Our Team

Name:
Bryan McCorkle

Role:
CEO

School:
USC

Major:
Business Finance

Education, specifically California education runs in my blood. I'm a 6th generation Californian and 4th generation educator. My family has included chancellors, administrators, professors, teachers and tutors. Even my father, a banker, spends much of his "free time" creating an annual case-study based seminar for university students and business leaders. So, when I chose to major in business finance, I suspect it raised an eyebrow or two.

And then the inevitable happened. I graduated (not the inevitable part) and ended up in, you guessed it, education. Initially, I joined forces with a college friend who had developed an excellent reputation as an in-home one-on-one tutor. I envisioned ways that we could improve the service with an eLearning component. Clear Choice was born.

In my free time I love to build stuff. It doesn't matter what stuff. From framing walls for a two-story bedroom in a downtown LA loft during college, to mentoring local high school students as we built a 14-foot solar powered racing boat for a competition, to assisting my best friend develop computer controlled manufacturing machines and a company around that product, the fact is that I thrive when I'm building something. There is something I find invigorating about the creative process. Perhaps it has something to do with my left-handedness.

Which explains why I love my job. Clear Choice puts me squarely in the intersection of education and "building stuff." I wouldn't have it any other way.

A few other things that didn't make the cut:

• I hate dressing up for work. So, unless it's absolutely necessary, I don't. 90% of the time you'll find me in flip-flops.
• I love sports, though I'll reluctantly admit that I'm a better fan than athlete. That doesn't, however, stop me from swinging the clubs or hitting a volleyball from time to time. USC football (hold your boos) has my unsanctioned allegiance.
• I listen to country music and sports talk radio. That's all.
• My penmanship is atrocious. This also I attributable to my left-handedness.

Name:
Matt McCorkle

Role:
VP Operations

School:
UC Davis

Major:
Political Science

I am deeply committed to life-long education, continual self-improvement, and the promotion of social justice. I concluded that the best way to achieve these ends and promote my values in the world was to launch a start-up-company to enable motivated high school students to bridge the achievement gap in education by preparing for college. I do a bit of everything at Clear Choice. Suffice to say, my work is a big part of who I am, and I find it fulfilling to be doing well by doing good.

I estimate that I'm 100% serious about 15 - 20% of the time. I make a point of expanding my vocabulary daily. For amusement, I frequently respond to perfunctory questions from uninterested people (i. e. "How are you today?") with unexpectedly genuine answers. I was voted "best actor" at my high school, but I haven't touched the stuff since. I appreciate a good story, well told. I play drums, but I haven't got a set presently. As a teenager, I played soccer (goalkeeper) for a summer in Europe. I enjoy hiking and camping, but I don't sleep outside as often as I'd like. I "read" more audio books than books because I can't sit still. I was once selected for a poorly conceived MTV pilot, which I'm eternally thankful never got aired. I judge people who use poor grammar. One summer in high school, I worked on a farm where I learned to appreciate country music. I require complete solitude from time to time - not often, and not for long. I remember my dreams more often than not. I enjoy writing in general, and I'm enjoying writing this, specifically. I watch entire seasons of TV shows (Arrested Development, The Wire, Dexter, Mad Men, Deadwood, etc.) when I'm sick. I ride my strand-cruiser everywhere in the South Bay. I was quite rightly diagnosed ADD in high school, and to this day I find it requires deliberate effort to get to bed on time.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
-Theodore Roosevelt

Name:
Derek Rast

Role:
Dir. of Marketing &
Biz Development

School:
UC San Diego

Major:
Microbiology

Passionate, kind and courageous are words I'd like said of me at my funeral. I am of the opinion that life should be an adventure. I strive to turn moments to memories and memories to lore. It is my belief that we are all storytellers at heart, and that we should live so that our life is a story worth telling.

I'm proud that both my parents and sister are educators for students with special needs. From my upbringing the value of education and the need for compassion have been deeply instilled in my being. It is my opinion that through education comes success and through compassion comes happiness.

As a generalist in the truest sense of the word I've been professionally engaged in marketing, music production, sales, graphic design, microbiology, leadership development and adventure travel. I bring my array of skills, interests and talents to each task and enjoy discovering creative solutions to interesting challenges. My true passion is people, and at Clear Choice I use my passion to build meaningful relationships.

I was also on Judge Judy (and won).

"We are the music-makers and we are the dreamers of dreams"
- Arthur O'Shaughnessy