With experience spanning over two decades, SIMmersion has been at the forefront of designing and developing cutting-edge simulations.
Who We Are
The SIMmersion® team responsible for developing our virtual role-players consists of highly skilled professionals in various fields, including software engineering, creative writing, research, business analytics, project management, theater, education, design, video production, and product development. We work closely with a diverse network of subject matter experts to design immersive and authentic learning solutions.
Our Values
We believe in doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. We act with honesty, transparency, and fairness in all of our business dealings.
We embrace creativity and constantly strive to find new and better ways of doing things. We encourage experimentation and risk-taking to drive growth and progress.
We put our customers at the center of everything we do. We listen to needs, understand challenges, and work tirelessly to exceed expectations.
We believe that the best ideas come from working together. We foster a culture of teamwork and communication that encourages diverse perspectives and constructive feedback.
Meet the Leadership Team
Dale Olsen
Founder & President
Laura Boteler Humm
Chief Operating Officer
Chris Steacy
Chief Business Officer
Jeff Elkins
Chief Script Engineer
Courtney Small
Client Services Specialist
Our Story
PeopleSim®
While working for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Dr. Dale Olsen identified a universal need to train communication skills by giving learners a chance to practice conversations. He developed and patented PeopleSim® to provide simulated practice opportunities. The FBI funded the first PeopleSim® system to teach criminal investigation techniques allowing agents to talk with Mike Simmen, a bank employee who may have embezzled money. That work started in 1997, and a dynamic new product was delivered in 1998. Learn More »
The Company
The success of the first PeopleSim® training system generated an immediate demand for other systems addressing various topics, including suicide intervention, border interviews, and recruiting. In 2002, Dr. Olsen obtained an exclusive license for PeopleSim® and founded SIMmersion as a spinout company. With the success of SIMmersion, Dr. Olsen purchased all rights to the technology, and since then, SIMmersion has developed a wide variety of training systems addressing many topics, including customer service, performance coaching, Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, sales, suicide intervention, screening and brief interventions, courtroom testimony, job interviews, and many others.
Over the two-plus decades of product development, the SIMmersion team has listened and responded to customer requests and needs. This pursuit of constant improvement has resulted in continuous technology development since the first system was developed and delivered to the FBI on CD. The technology improvements are too numerous to mention, but include techniques to make simulated people more realistic, a comprehensive data management system, a series of tools making the authoring more efficient and of higher quality, and highly efficient video production and integration. Equally important, the two decades of experience has produced unparalleled capability to work with subject-matter experts to design and build systems that are responsive to customer requirements.
Since the company was founded, the focus has been on developing training products with content that meets the highest possible standards. As a result, we have been fortunate to team with leaders in a wide variety of fields and win highly competitive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIAAA, NIMH, & NIDA), the CDC, the FBI, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Air Force, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Forces Command, the intelligence community, and private industry.
Dr. Olsen is responsible for general oversight of all of SIMmersion’s activities. His expertise includes technology innovation, training systems design and construction, management, statistical analysis, and business development. In addition to leading the executive leadership team, he is the Principal Investigator on a series of SIMmersion research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Prior to starting SIMmersion, Dr. Olsen worked for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where he had various management titles. During his tenure, he developed the PeopleSim® technology that powers SIMmersion’s conversations. The first implementation was used to train new FBI agents to improve their communication skills. That effort proved successful and the system was used by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. As a result of that success, Dr. Olsen founded SIMmersion in 2002 and grew a business in which more than 50 other conversation training systems have been commissioned by the federal government to train skills ranging from detection of deception to suicide intervention.
Dr. Olsen earned an A.B. in Mathematics from California State University, Chico and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Statistics from Oregon State University. Dr. Olsen lives in Columbia, Maryland. His two daughters live in the area.
Laura Humm collaborates with subject matter experts and SIMmersion team members to design and engineer interactive training programs to improve communication. As a member of SIMmersion’s executive leadership team, her day-to-day tasks include project management, client relations, product design, content development, software integration, quality assurance, research design, and staff training. Laura is passionate about the benefits of effective communication and strives to create an environment in which all members of the team feel valued and empowered to do their best work.
Laura has been with the company since its founding in 2002. She began her career with SIMmersion as an Administrative Assistant, and since has had the opportunity to work on every aspect of the interactive training programs, including script development, instructional design, video production, code development, user interface creation, research design, and client integration. During her tenure, Laura has led the design and development of more than 30 training programs, served as Program Manager or Co-Investigator on 18 federally funded grants, and co-authored 18 publications.
Laura holds dual B.S. degrees in Psychology and Sociology from Towson University. She lives in Halethorpe, Maryland with her husband.
Chris Steacy is responsible for advancing the company’s business strategy across all verticals and is a member of the company’s executive leadership team. Additionally, he provides direction to a multi-disciplinary team to support client marketing, customer experience, and research. Chris is committed to expanding SIMmersion’s share of the interactive training space through research and commercial partnerships.
Prior to joining SIMmersion, Dr. Steacy spent 15 years as an owner and clinic director of Sport and Spine Rehab (SSR), a multi-disciplinary healthcare facility with seven locations throughout Maryland and Virginia. In addition to working with patients and overseeing staff and treatment plans, Dr. Steacy participated in clinical research trials as a site supervisor. By leveraging his experience blending people with process, the SSR team was named one of “America’s Most Loved Practices” by DrScore.com, the nation’s largest online patient satisfaction database, and was named in the Inc. 5000 list in 2011 as one of the fastest growing private US companies.
Dr. Steacy holds a B.S. and B.P.H.E from Queen’s University and a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from New York Chiropractic College. He currently resides in Columbia, Maryland with his wife and two children.
Jeff Elkins oversees the script and content creation for all the company's conversation simulations. Collaborating with subject matter experts, he empowers the writing team to develop collaborative communication styles, mimic expert behavior, and manage complex scripts, all while adhering to ambitious production timelines. Jeff is committed to ensuring SIMmersion programs are authentic interactive experiences that provide unparalleled training.
Prior to joining SIMmersion, Mr. Elkins spent 15 years serving as a Program Manager and Change Manager for multiple nonprofits. Through this work, he established mentoring programs for inner-city youth, developed adult-focused small group systems for life development, built after-school programs for disadvantaged elementary school students, helped found a system of charter schools in Baltimore City, and walked multiple organizations through seasons of institutional growth and development.
Mr. Elkins holds a B.A. from Baylor University and an M.Div. from George W. Truett Theological Seminary. He currently resides in Cockeysville, Maryland with his wife and five children.
Courtney Small is responsible for customer service, technical support, client training, and product implementation for SIMmersion’s training products and websites. Ms. Small also provides internal support through extensive quality assurance testing, video production support, and general administrative support. Her commitment to excellence ensures each and every customer, partner, and vendor sees the very best SIMmersion has to offer.
Ms. Small joined the SIMmersion team out of college and served as the Administrative Assistant to the executive team. Her organization, planning, and communication skills quickly outgrew the position, and she began taking on responsibilities of the Client Services Specialist.
Ms. Small holds a B.S. in Management from Penn State University. She currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland.
