The Visionaries
Jonathan Dariyanani
Corporate Counsel
Jonathan Dariyanani was formerly a startup attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati in Palo Alto, where he represented both venture capital firms and startups. He has been an entrepreneur in the education space since 2003, when he sold his first company to LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. and led their language learning division. Dariyanani worked with the World Economic Forum and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation to develop game changing tablet based literacy programs for undereducated girls in rural India.
Jonathan was also a pioneer in the on-line, for credit learning space. The company he co-owned was sold to K12, Inc., (NYSE:LRN), where Jonathan served post-acquisition as Creative Director of the Middlebury K12 Language Initiative and was responsible for the category leading product in the K-12 market. Jonathan worked extensively in the Middle East and lived in the region with his family while developing pioneering work in on-line vocational training for unemployed Middle Eastern youth. He is also the inventor and co-author of several patents in the area of on-line learning.
Joseph Schneier
Chairman of the Board
Joseph Schneier has been at the forefront of innovations in global and domestic education, government, value-based healthcare, and insurance technology for over 20 years. He has built companies and products studying value-based care with complex populations, co-founded and exited two companies, and is a Fellow at Columbia University’s MBA Entrepreneurial Program.
Since 2012, Mr. Schneier’s primary focus has been on the older adult population. Joseph founded three companies in this space—Cinematic Health, which trains CNAs, Home Health Aides, and Personal Care Assistants; BellAge (with James Firman, the former CEO of the National Council on Aging), a company working with Area Agencies on Aging on longevity initiatives; and Trusty.care: a company focused on connecting sales, marketing, and member experience for the 150m Americans that receive insurance through Medicare, Medicaid, or Marketplace plans.
Mr. Schneier has spoken at TedMed, Lake Nona, and JP Morgan Healthcare. He is a mentor at New York University, Wharton, Cornell, Bill and Melinda Gates Pivotal Ventures Longevity Program with Techstars, Northwestern Mutual Black Founders Program, CUNY, and various other academic institutions. Mr. Schneier sits on the board of Startout, AvanleeCare, a Caregiver company, The Sam and Devorah Foundation for Transgender Youth, Superbia Credit Union (an LGBTQ credit union), Stonewall Community Development Corporation (a non-profit focused on LGBTQ senior housing). He is a member of the LGBTQ+ Biden Council and the LGBTQ+ Queens District Attorney Council.
Garry MacKenzie, MD
Chief Clinical Officer
Garry MacKenzie is a pioneering Interventional Cardiologist and former examiner in Internal Medicine for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He brings to Cognotion a more than 35 year history of leadership in Cardiology and Medicine in both the US and Canada. Garry has treated more than 100,000 patients and was amongst the first Interventional Cardiologists in North America to try a number of novel, innovative and complex procedures. He was Cath Lab Director and Chief of Cardiology in both the US and Canada, and served as the President of a Medical Staff with over 600 members, including NPs and physicians. During his career at industry-leading Intermountain Health Care, the hospital was rated by CMS as a Top 5 in the United States for Cost Effective Care in heart failure management. He has won awards for teaching and has been a consultant to industry and government. He remains active in teaching of medical undergraduates and is now focused full-time on helping promote Cognotion's mission to bring state of the art teaching methods to allied healthcare professionals.
“I was so very impressed by the team, the masterful approach to the incredible detail and seamless flow needed to make this all work. It was indeed a privilege to see you all in action!”
Dennis Brooks
Vice President of Sales
Dennis Brooks has spent his whole career in healthcare. After graduating with a degree in Healthcare Administration, Dennis has worked in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, physician practices, nursing homes and healthcare billing and consulting firms. He has been in charge of physician practice groups for large health systems, run business development for health care systems, operated and sold practice management software for physicians, and been the Administrator at several senior care facilities, including nursing homes and an assisted living community.