Presence has appointed Jess Wang as CEO, succeeding Kate Eberle Walker, who has transitioned to executive chair of the company’s board. The leadership change gives Wang responsibility for expanding Presence’s special education technology and teletherapy services while allowing Walker to remain involved in long-term strategy.
Wang joined Presence as chief operating officer in 2024. In that role, she developed familiarity with the company’s operations, clinicians, customers, and technology while working to strengthen organizational performance. Presence described her appointment as a continuity-focused transition intended to support innovation and sustainable growth.
The company provides teletherapy, remote evaluations, clinical support, and special education technology to K-12 schools. Its services are intended to help districts address shortages of speech-language pathologists and other licensed professionals while coordinating the administrative workflows associated with special education.
Presence currently works with more than 11,000 schools across 47 states. It supports a network of over 2,000 licensed clinicians and has delivered more than eight million remote evaluations and teletherapy sessions since its founding in 2009.
Wang brings experience across education, technology, and workforce development. She began her career as a public high school social studies teacher and master teacher responsible for mentoring other educators.
She later held leadership roles at education technology company 2U, where she built distributed teams and helped develop graduate programs for speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and counseling professionals. She also launched and expanded technology-enabled education services and led operational transformation initiatives.
That background gives Wang experience with both the classroom environment and the professional pipelines that produce qualified clinicians. These perspectives are relevant as districts confront staffing gaps, increasing administrative responsibilities, and rising demand for special education and mental health services.
Walker led Presence for eight years, overseeing a period of national expansion, product investment, and acquisitions. The company acquired Global Teletherapy and Education Modified, adding capabilities that help schools provide services, manage workflows, and improve visibility into student support.
As executive chair, Walker will work with Wang and the board on Presence’s strategy and mission. Her continued involvement is intended to preserve institutional knowledge and customer relationships while transferring day-to-day leadership to Wang.
Under Wang, Presence plans to continue developing technology that reduces administrative work and improves coordination among schools and clinicians. The company is also exploring responsible applications of AI designed to support professional expertise rather than remove qualified educators or clinicians from student interactions.
Presence recently promoted Felipe Murillo to chief technology officer. Murillo leads engineering, cybersecurity, and AI strategy as the company builds a more integrated platform for school systems and clinicians.
The company’s investors include Spectrum Equity, TPG Rise Fund, and Bain Capital Double Impact. With an established national footprint and a new executive structure, Presence plans to increase its impact across special education while helping districts manage resource constraints.
KEY QUOTES
“Schools are being asked to do more than ever to support students with diverse learning needs, often with fewer resources. They need partners they can trust, technology that solves real problems, and services they can depend on. Presence is uniquely positioned to deliver on those needs. We have an exceptional team, innovative technology, and a clear vision for making special education more connected, efficient, and effective. I’m excited to lead our next chapter with a focus on delivering for the schools, clinicians, and students who count on us.”
Jess Wang, CEO of Presence
“Leading Presence through eight years of growth and transformation has been one of the greatest privileges of my career. I’m incredibly proud of the company we’ve built, the talented team behind it, and the millions of students we’ve helped support. We’ve established a strong foundation and tremendous momentum, and I couldn’t be more confident in Jess as the leader to take Presence forward.”
Kate Eberle Walker, Executive Chair of Presence
