Our Leadership Team

Great people are core to our mission. Our team includes experienced leaders in the fields of education, business, specialized learning needs and social entrepreneurship who are passionate about our work. Together with our advisory, school and therapy teams, we bring the best to our students, families and communities.  

Erik Heyer, founder and CEO, is a respected education leader, business manager and social entrepreneur.  In 2006, Mr. Heyer established The Siena School in Silver Spring, MD. The Siena School has quickly become one of Washington, D.C.’s leading private schools for students with dyslexia and language-based learning differences. The school and its staff have earned several honors, along with accolades from area educators, community leaders and the media, including The Washington Post, Washington Diplomat and WUSA–Channel 9. Previously, Erik was on the founding team and management committee of Victory Schools, a national leader in the charter school and public education reform movements. In 2003, he was awarded a Broad Fellowship in the Broad Foundation Superintendents Academy, one of the nation’s most prestigious educational leadership training programs. He began his career in finance with Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, before joining New Mountain Capital, a leading private equity investment firm. Mr. Heyer holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in systems engineering with high honors from the University of Virginia. He has served on governing boards of the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center, the Mental Health Association of Montgomery County, and Calvert Education Services, one of the nation's oldest homeschooling organizations.

Pia Bernardini, vice president, operations and admissions, has spent her career in education working in both K-12 and higher education. She joins Auburn following eight years with the British Schools of America (BSA). While at BSA, Ms. Bernardini was part of the team that developed two new schools in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, IL; supervised the design and development of a new website; developed and implemented a new data management system; and centralized school marketing functions, including developing common marketing material for the schools. She previously taught English in Spain and managed academic programs in the medical school and School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She holds a M.A. in teaching English as a second language from Georgetown University and a B.A. in Italian and art history from the University of Virginia.

Sonia Johnson, director of human resources, brings a wealth of education human resources experience to Capital; she previously worked for the Friendship Public Charter School group for 5 years and led their recruitment and HR efforts through tremendous growth. While at Friendship she was the Director of Talent, responsible for recruitment and onboarding processes and later was promoted to Director of Human Resources, supporting staff and programs across school campuses. Ms. Johnson started her career as a lead teacher then as the director at a local child development center. While there, she guided them to national accreditation. Ms. Johnson holds a B.A. from Howard University in psychology and an M.A. in public administration with a concentration in human resource management from American University.  

Tim Shanahan, consultant – strategic partnerships, provides strategic consulting, market analysis and partnering outreach services to Capital Education. Tim is the founder of VentureSpring, LLC, which provides corporate renewal and growth consulting to middle market companies in a variety of industries.  His previous clients have included a leading special education solutions provider, and a nationwide network of tutoring centers. He was previously Vice President of Strategic Planning at Mattel, Inc., and was Director of Strategy for the Bradford Exchange where he led the acquisition and integration of a $130 million competitor. He received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and returned there to obtain an MBA with Distinction.   

Marina Major, executive vice president, oversees all financial, operational and development functions, including our efforts to replicate Auburn nationally.  She joined the founding team after 10 years with British Schools of America, a leading provider of British style international education based here in Washington DC. Ms. Major served as both its CFO and COO and was responsible for starting up four schools in the U.S. and increasing enrollment from 27 students to over 1,900 around the country. Ms. Major had oversight and responsibility for all BSA operations and served on the school’s board of directors. Previously, she was Director of Administration and International Operations for Micro Analytics Inc., a leading logistics software developer and was responsible for company-wide operations at BT Office Products, where she worked directly for the executive board on corporate development initiatives. Ms. Major received a B.B.A. from the College of William and Mary, majoring in marketing with a minor in Spanish, holds a certificate in accounting from the University of Virginia, and is currently a CPA in the State of Virginia. 

Amie Perl, vice president, business development, has spent the better part of her career working for companies that change lives. Prior to joining Capital Schools, she served in various strategic and operational roles at Strayer University and Weightwatchers.com. She began her career in management consulting at The Boston Consulting Group where she worked with companies across a broad range of industries. Ms. Perl holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in applied mathematics from Harvard University.

Allison Ober, director of special programs,  started her career as a classroom teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools. She taught children with special needs, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning disabilities, and emotional disabilities. Ms. Ober has also provided private tutoring and advocacy services for students in Northern Virginia. In 2002, she helped develop, market, and implement a social skills summer program for young children. Ms. Ober has a B.A. in English and a M.A. in special education from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Susan Steis, business manager, is a talented finance and accounting professional joining Auburn after eight years with British Schools of America (BSA). While at BSA, she had responsibility for accounting, finance and reporting of five schools developing central systems and processes to ensure accurate and timely financial reporting. She worked with the schools' leadership to maintain appropriate budgets and oversaw all financial auditing and training. She was part of the team that developed two new schools in Washington D.C. and Chicago. She holds a B.S. in Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises with a minor in Economics from Syracuse University.