Tampa education company acquires new CEO 

Megan Dusenbery has become the new CEO of education technology company Knack. She began her tenure Monday. 

The Tampa-based startup, founded in 2015 by Samyr Qureshi, Dennis Hansen, Shawn Doyle and David Stoker, launched a platform to help higher education institutions create peer-to-peer tutoring programs. 

According to the company’s website, Knack “recruits, trains and pays qualified students” in collaboration with institution partners. 

Knack has worked with colleges such as the University of Florida, Auburn University, Northeastern University and Georgia Tech. K-12 organizations can also connect with the company’s network of college tutors. 

“My career has really been focused on student success and products that drive student outcomes,” Dusenbery said. “As I was going through this process connecting with the team and learning more from them, what I really saw was a great fit.” 

Dusenbery most recently served as chief partnerships officer at the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE). She was also the senior vice president of higher education at Kaplan from 2021 to 2023. 

For her, it’s a passion. 

“Ensuring that students have a strong higher education experience can be an equalizer. It’s an important thing both academically and socially.” 

Dusenbery’s past experiences taught her about the value of a company’s culture. She hopes to build on the vision of Qureshi, who served as Knack’s CEO for a decade. 

“We were encouraged to try new things and to be innovative,” she explained. “When I think about my role at Knack, I want to empower the team to grow.” 

One of Dusenbery’s main goals is to expand Knack’s partner base and determine “the right go forward strategy” for the business. 

“The power of human connection is so important,” she said. “Living in a world now with a lot of phenomenal tools such as artificial intelligence, students are craving that personal interaction that peer tutoring provides.” 

Alongside Dusenbery’s hiring, Knack announced that it has raised a Series B funding round, led by Maryland-based New Markets Venture Partners. 

In 2018, the company received investments in a seed round from Tampa Bay Lightning chairman and governor Jeff Vinik and Alex Sink, Florida’s former chief financial officer and former chair of tech accelerator Tampa Bay Wave. 

Qureshi will now serve as the executive chairman of the board. 

Knack website