Management Team

Jeffrey T. LaRiche, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

As chief executive officer, Mr. LaRiche sets CASTLE Worldwide's strategy, vision, and culture using input from the management team and board. Prior to being named chairman and chief executive officer, Mr. LaRiche held the position of vice president for investor relations at CASTLE Worldwide and served as a management advisor. His nearly 30 years of management experience include serving in public positions in Washington, D.C. and abroad, interacting with the highest levels of United States and foreign governments, Wall Street, and the media.

As associate director for finance and administration of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Mr. LaRiche managed the priorities of 13 program areas, including finance, budget, endowment and investment policy, human resources, procurement, legal counsel, and technical services for the new museum's 400 employees and $50 million operating budget.

Mr. LaRiche is past acting president of the U.S. International Cultural and Trade Center. He was recruited to that position at a crucial juncture by a board of trustees appointed by President George H. W. Bush.

For nearly 15 years, Mr. LaRiche was with the Smithsonian Institution where his ever-increasing responsibilities culminated with his position as deputy assistant secretary for external affairs. The Office of External Affairs oversaw congressional relations, development, and membership programs.

Mr. LaRiche holds a bachelor of arts degree in history and a master of arts degree in cultural anthropology, both from the University of Pennsylvania.  He serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations involved in the arts and international development.

 

W. Scott Greene, Vice President  Operations and Test Administration

As head of operations and test administration, Mr. Greene manages the operations staff at CASTLE Worldwide, which includes customer service, test administration, scoring, candidate registration, printing, and shipping and receiving for projects of all sizes worldwide. Prior to joining CASTLE Worldwide, Mr. Greene served as a school counselor and coach in North Carolina's Wake County Public School System. As a counselor, he managed the counseling and guidance services for more than 500 students, was involved with several standardized testing programs, and served on the crisis team, scholarship committee, and students-at-risk program.

Mr. Greene holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and a master of education degree in school counseling, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

 

James P. Henderson, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Psychometrician

Dr. Henderson is one of the nation's leading experts on quality certification testing, commanding the respect of peers throughout the industry. Recently, Dr. Henderson co-chaired the steering committee for the Standards Review and Validation Project of the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). NCCA works to ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public by accrediting certification programs and organizations that assess professional competence. He was the first psychometrician appointed by the NCCA to review the quality of certification programs submitted to the commission for accreditation.  Dr. Henderson also served as an advisor to the National Skills Standards Board, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. Currently he serves on the North Carolina Commission for Workforce Development, a position to which he was appointed to by Governor Mike Easley.

A former professor for the State University of New York, Dr. Henderson holds a bachelor of arts degree from Eckerd College in Florida and a master of arts degree and doctorate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a member of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

 

Robert Pedigo, Vice President, Client Services

As Vice President of Client Services, Mr. Pedigo is responsible for the psychometric, test development and editorial departments. For over fifteen years Mr. Pedigo has advised private industry leaders and government agencies on the creation, development, and improvement of certification and measurement programs.  Prior to joining CASTLE Worldwide in June, 2005, Mr. Pedigo was a founding partner of Caveon Test Security and Executive Director of ITCSC, an industry trade group dedicated to the protection of its members' testing related intellectual property.  Earlier, he enjoyed record breaking success as the General Manager of Sun Microsystems' Global Certification Program; as the founder and Director of Oracle Corporation's Certified Professional Program; and as founding manager of Adobe Systems' Certification Program. 

Mr. Pedigo holds a BA from the University  of Washington in Political Economy and an MBA with an emphasis in Organizational Development from City University in Seattle, Washington.

 

Rick L. Phillips, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer

As chief technology officer, Dr. Phillips is responsible for creating the architecture to support CASTLE Worldwide’s online systems and applications. He is a recognized authority in the design of multi-national relational databases and specializes in database security and database optimization strategies. Dr. Phillips brings technical expertise in the design of operating platforms, databases, and other information systems for established and emerging companies.  

Prior to joining CASTLE Worldwide, Dr. Phillips managed information technology programs at A4 Health Systems, where he was significantly involved with the analysis of corporate acquisitions and new alliances, vendor partnerships, and strategic software positioning and planning. He previously managed information systems for Family Health International, where the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) recognized his efforts in support of an AID-funded vaccine research project. Dr. Phillips also has served as database quality assurance manager for Verifone, which helps retailers process millions of credit card transactions daily.

Dr. Phillips holds a bachelor of science degree and a master in science degree, both in psychology, and a doctorate degree in psychophysics, with a minor in computer science, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.