Leadership

Mary Michael Pontzer, PhD is a strategic executive passionate about implementing aggressive growth strategies to diversify revenue and optimize operational excellence. For 20 years, she has been committed to improving business outcomes through meaningful product and service experiences based on thoughtfully crafted strategy and customer-centric transformation initiatives. At Scantron, Mary Michael is responsible for all Data Capture Solutions, which includes all activities related to the company’s iconic scoring and scanning machines, as well as survey and examination products and services across K-12, higher education, corporate, and government markets. These responsibilities include establishing and driving existing and future strategic direction for the division, as well as driving innovation, leveraging market insights to conceptualize new solutions to fill customer needs, and empowering growth through rapid and reliable data capture and a wide range of print and digital survey solutions for clients worldwide

Prior to serving in her current role, Mary Michael was the Senior Vice President/General Manager of Data Capture Solutions and the Vice President of Portfolio Management at Scantron, focusing on digital assessment solutions. Before joining Scantron, Mary Michael served in other senior leadership roles in the education, workforce, and assessment industries, at organizations such as ACT, Inc. as the Vice President of Product, and Learning Ally, Inc. as the Vice President of Professional Learning Solutions. Additionally, she held progressively responsible positions at Stride, Inc., including Director of New Business Planning. Prior to her work in the field of product and portfolio management, Mary Michael taught at community colleges and universities in Northeast Georgia and began her professional career as a high school English teacher in metro-Atlanta. Mary Michael earned a PhD in International and Comparative Education from the University of Georgia.

Professional Highlights:

• Adept at leveraging strong understanding of domestic and international markets, digital and print technology trends, and market intelligence to drive competitive advantage.
• Deep expertise in strategic planning and execution, business optimization, holistic portfolio management, and corporate transformation.
• Repeated success building exceptional teams passionate about customers, solving challenges, and the executing on ambitious goals.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmp11/

Offering more than two decades of leadership, Tony Bell is passionate about leading teams through the entire customer experience. His unique multidisciplinary background spans technology, sales, project management, technical implementation, and customer support.

With Tony’s years of experience, he knows the customer journey isn’t linear, so aligning presales, customer support, professional services, and customer onboarding provides a hyper-personalized customer experience while utilizing resources in the most cost-efficient way.

Tony specializes in harmonizing processes, people, and technology to ensure customers get fast time-to-value. His 20+ years at Scantron extend across the business by providing business strategy, organizational development, operations, and technology.

Professional Highlights:

• More than 25 years of successful leadership in public schools and private business
• Experience in the technology and assessment market segments
• Experience with Customer Success and Operations.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyleebell/

With over 32 years of experience at Scantron, Rick Ceplecha has developed deep expertise across various roles, including customer service, sales, and national account management.

Currently serving as the Director of Forms, Rick is committed to driving growth and building strong relationships with clients nationwide.

Outside of work, he enjoys spending time outdoors, golfing, and fishing.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-ceplecha-56a86548/

Amanda Montanez, recently named the Director of Strategy at Scantron, has spent the latter part of her career helping shape how we capture and use data to tackle real-world challenges. With Scantron for over 20 years, she is passionate about developing smart, innovative strategies that not only drive growth but also create meaningful, customer-focused solutions across multiple channels.

Her approach to leadership is all about setting clear, achievable goals and creating an environment where people feel motivated and empowered to collaborate and bring their best ideas forward. Amanda truly believes that when people work together with a shared purpose, great things happen—and she is committed to fostering that kind of culture every day.

When she’s not working, she is at home in Lancaster, PA with her lively family—her husband, two children, and two stepchildren. Balancing family life with her career is important to her, and she brings that same energy of support, growth, and determination into everything she does, whether at home or in the workplace.

Professional Highlights:

• Extensive experience in the data capture business, including paper and digital technology trends.
• Proven track record of building high-performing teams driven by customer focus, problem-solving, and an unwavering drive for success.
• Adept at analyzing market trends and organizational strengths to develop strategic plans that capitalize on opportunities and industry demands.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-montanez/

Janna Penhale is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in the marketing industry.

Based in the Chicago suburbs, Janna has had the opportunity to work with brands such as McDonald’s, Toyota, General Mills, and P&G. Having gained valuable firsthand experiences over her career, she has cultivated her expertise across a range of marketing disciplines, such as brand management, strategic planning, event coordination, and project management.

With over 13 years of experience serving on leadership teams, her diverse skill set, strong interpersonal and creative abilities, and well-honed analytical project management skills contribute to her success on Scantron’s Executive Leadership Team. Janna firmly believes in the power of teamwork and open communication as essential factors for success. She knows that encouraging individuals to share ideas, voice their opinions, and collaborate toward a shared objective leads to great things.

During her free time, Janna prioritizes being a wife and mother of three daughters. She finds pleasure in the company of loved ones and exploring different parts of the world through travel.

Professional Highlights:

• 20 years in the Marketing Industry.
• 13 years of experience on Leadership Teams.
• Diverse range of skills, excellent interpersonal and creative prowess, and refined analytical project management abilities.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janna-penhale-49154a6/

David Jagt is a dynamic manufacturing operations leader with over 20 years of experience in engineering, manufacturing, and quality management. Currently the Sr. Director of Manufacturing & Vendor Management at Scantron, he oversees the manufacturing business unit’s operations, vendor relationships, and supply chain functions.

David collaborates with the Executive Leadership Team on growth initiatives and leads complex projects focused on improving efficiency and reducing costs. His leadership style emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement, supported by his Six Sigma Black Belt certification and recognition as a Business Excellence Champion.

Previously as Engineering Director at Seagate Technology, David led a multi-disciplinary team that delivered innovative manufacturing solutions, achieving over $20 million in annual cost avoidance. His efforts in cultivating high-performance cultures and implementing advanced automation significantly enhanced efficiency and output.

Passionate about giving back, David serves on the Board of Directors for House of Hope, a ministry dedicated to helping women who have faced exploitation, and he previously contributed to ReStored Thrift Store, which provides economic empowerment through its outreach center.

David holds an MBA from Bethel University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. He is committed to redefining industry standards while making a meaningful impact in his community.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davejagt/

Jeff Miller has over 20 years of progressively responsible management roles for Scantron relating to our scannable printed forms.

He is currently responsible for the activities related to all custom and standard form printing for Scantron. These responsibilities include overseeing all employee activity related to design and quality assurance activities, along with the vendor management of Scantron’s outsourced print partners from the Lancaster, PA office.

Before serving in his current role, Jeff has held various other roles over his 35 years with Scantron within the Customer Service, Production Services, and Quality Assurance departments.

Before joining Scantron, Jeff served as a commissioned officer in the US Army and as an outside sales representative for office equipment. Jeff has a BS degree in Business Management from Penn State University and is also a certified Six Sigma Green Belt.

Professional Highlights:

• Deep expertise from over 20 years of experience managing a Quality Management System certified under the ISO 9001:2015 standard.
• Certified Six Sigma Green Belt.
• Served as a commissioned Regular Army officer in the infantry with Ranger and Airborne qualifications.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-miller-0b2b9997/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherri-mccall-49991840/