The GradeCheck® Management Team
Shelia McBride
Founder
smcbride@gradecheck.net
Shelia McBride is the founder of GradeCheck®, an
Academic Qualifier Advocacy services firm for high school athletes. GradeCheck®
assists students to ensure academic compliance with the NCAA Clearinghouse requirements.
GradeCheck® does this through transcript tracking, tutorial services, and serving
as a liaison between high school administrative offices and the NCAA Clearinghouse.
Like many great ideas, GradeCheck® was born out of necessity. The company was
founded in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan by Shelia McBride. McBride’s son, Kevin
Shorter, was a standout basketball player on his high school team and was determined
to play in the NCAA. Ensuring he met the eligibility requirements laid down by the
NCAA, however, proved a much greater challenge than either of them thought.
While reviewing her own son’s academic performance, McBride developed a clear
understanding of the NCAA requirements and a system for rapidly determining Kevin’s
standing. This understanding, coupled with her own educational background, helped
McBride cultivate this crucial system – she has a Bachelor of Science in Business
from Columbia College in Missouri and a Master of Arts in Organizational Management
from the University of Phoenix. McBride is also a recent graduate of Detroit Entrepreneurship
Institute, Inc.
The GradeCheck® system allows the student to clearly understand exactly how
he or she measures up to the NCAA eligibility standards. It shows them where they
excel and where they need to improve. This system, now the core of GradeCheck®’s
services, is what gives GradeCheck® its distinct competitive advantage.
As Michigan’s leading expert on NCAA Clearinghouse requirements, McBride has
made several appearances on local media programming. She has appeared on The Hype
Squad morning show on 102.7 FM and Urban Connections Television talk show to discuss
GradeCheck®’s services for high school students. She also appeared on
1440 AM Gospel Station to explain the difficulties associated with the NCAA Clearinghouse.
GradeCheck® was also featured in Detroit Auto Scene highlighting the company’s
positive impact on the community.
Howard Bell
President
hbell@gradecheck.net
Howard Bell joined GradeCheck after serving as the first Executive Director and
President of TechTown, the Wayne State University Research and Technology Park.
Bell provided the strategic and tactical direction that turned the vision of an
urban research and technology park into a reality. In the five years as its lead
executive, Bell recruited over thirty companies and obtained millions in development
resources.
Before joining TechTown, Bell co-founded Isiah Investments, a venture capital firm.
As chief operating officer, Bell was responsible for the strategic planning, acquisition
and development of enterprises in real estate, e-commerce and entertainment. There
he was able to apply his passion for sports to his work with the purchase of the
Continental Basketball Association.
Bell’s illustrious background includes serving as director of finance at Becker
Group, a multinational manufacturer of interior vehicle components; a consultant
at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a global financial services organization; and an intellectual
property attorney at Kenyon & Kenyon, an international law firm.
By the age of 34, Bell had earned three degrees: an M.B.A. at the University of
Michigan; a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law; and a bachelor’s
degree in electrical engineering from Brown University.
Committed to community service, Bell is the chair of the board for Evergreen Children’s
Services, a foster care and adoption agency in Detroit and received the 2004 Lewis
H. Latimer Award from the Association of Blacks in Energy for his professional achievements
and personal contributions to the community.
Barbara Kohler
Chief Operations Officer
bkohler@gradecheck.net
Barbara Kohler is the Chief Operating Officer of GradeCheck®. Barbara’s
role is to address strategic initiatives focused at enabling a national network
of school systems working with GradeCheck® to support the NCAA Clearinghouse
process.
Barbara has led consulting teams in the education field for the past 10 years; successfully
achieving results pertaining to policy formation, fundraising and curriculum development.
Prior to that, Ms. Kohler worked for The Boston Consulting Group, a worldwide leader
in Management Consulting, with a focus on marketing and strategic planning. Barbara
led teams working with CEO’s to assist multi-billion dollar corporations and
start-ups in developing successful strategies, incorporating lean and cost-effective
operating structures and increasing revenue growth.
As an electrical design engineer at Polaroid, Barbara’s early career was spent
in product design researching and developing the first digital cameras.
Barbara earned a M.B.A. with Honors from Harvard University; she earned a BS in
Electrical Engineering with High Honors from the University of New Hampshire.
The GradeCheck® system used in Detroit is being implemented in other large urban
school districts to enable student athletes to gain the academic background necessary
to receive Division I and II NCAA scholarships.
Barbara continues to be an active member of her community, both in her church and
in local schools.