Our Professionals

Vital Study Skills is a subsidiary of The Straker Group, LLC, a consulting firm based in Houston, Texas. We work with colleges and universities interested in a systematic approach to increasing student retention.

Since 1988 we have worked with medical and veterinary schools, schools of nursing, universities and community colleges to offer an effective, research-based study skills system.

• Kathleen Straker is president of The Straker Group, LLC. She is a master’s prepared educator and reading specialist with two decades of experience in teaching study strategies. The study skills workshops she teaches have helped numerous students graduate to careers in nursing, allopathic and veterinary medicine and research.

• Tony Moore is a Certified Performance Technologist and president of Moore Performance Improvement. MPI is a virtual company, networked with other consulting companies around the country that share the same stringent standards and systematic approach to improving performance.

• Rick Straker has 23 years experience in a variety of consulting, training, and management roles in the public and private sectors. He is a Certified Facilitator, a Certified Performance Technologist and has extensive training in performance improvement best practices. He is co-founder of The Straker Group.

• Eugenia Kelman is a cognitive-behavioral psychologist. She has served on the faculty and in the administration at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO; University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX and at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Her favorite question is “What can I learn from this?”