Milestone C was founded by industry professionals who saw a major need to provide students with additional exposure to modern technology and to teach them foundational, career-connected skills that prepare them for the real world.
What did our start look like?
While working in industry, the founders of Milestone C realized the best interns they worked with had excellent foundational skills. Of course, interns need technical skills, but being able to problem solve, think critically, sit through a tough meeting, and communicate their ideas in presentations, meetings, and emails as new team members are most impressive. Combining that observation with the fact that young students need to learn about technology at the rate that the world is progressing, Milestone C was launched. We started delivering after-school programs and summer camps where we taught the students like they were new employees or interns. We were not fully immersed in the world of education, so we leaned on our experiences in industry and quickly noticed that students responded well to our approach.
Figuratively speaking, we would toss students into the deep end of the content and see where they would sink and swim. When we saw them sinking, we would then give guidance. We challenged them to do much more individual thinking than their average class in school. We offered more opportunities for the students to communicate, problem-solve, and troubleshoot; most importantly, they experienced a lot more failure than in traditional school. Throughout the first year, we started learning more about education as we transitioned into that world. We started talking with teachers and curriculum directors and learned that project-based learning broadly aligns with our goals. Quality project-based learning lets the students fail through application and exploration, just like our programs do.
Where does our name come from?
In government contracting, “Milestone C” is the point where engineering and development ends and production begins. This is important as it signifies that the potential buyer of the product is impressed with the design and prototypes and is ready to move forward.
We chose that name because it symbolizes students taking our programs—they are ready to start “building” in the real world. Whether that involves college or going straight into the job market, they have learned about real-world practical skills and modern technology, all information they can use to fuel their success by taking our programs.
Our Team
David Conelias | CEO | Founder
Personal: Dave lives with his wife and two daughters. Outside of work he spends his time in the outdoors and loves to mountain bike, ski, snowboard, and surf.
Career: Dave’s jump into entrepreneurship in the education industry running afterschool and summer camps, evolved into being a full-time classroom teacher, and is now a well-rounded STEM educator who loves sharing his experiences and teaching others. Before education, Dave worked in both large and small engineering companies holding a variety of positions and leadership levels. His career was cross-disciplinary in electrical, pneumatics, hydraulics, systems, design, and manufacturing. Dave supported production, prototype and, development programs throughout his engineering career.
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Joshua Gilbert | CTO | Partner
Personal: Josh lives with his wife and spirited three children. A born tinkerer, Josh can be found tackling outlandish home improvement endeavors, fiddling with random computer and electronics projects, or exploring spots for new adventures. A lover of the outdoors he enjoys tackling the trails on foot or on two wheels.
Career: Josh was drawn to education through his participation in professional mentorship initiatives and his natural inclination to continuously learn and teach. Upon returning from a three-year international assignment, he jumped on board at Milestone C, which perfectly matched his aspirations of bringing real-world application to students. Leveraging his diverse skill set and 20 years of experience as a mission systems flight test engineer, Josh employs industry-based approaches to teaching and curriculum development.
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Coleman Daley | STEM Educator
Personal: Coleman lives in Connecticut with his fiancé. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, reading, working out, running, and surfing (when weather permits!).
Career: After attending the School for Film & Television, Coleman acted professionally on film, stage, and daytime television. He was also in the Health & Fitness industry working closely with young adult athletes and teams. He began his educational career by co-leading the upper elementary grades at a Montessori school in Massachusetts, then taught all subject areas to grades 4-8 at another Montessori school. From there, Coleman managed a private tutoring company in the greater Boston area and taught middle school students through Hartford Public Schools.
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Kelsey Sewell | Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Personal: Kelsey is a busy family mom, along with her two dogs and cats. Enjoying every moment of the day, outside of work, Kelsey is an aviation and racing enthusiast.
Career: Kelsey held a variety of positions inside the classroom and has always enjoyed teaching others. She started her career teaching science to younger ages. Since then she has become a well-rounded, expert STEM educator, teaching high school robotics, aviation, engineering, drones, and general STEM programs.
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Matt Buovac | Customer Relations Manager
Personal: Matt enjoys the bachelor's life. Outside work, he enjoys traveling, weight lifting, and playing tennis and basketball.
Career: Matt brings a unique perspective to our team as a highly accomplished student-athlete. He attended Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, where he played NCAA Division One basketball and was team captain his senior year. After graduating with a degree in marketing and an MBA in management, Matt fulfilled his childhood dream, playing professional basketball for a total of 4 years in Croatia and Iceland.
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Rachel Vincent | STEM Educator
Personal: Outside of continually learning and teaching, Rachel likes live music, hiking, cooking/baking, reading, and spending time with family. Rachel is a fan of UConn basketball.
Career: Rachel has always had a passion for science and education and has found even more passion for engineering education. She has tutored and mentored students since she was 16 years old, which evolved into her passion for education. Going through university for science education, Rachel noticed the need for more STEM and engineering programs like Milestone C offers in secondary school education.
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Bryan Rauch | Director of Outreach
Personal: Bryan lives with his wife, two boys and a dog. Whether it be casting a line, skiing down slopes, mastering disc golf or playing poker, Bryan’s life is a vibrant mix of outdoor adventures and strategic challenges that reflect his passion for both thrill and skill.
Career: An entrepreneurial professional with a strong reputation that stems from his ability to quickly grasp new concepts, communicate effectively, and understand business needs. Bryan has supported corporate and consumer sales efforts for over ten years and brings a positive attitude to make a difference. He is passionate about the future and is dedicated to helping students better prepare for jobs of the future.
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BS Entrepreneurial & Small Business Operations at Quinnipiac University
10+ years in business development and account management
5+ years as a Mortgage Loan Officer
Trish Berube | Office Manager
Personal: Trish enjoys traveling with her husband and loves spending time with her grandchildren. Her first job out of college was in tech, and as a lifelong learner, she keeps going to make every day interesting and better than the day before.
Career: With over 30 years in the relocation mortgage industry, Trish enjoyed a successful sales and account management career. In her current role on the team, she brings strengths that include organizational skills, planning and coordination, attention to detail, budgets, customer service, and, most importantly, adaptability. Trish is enthusiastic about the future of STEM students.
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BS in Business Management with a concentration in marketing and computer science. Kelley School Indiana University Bloomington, IN
30+ years as an active member of Worldwide ERC, including serving on the Board of Directors & Planning Committees