OUR STORY
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 in 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
Hover over an image to learn more about each member at S2 Cognition
Brandon Ally, PhD
Founder And Chief Marketing 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 directs the S2 marketing team and football operations. Brandon was a distance runner collegiately at the University of Tennessee.
Scott Wylie, PhD
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 directs the operations and scientific team. 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.
Vice President of Marketing & Strategy
Taylor Alexander
Taylor has spent the last decade leading sports companies in marketing and business strategy. With a successful track record of growing and expanding business footprints, brands, revenues, and opportunities for sustainable growth, she comes to S2 with a playbook to do the same. Taylor is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, and a wife and mother of two little athletes. She enjoys golfing, attending “just about any live sporting event”, and traveling. She serves as an advisor to industry-leading technology and product companies, and is on the Executive Advisory Board for Connect Sports.
As S2’s Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, Taylor and the team are responsible for managing all marketing, messaging, brand, PR, and customer experience initiatives. In addition, Taylor is responsible for developing and fostering critical business relationships, and developing core business strategies, to expand the opportunities that S2 brings across the multiple sports and industries that we serve.
Taylor Alexander
Ryan Wylie
Director of Operations
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
Director of Diamond Sports
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.
Tyler Pflueger
Lead Software Developer
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. He played football, wrestled, and was a track and field athlete in high school. He played one season of football at Concordia University and remains active by participating in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu today.
Oliver Enos
Director of Information Security & Data Privacy
Oliver earned his Master of Business for Veterans (M.B.V.) degree from the University of Southern California in 2020 following a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Sport Management at the University of San Francisco in 2018. He has an extensive cybersecurity and data privacy background stemming from his high-tech consulting experience with Accenture and PwC. Prior to joining S2 Cognition, he worked for Salesforce where his top priority was the privacy and security of customer data. For S2, Oliver is designing, developing, and operationalizing the information security and data privacy programs. He is shaping the strategic vision and scalable growth of those programs as well as overseeing the execution of cybersecurity and privacy compliance initiatives. Oliver is a military veteran, having served as a United States Marine Corps Communications Officer from 2011-2015. He received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Sociology from Loyola Marymount University in 2009, where he was a student-athlete on the baseball team.
Harrison Hunter
Assistant Director of Operations
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 and data management for football operations. Harrison played collegiate baseball at Harding University.
Chris Johnson, PhD
Scientific Advisor
Chris is a neuropsychologist specializing in brain function under stress and neurocognition of high-speed decision-making. He brings unique expertise evaluating cognitive performance in real-world environments that include close-quarter combat (CQC) training, Marine reconnaissance courses, and the Navy’s Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) command. In addition to military assessment and selection programs, Chris worked with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors during their 2014-2015 championship season. From 2015 to 2021 Chris served in the front office of MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates as Director of Personnel where he was integrally involved in amateur scouting, cognitive analytics, scout development, and player acquisitions.
Chris is a 1993 graduate of the US Coast Guard Academy and served six years as a small-unit leader for maritime national security operations. Following active-duty service he earned his Ph.D. in psychology at UCLA, followed by two-years of post-doctoral training in clinical neuroscience at Yale University School of Medicine.
Eric Simpson
Technology Design Analyst
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
Field Operations Associate
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 is involved with field operations, data collection and management, as well as supporting customers in the field. Bryce also works as a liaison between operations and IT.
Hollee Ally
Director of Social Media
Hollee has a degree in fine arts from the University of Southern Mississippi, with a concentration in photography. Before starting at S2, she ran a successful youth athletics business for ten years, providing thousands of athletes the opportunity to explore track and field and cross country through program development and meet direction. She also coaches high-level youth distance runners with an emphasis on strength training and biomechanics. Hollee is vital to all things creative and marketing within the company, leading creative direction, promoting brand awareness, content creation, and interactions with the public. She was a competitive swimmer in high school and believes strongly that physical activity, whatever that looks like for you, brings joy and balance to life.
Kevin Harders
Software Developer
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.
Kalah Hazen
Director of Finance and Administration
Kalah is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. Kalah began her career in marketing working for PlayCore, a playground company based in Chattanooga, TN, and Blink Marketing in Franklin, TN. She was later recruited to join healthcare start-up, TailWinds, as Director of Operations where she oversaw logistics, sales support, customer support, marketing and corporate administration. After returning from a mission trip, Kalah decided to pursue a career in teaching. She earned her Master’s in Teaching at Trevecca Nazarene University and taught for five years for Metro Nashville Public Schools. In 2022 Kalah began working for S2 Cognition where she handles all financials, provides administrative support to the team, and customer support to our partners. Kalah was a high school letter winner in bowling at Franklin High School.
Charles McCullough
Software Developer
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.
Brady Earnhardt
Director of Mobile Operations
Brady received his Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2015. While attending the Academy, Brady played Division I Football (FBS Independent) and also captained the Army West Point Strength Team. In 2013, he was one of three Cadets to participate in the Bejing International MBA Program (BIMBA) at Peking University in China to discuss the study of leadership with international business executives and MBA students. Upon graduation, Brady commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, initially assigned to the Army West Point Strength and Conditioning administration, where he was responsible for implementing a specialized exercise regimen for 28 Intercollegiate Division I athletic teams. He retired from active duty at the rank of Captain in 2020. For S2 Cognition, Brady manages the Mobile Lab as the Director of Mobile Operations, responsible for assisting S2's retail partners, organizational sports camps, collegiate programs, and high school/youth institutions.
Chris Dawson
Software Developer
Chris received his B.S. in Computer Science from Bellevue University in 2011. Before joining S2, Chris worked for several different start-ups developing software primarily used by financial and educational institutions. When not at work, you’ll usually catch Chris either playing his bass guitar, at the gym or cheering on his son at his local baseball games.
Bailey Dodson
Technology Design Analyst
Bailey recently graduated from San Diego State University where she received her B.S. in Foods and Nutrition. Bailey is involved in product design, development and quality assurance for S2. Bailey grew up in competitive cheer and softball and played through her high school years.
Manny Saiz
Director of Videography & Content
Manny has worked in video production for multiple media outlets, including CBS, Fox, Fox Sports, and ESPN. He produced the UNLV coaches show while working for the CBS affiliate in Las Vegas and Nashville. Manny owned and operated his own video production company for seven years and during that time worked with multiple music labels and marketing companies. The videos he directed have been credited with over half a billion views on YouTube. Manny’s talents and knowledge will bring creative new media to S2 Cognition.
Christian Scott
Field Operations Associate
Christian is a recent graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a degree in journalism and a minor in communications. He spent most of my time on the collegiate stage playing baseball for the Vols all 5 years, while pursuing his degree.
He brings strong relationship-building skills to S2 and is a positive influence on those around him. His hard work, dedication, and ambition will serve our Ops team well as he begins his professional journey with S2.
Tom Noland, PhD
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, PhD
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.