OUR STORY
We Joined Forces To Create Technology That Will Build2Win
Cognitive neuroscientists and colleagues, Brandon Ally and Scott Wylie, were watching the 2014 NFL Draft and observed analysts breaking down the prospects with words like great instincts, plays faster than his footspeed, nose for the ball, field vision, etc. What they were missing was a way to measure these skills. Together, Brandon and Scott launched S2 Cognition to leverage their backgrounds as athletes and vast experience of studying the brain in order to generate testing that's scientifically-proven to measure these unique abilities in athletes. The S2 platform gives athletes and coaches a baseline for how to improve their performance over strength, speed and conditioning drills.
MEET THE TEAM
Scott Wylie, Ph.D
Founder And Chief Operating Officer
Scott received his PhD in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology from Indiana University in 2002 and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Virginia. He has been a faculty member at the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, and University of Louisville. He has published 50+ peer-reviewed papers and book chapters on brain mechanisms involved in the control, timing, and learning of motor actions. He specializes in how individuals execute split-second decisions to start, stop, and change actions as well as control motor impulses in the face of pressure and distraction. Scott is a co-founder S2 Cognition and Vice President. Scott played baseball collegiately.
Vaden Landers
Chief Executive Officer
Vaden Landers is a successful businessman and entrepreneur and has over 34 years of experience in the Financial Technologies sector, specializing in payment processing and Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS). Most recently, he served as the CEO for an advisory firm he founded that owns, invests in, and operates Financial Services and software businesses. Prior to that he was EVP & Chief Revenue Officer for Usio, Inc. (NASDAQ: USIO), and has held executive and/or board positions in multiple public and private companies, including Singular Payments, Global Payments (NYSE: GPN), iPayment, Inc., ProfitPoint, Inc., and Sparkbase. His practical experience spans every aspect of business operations and includes more than 100 M&A transactions, including six start-ups’, three of which he has successfully exited.
Eric Peters
Chief Technology Officer
Eric obtained his BS in Computer Science from Indiana University in 1999. He has been helping build technology solutions for businesses spanning public, private and academic sectors. He has served in a variety of practitioner, consultancy, and leadership roles within the IT space, where he has extensive experience in agile software development processes, database development and systems integration. Eric's experience emphasizes building high-performance technology teams in bootstrap startup environments.
Tyler Pflueger
Tyler received his B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2016. Prior to joining S2, he worked for an independent consulting firm for five years. During that time, he helped create custom software solutions for companies ranging from start-ups to large enterprises. Tyler’s passion is to continually learn and create software that helps and improves people’s lives.
Charles McCullough
Charles first became interested in computer science while in the military. He learned coding, writing programs to solve shipboard navigation challenges. He later graduated from the Electronic Computer Programming Institute of Wichita. His career has spanned many industries from Banking, Food Wholesale Distribution, a Fortune 500 company where he worked in accounting, sales and helped build and maintain web sites for Americas favorite food brands. He has also worked in website development and SEO for the Self-Storage Industries top websites. For S2, he works to develop applications in support of backend operations.
Kevin Harders
Kevin received his Master of Architectural Engineering degree from the University of Nebraska in 2013. He spent six years as a structural engineer before changing his focus to software. Before joining S2, he was building software in the eCommerce sector.
Eric Simpson
Eric brings an extensive background in technology sales and management. He has served in roles ranging from leadership to logistic overview within the retail and technology sectors. For S2, Eric is involved in product design, development, and quality assurance.
Bryce Woods
Bryce recently graduated from the University of Memphis where he received his B.S. in Sport and Leisure Management. During his time in Memphis he worked under Penny Hardaway and staff as a student manager for the Men’s Basketball team. Bryce brings a diverse background in the sports realm. Here at S2 Bryce will be involved with all aspects of Customer Quality from specification and quality assurance to delivery and support.
Brandon Ally, Ph.D
Founder And Chief Scientific Officer
Brandon received his PhD in neuropsychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2004, and completed postdoctoral training in cognitive neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and Boston University. He has been a faculty member at Boston University, Vanderbilt University, and University of Louisville. A published author of 50+ peer-reviewed papers and book chapters on brain mechanisms underlying visual attention, perception and memory, Brandon specializes in how individuals attend, track, and process information in dynamic visual environments. Brandon is a co-founder of S2 Cognition and Vice President. Brandon was a distance runner collegiately.
Tom Noland
Acting Chief Financial Officer
Tom served as CEO for S2 from 2015-2021. Prior to joining the team, Tom was a portfolio manager for MedCare Investments from 2012-2015 and served as an Assistant Director of Finance in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center from 2008-2012. From 2003-2007, Tom managed the Vanderbilt Chancellor’s Fund which invested in early-stage products and business concepts arising from the university’s intellectual property portfolio. Tom graduated from Florida State University with BS and received a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.
Theodore Bashore, Ph.D
Scientific Advisor
Ted earned his Ph.D in clinical and biological psychology from the University of Colorado in 1976 and has been a professor of psychology at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Northern Colorado. Ted has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters focusing on understanding the timing of neurocognitive processing speed and movement control in normal aging, neurological disease, and brain trauma. Before his academic career, Ted played football and baseball for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and had a 5-year stint in professional baseball with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets organizations.
Ryan Wylie
Ryan received his Master’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Virginia in 2007 and completed his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Point Loma University. Before joining S2, Ryan worked for 10 years as an educator in Virginia and Tennessee. He also logged 12 years coaching high school baseball, basketball, volleyball, and cross country. Ryan directs operations and logistics for S2, including management of amateur data acquisition for our professional baseball and football teams.
Paul Phillips
Paul played two years of junior college baseball at Meridian Community College and one year at Alabama before being drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1998. Paul played 15 years of professional baseball with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, and Toronto Blue Jays organizations, including playing in the Major Leagues with the Royals, White Sox, and Rockies over 7 seasons. Paul coached Division 1 college baseball and coached at the professional level as a Triple-A hitting coach and as a catching coordinator.
Harrison Hunter
Harrison received his Master of Sports Administration degree from Belmont University in 2017 and completed his undergraduate degree from the College of Business with a focus in Marketing at Harding University. Prior to joining S2, he worked as an Account Executive for the Nashville Sounds baseball team and completed internships with the Tennessee Titans, 104.5 The Zone Sports Talk Radio, and Vanderbilt University Athletics. For S2, Harrison helps direct logistics, data analytics, and social media. Harrison played collegiate baseball at Harding University.