Management Team

Dennis C. Henegar, Chairman and CEO, Co-founder

Dennis Henegar directed the effort that led to the founding of Leaps in the Fall of 2000. As the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Henegar coordinates the implementation of the company's business plans and strategic vision. He is also responsible for the oversight of the finance functions of the company. He is also actively engaged in marketing and sales activity at all levels.

Prior to Leaps, Henegar was a founding member of EduCare Community Living Corporation - America, a company acclaimed for its excellence in the delivery of services for persons with disabilities. Founded in 1987, EduCare annual revenues rose to more than $80 million before it was acquired and merged with ResCare, Inc. (the nation's largest provider of services for persons with special needs) in 1999. Having served EduCare as vice president for development and vice president of regulatory affairs for several years, Henegar served as president of EduCare from April of 1998 through September of 2000. After EduCare's merger with ResCare, Henegar also served as their senior vice president for ResCare's Southwest region, with responsibility for operations in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona and annual revenues in excess of $155 million.

In his time with EduCare, Henegar played a key role in numerous mergers and acquisitions, was instrumental in the development of numerous startup enterprises within the company, including the mental health company where some of the original groundwork for behavioral change through skills training -- the Leaps concept -- was laid. Henegar was also highly successful in developing and maintaining strong working relationships with government agencies and elected leaders that were essential in the company's success and growth. His expertise in Medicaid funding and reimbursement rules and regulations was critical to EduCare's success and helped expand community-based services in Texas for persons with disabilities. In 1992, Henegar worked closely with underwriters, accountants, and attorneys in an IPO process that was eventually shelved, but that still paid huge dividends for the company in the form of credibility and relationships.

Henegar is passionate about Leaps and the opportunity to help educators and their students. "While the general public clearly understands that today's schools are facing daunting challenges, few people outside of the schools themselves fully understand the depth of the problems and their impact on learning. Aberrant behaviors are now commonplace in schools of all sizes and types -- rural and urban, large and small, low income neighborhoods or high income neighborhoods. These behaviors disrupt learning for all students and generate stress and ultimately burnout for teachers. Traditional methods of discipline are ineffective with students who lack the fundamental social and emotional learning skills to even begin to know how to change their behavior. And today's schools are ill-equipped for these kinds of challenges. It is into this void that Leaps offers what one reviewer called our 'elegant' solution, the Leaps program. Our goal is to provide educators the behavioral management tools they need to truly leave no child behind."

Jay Burcham, President, Co-founder

Jay Burcham is one of the founding partners of Leaps. As President, Burcham oversees the research, development, and implementation of all programming protocols that become Leaps products. He is also very active on the speaking circuit making over 50 appearances within the last three years as both a featured and keynote speaker.

Burcham holds a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology with post-graduate training and education in both psychology and physiology. With over 12 years of experience in the mental health field, he has worked in positions ranging from a direct provider of clinical services to vice president of a large outpatient mental health company.

Burcham developed and copyrighted extensive rehabilitation treatment programs for individuals with mental illness, through which thousands of mentally ill adults and emotionally disturbed children received treatment. This research and development in the world of behaviors led him into the realm of preventative and proactive character development and behavioral remediation with students in the classroom. The outcome is an extensive social and emotional development program called Leaps. Burcham currently holds 5 copyrights for various treatment and intervening modalities.

Over the past three years Burcham has worked closely with school districts across the nation including some of the largest. He has collaborated on behavioral solutions with schools in over 25 states. During this time Burcham has overseen Leaps being introduced into over 25 sates as a resource for thousands of educators.

Burcham is a strong believer in educator's ability to positively impact the lives of students. "If given the proper tools and resources teachers can not only make a difference, they can give a child a future." This belief is why Burcham left the world of clinical service provision to focus on arming our teachers with the tools and skills necessary to mold our children into productive citizens.

Gayle Rolland, JD, CRM, Vice President, Co-founder

Gayle Rolland combined a law degree earned in 1981 from the University of Kansas with over a decades' experience as a financial advisor when she joined Henegar in 1993 at EduCare Community Living Corporation-America to serve as Director of Legal Affairs and Risk Management. While at EduCare she was integrally involved in the management and growth of the company handling matters pertaining to real estate transactions, contract negotiations, employment policies and practices, management of outside legal counsel, and mergers and acquisitions. She also received her designation as a Certified Risk Manager, one of the few attorneys in the country to have done so. After Burcham joined EduCare in 1994 she worked closely with him and Henegar in the start up, management and growth of EduCare's mental health division which provided the opportunity to develop, research, test and implement the product that served as the precursor to Leaps.

Rolland now serves as Leaps's in-house counsel replicating many of the services that she provided to EduCare. Additionally she is extensively involved in the company's marketing efforts through conferences and seminars and often represents the company as a speaker at these events. The time that she spends in the field talking to and working with the educators who actually use Leaps on a daily basis is the best part of the job for Rolland. "Seeing first hand how effective and efficient Leaps is in the hands of educators serves as a constant reminder that Leaps really has a unique opportunity to improve the lives of students and teachers alike."