime podcast.

Tessa Burke is a marketing strategist, growth leader, and customer advocate. As Mongoose’s Head of Marketing, she leads the company’s marketing strategy and helps drive growth by connecting market insight, customer needs, and clear, compelling storytelling.

Tessa began her career in marketing at the University of Chicago and has spent her entire career in education and EdTech. She has led marketing across customer, product, and go-to-market functions, helping organizations strengthen their market position, support revenue growth, and build deeper relationships with higher education customers.

A lifelong Chicagoan, Tessa is passionate about mental health and wellness and serves as a Board Member for the Illinois Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Outside of work, she enjoys running, practicing yoga, and discovering great food throughout Chicago.

Joe Belenardo is a relationship builder, revenue architect, and servant leader who believes the best deals — and the best teams — are built on trust, not tactics. As Mongoose’s VP of Revenue, he’s the person accountable for making sure every conversation the platform starts turns into a customer outcome worth keeping.

He comes to Mongoose from CEA Abroad, a global study abroad company, where he ran Sales, Sales Operations, GTM, and Enrollment end-to-end. Before that, Joe spent three decades inside EdTech — at Ellucian, Workday, Anthology, Liaison, and others — learning every angle of how institutions buy, why they churn, and what it actually takes to grow revenue without burning the relationships that got you there.

For Joe, the mission at Mongoose isn’t abstract. He’s spent his career helping higher ed teams do more with less, and he knows that a platform which makes every conversation matter is exactly what enrollment and student success teams need right now.

A lifelong New Englander at heart, he bleeds Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins, and has made peace with the fact that cheering for all four from a beach chair in Florida is actually a pretty good life