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Meet the Team
Nicholas Lewis
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
A resident of Sarasota, Florida, Nicholas Lewis is an active tournament and cash game professional, part of the "2% net winners club". He climbed from beating the lowest micro stakes to winning at medium stakes both live and online.
Nicholas is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Manasota Chess Center, one of the top chess destinations in the United States. In addition to defining its strategic vision and designing its popular chess courses, he served as chairman for the US Chess Clubs Committee and as Treasurer of the Florida Chess Association.
Past experiences include Chief Administrative Officer for a major internet technology company, professional violinist in numerous orchestras throughout the US, and 2-time Sarasota champion in 9-ball pool.
Bob Bernstein
Founder & Chief Operating Officer
A resident of Longboat Key, Florida, Bob manages the marketing and business operations of the Ultimate Poker Academy.
His prior work experience includes executive management positions at various telecommunications companies, during which he directed teams in the areas of Finance, Sales Support, Product Management, Marketing Communications, and Market Research & Analysis.
Bob previously worked at AT&T for 16 years as Marketing DIrector, where he managed a team focused on marketing to the federal government.
Bob's educational achievements include an MBA in Finance from George Washington University, as well as a BS degree in Economics from Rider University.
Sam Ronalds
Lead Instructor & Coach
A resident of Sarasota, Florida, Sam Ronalds is an active tournament and cash game professional, having amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars in tournament winnings. He consistently finishes in the top 1% of national tournaments, with numerous first place victories.
Before turning to poker full-time and professionally, he worked in corporate finance for years. He was an investment analyst and most recently worked as an Account Executive for Uber Corporate. However, after winning several online tournaments and doing so well in cash games recreationally, he decided to leave the world of finance and enter the world of professional poker.
Sam graduated from the Kelley School of Business of Indiana University with a major in Finance.
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