People

Mark Bistline, Founder, President
Mark’s entire 30-year professional life has been spent in and around independent schools, with half of those years spent in the classroom, and the other half as a leading provider of school communication services. Additionally, as an independent school Board Chair from 2000-04, he has been involved in major gift campaigns, zoning battles, a head search, and budget squeezing. He is an experienced facilitator in school governance workshops. Mark’s other independent school roles have included parent, student, alum, coach, dormitory supervisor, grounds crew member, study hall proctor...you name it. In 1995, Mark founded Schoolyard, Inc., the first company of its kind in the arena of independent school web service providers. From 1995-2007, Schoolyard worked with over 130 schools and associations in the US and abroad. An artist and art teacher by training, recent examples from Mark’s fine art portfolio can be seen on his facebook page at http://bit.ly/aKJ0d5. He holds an M.A.E. from RISD and a BA from Kenyon. Read his blog, What’sNew at newschoolyard.com.

Jason Pamental, Platform Architect
Jason is leading the team behind development of newschoolyard’s Drupal system. He is responsible for overseeing the implementation, integration, and deployment of the newschoolyard system in our websites. Jason’s background on the web spans over 15 years, having begun a career of blending design and technology crafting sites in the first days of the web. Starting from an education in graphic design and adding a range of technical experience he has held a variety of design and development roles, combining keen insights in business processes, usability and technology integration. Beginning his career chest-deep in pixels and plumbing, Jason has held positions such as Creative Director for some of the biggest sites in sports, Web Services Director for North Sails and lead on sites for multiple Fortune 100 clients. Between stints with IMG’s TWIinteractive, North Sails and (add)ventures, Jason ran his own company for several years providing print, web and application architecture, design and development. Since departing (add)ventures in 2009 he has launched a web strategy, design and technology consultancy to tackle challenges just like newschoolyard: solve tough problems, design great solutions and change the world. You can learn more about Jason, read his blog and view some of his work at thinkinginpencil.com.

Matt Dutra, Chief Creative Officer, Art Director
Matt’s twelve year career began with a background in traditional graphic design and corporate communications and evolved into the kind of designer needed most today - a multidisciplinary designer who understands traditional branding and advertising, as well as how to adapt and deliver campaigns through online and viral channels. After working as a graphic designer with ad agencies and publishing companies, he began specializing in interactive design in 2000 providing interface design and interactive branding for Fortune 500 such as Cape Cod Bank & Trust, Vermont Teddy Bear Company and non-profits like MA Audubon Society. As an early adaptor of Internet technologies, he helped design and develop the first content management system used by The Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Times Newspapers. More recently, he was awarded a scholarship by the RIDEC’s Business Innovation Factory (BIF) and was selected from 500 candidates world-wide to design a suite of print and interactive travel guides for Singapore’s leading publisher (Metro Holdings, PTE). Mr. Dutra is proficient in all graphic design and desktop publishing applications. He received degrees in Graphic Art and Art History from the University of Vermont and lives a short walk from the beach in Newport, Rhode Island with his wife and Siberian huskey. He enjoys photography, creative writing, surfing, and playing drums in a band called Next of Kin.