Rich Bannister
Founder & CEO

Rich is a highly experienced entrepreneur with over 35 years in the employee benefit space. He has been the Founder/Co-Founder of multiple companies. Key strengths are leadership, team building, strategic planning, and creative vision. As a father, he recognized firsthand that parents struggle with understanding and managing the stressful and costly college process. He launched SimpliCollege in 2019 to provide families with all the tools they need in one place, available 24/7/365. SimpliCollege is a financial wellness product that serves companies and organizations nationally.

Sam Feeney
Director of Marketing (Partner)

Sam Feeney has over 15 years of experience helping families make informed decisions about college. As a former school counselor and Independent Educational Consultant, he wrote “Choose the Perfect College” to help students find their best-fit colleges. As a Certified College Funding Specialist, he authored “Hire Education”, a guide for parents seeking the best deal on college. Now, as Director of Marketing at SimpliCollege, Sam helps leverage client relationships and create proprietary tools that lead to optimal user outcomes.

Chris Render
Director of Educational Content (Partner)

Chris Render serves as Director of Educational Content at SimpliCollege, a virtual college coaching platform on a mission to help families navigate the college process and lower the cost of higher education. With over 15 years of experience as a high school counselor, career counselor, and university-level student success advisor, Chris brings a well-rounded perspective to support students as they explore life after high school.

A strong advocate for exploring all post-secondary options, including trade schools, apprenticeships, community colleges, and four-year universities, Chris is passionate about helping students discover the path that fits them best. He believes that success isn’t one-size-fits-all, and his work centers on empowering families with the knowledge and tools to make confident, cost-conscious decisions.

As the parent of four, including two currently in college and one in high school, Chris understands the real-world pressures families face. Based in Bozeman, Montana, and married to a fellow educator, he blends professional expertise with personal experience to help simplify and humanize the college and career planning process.

Eszter Gódor
Director of Kajabi and UX

Eszter is a seasoned web designer and digital strategist with deep expertise in building high-converting course platforms, membership sites, and user-centric experiences. She has been working with Kajabi since 2018 and has led the SimpliCollege Kajabi project, overseeing the design and development of the digital learning environments.

With a strong foundation in user experience and conversion strategy, Eszter ensures that every touchpoint is not only visually engaging but also intuitive, accessible, and optimized for student success. Her work blends aesthetic design with user behavior insights to deliver seamless, scalable educational experiences.

Eszter is also a PowerUp Partner, focusing on gamified learning journeys. Her mission is to make digital education both joyful and frictionless for learners and educators alike.

Evan Stoelzel
Director of Programming

Evan is an engineering consultant specializing in custom software development and artificial intelligence. Through his firm, Minas Consulting, he partners with clients to design technology-driven solutions that create real business value. Evan takes a holistic approach, diving deep into each goal and challenge, to deliver tailored products that drive outcomes. His work has empowered business leaders to confidently invest millions, expand into new markets, and generate measurable returns for stakeholders.