About Us

Talent is everywhere. Opportunities are not.

Young adulthood is a time of many transitions. Students move from sheltered environments to the absolute freedom of finding those first quality jobs. Finding a profession that’s a good match to a particular set of talents and temperaments is challenging.

In the past, this difficult path was helped by parental relationships and referrals from close family friends. But the world changed. Children no longer follow their parents’ career paths. They want to explore the world, find what they are best at, discover where they belong and what they love to do. One of the best ways to achieve this is through internships.

But again, professional contacts that could assist in acquiring those positions are difficult to find. Furthermore, a student who desires to enter a particular field might not be physically able to be at the location of the work opportunity. Virtual internships, a new movement, solve both the problem of “trying on” a new occupation and doing so without leaving home.

GEOinterns was started to help facilitate the right relationships with the right people. We help manage the whole process of obtaining a traditional or virtual internship and help our students navigate their way to an exciting field. We know both sides—we have deep connections to the industry and we understand the pitfalls of just starting out in a new field. We are here to help.

Giraffe Comes Out of Computer Screen

The Team

GEOinterns is a crack team of dedicated education management and technology professionals.

  • Shane Spiegelman

    President and CEO

    Portrait of Shane Spiegelman

    Shane is a refugee of Technology who was motivated to focus on the most fulfilling aspects of his work, career development. Shane most recently served fast-growing tech companies at the executive level which were purchased by GoDaddy and Rackspace. His career journey led him to executive positions at managed internship providers Dream Careers and The Intern Group. It was at these respected internship providers Shane came to the conclusion that many students were not being served due to the high cost and restrictions of international internship programs.

    Shane founded GEOinterns on the premise that talent is everywhere but opportunities are not. The mission of GEOinterns is to level the playing field so more students can experience quality internships regardless of their economic situation or geographic location. Shane has a B.A. degree from San Francisco State University and an M.B.A. from St. Mary’s College of California.

  • Jacqueline Hawthorne

    Director of Enrollment and Operations

    Portrait of Jacqueline Hawthorne

    Jacqueline has worked in technology for most of her career focused on sales and marketing disciplines. She has held senior positions at Kyocera and most recently ID Checking. Jacqueline has a strong understanding of how fast-growing companies operate and a natural ability to work with students in their career development. Jacqueline holds a B.A. degree from San Francisco State University.

  • Olga Werby

    Director of Education

    Portrait of Olga Werby

    Olga Werby, Ed.D., has a doctorate from U.C. Berkeley with a focus on designing online learning experiences. She received a Master’s degree in Education of Math, Science, and Technology from U.C. Berkeley and a B.A. degree in Mathematics and Astrophysics from Columbia University. She has been creating computer-based projects since 1981 with organizations such as NASA (where she worked on the Pioneer Venus project), Addison-Wesley, and the Princeton Review. Olga serves on the board of directors of GGSTEMfair, a corporation set up to organize and run regional San Francisco Bay Area science fair. Since 1994, when she formed Pipsqueak, she has been focused on web design, information architecture, interaction design, audience experience, and creation of digital assets. She also writes books and blogs about writing and design on Interfaces.com.

  • Christopher Werby

    Chief Technology Officer

    Portrait of Christopher Werby

    Christopher Werby, J.D., has had a varied career as a lawyer, businessman, technologist, filmmaker, journalist, and new media creator. He has been active with computers since 1975, and taught computer programming at Sarah Lawrence College. He is a commercial photographer and videographer who has contributed to a number of projects. He received a B.A. degree in Physics from Sarah Lawrence College and a Juris Doctor degree from U.C. Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law. He is admitted to practice in the State of California and is an active member of the California State Bar (member 124299). Christopher serves on the board of directors of Grosvenor Properties, Ltd., a real estate investment company. Since 1994, when he formed Pipsqueak, he has been focused on web work, technology, programming, and creating digital assets.