Custom Training Institute's Management Team

Custom Training was founded by Michael L. R. Simpson in 1989. Heidi McCarthy joined us in 1990 and Eileen Hickey joined us in 2008. Our management team has diverse backgrounds and excellent technical and real world experience.

Michael L. R. Simpson

President and Co-founder. A graduate of Harvard University with degrees in applied mathematics and music, Mike has authored over 80 courses for Custom Training Institute. From 1981 to 1989, Mike held technical positions as a Senior Knowledge Engineer at Teknowledge Inc. of Palo Alto, CA and at Bolt Beranek and Newman, where he had a major role in the development of the Arpanet, the forerunner to the Internet.

Heidi McCarthy

General Manager and Director of Operations. Heidi earned her BS in Business from National University while working at Petersen Publishing, and has been with Custom Training Institute since 1990. Prior to joining Custom Training Institute, Heidi had a consulting business and taught workshops in office organization, efficiency, and time management. Heidi manages the development and customization of Custom Training Institute's courses, including designing, scheduling, writing, editing, updating, printing, shipping, and cataloguing. Heidi also functions as a liaison with major accounts to facilitate inquiries and technical questions.

Eileen Hickey

Director of New Business Development. Eileen holds a BS from State University of Regents College. Prior to joining CTI, Eileen's background has over 20 years experience in sales, marketing and management.