About the authors

Jay Cross has been passionate about harnessing technology to improve adult learning since the sixties. Fresh out of college, he sold mainframes the size of Chevy Suburbans. Later, he designed the University of Phoenix's first business degree program. He took a training startup to national prominence, capturing 80% market share and training a million professionals to make sound decisions and sell services.

Jay founded Internet Time Group in early 1998 to help organizations learn by providing hands-on advice on implementing eLearning, developing information architecture, advising management, and accelerating sales.

Internet Time Group coaches corporate executives on getting the most from their investments in eLearning and collaboration. 12,000 people visit www.meta-time.com every month for eLearning information.

Jay is also CEO of eLearning Forum, a 700-member think tank and advocacy group in Silicon Valley. His five-year scenario plan, the Internet Time Machine, presented at TechLearn 98, was one of the earliest descriptions of eLearning. He delivered the inaugural keynote on web marketing to the first meeting of the Online Banking Association. Jay was principal marketing advisor to CBT Systems during its transition to SmartForce, the eLearning Company. He helped Cisco e-Learning Partners plan, implement, and market their initial web-based certification programs. He co-authored the vision paper that kicked off the ASTD/National Governors Association Committee on Technology and Adult Learning; contributed a chapter to the recent book Implementing E-Learning Solutions, and assisted Institute for the Future in building global corporate learning scenarios circa 2008.

He has spoken at Training, Online Educa, Image World, Instructional Systems Association, ASTD, and written articles for LINEZine, Learning Circuits, Training and Development, Technology for Learning, and American Banker. Jay is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School.

Ian Hamilton has been an entrepreneurial leader and technology visionary in corporate eLearning, knowledge management, and online publishing dating back to the original DOS CD-ROMs and online business services of the mid-80s.

He has enjoyed an unbroken chain of success driving market strategy, managing product development, innovating break-the-mold technology, and creating best-of-breed information content and training courseware as one of the progenitors of the eLearning phenomenon. His experience ranges from roles as chief learning officer, chief technology officer, COO, VP of online courseware, managing editor, and GM.

Ian started and ran Omega Performance's successful, multi-award-winning interactive learning division in 1995 and delivered over $25 million in CBT and WBT for financial services over a three-year period.

As a top executive of Avaltus, Ian revolutionized eLearning with the invention of the first true learning content management system, led the company's R&D and courseware divisions, and realized its $100MM+ sale in late 2001.

He has recently been helping both startups and established vendors evolve into eLearning providers. Ian is a graduate of the Committee on the Analysis of Ideas and Study of Methods at the University of Chicago. He makes his home in the San Francisco Bay Area and can be reached at ibh3@aol.com.