Instructors

From a Harvard educated doctor who works with Doctors Without Borders to one of the world’s leading experts in forensic sciences, students will hear firsthand from experts in their field.

These are the instructors that we have confirmed so far for 2023, but they may be subject to change.

Summer Springboard courses are taught by accomplished and passionate faculty recruited from many area colleges, universities and professional forums. Each faculty member is selected for their subject area expertise and proven ability to both challenge and captivate students.

UCLA

Ex: Dr. Laura Manyweather, Ed.D., MBA

With 29 years of experience with private corporations and 12 years in academia, Laura brings systems, processes and organizational structure to small and micro businesses.

San Diego

Ex: Emergency Medicine – Dr. Benjamin Supat

Benjamin Supat completed his undergraduate degree at Stanford University and a Master of Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis. He completed medical school at UC San Diego and is now a senior resident in the UCSD Emergency Medicine Residency Program.

Boston

Ex: Fundamentals of Engineering at MIT – Dr. Ali Talebinejad

Ali Talebinejad has done his PhD at MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in the area of Robotics and Computer Vision and has received his MS from MIT Mechanical Engineering in the area of System Dynamics and Control.

UC Berkeley

Ex: Fundamentals of Engineering – Dr. Farhad Rostamian

professor at UCLA teaching courses at both Anderson School of Management and Samueli School of Engineering. Prior to this academic position, he spent over 25 years making highly innovative and iconic products such as the pill camera (with Given Imaging), the camera for Apple’s 1st iPhone (working directly with Steve Jobs), and sensors for disposable insulin pumps (with Medtronic).

Yale University

Ex: Criminal & Forensic Science – Dr. Henry C. Lee

Henry C. Lee is one of the world’s foremost forensic scientists and founder of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science at the University of New Haven and currently serves as a Professor Emeritus. He holds a MS and PhD from New York University. Dr. Lee previously served as the Director of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory and commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Public Safety and the State Police.

Georgetown University

Ex: Trial Law – Artem Joukov, JD

Artem Joukov has worked as a felony prosecutor in Florida and Alabama, where he tried over 100 bench and jury trials and handled a wide variety of cases.

All Instructors

Nate Crews, EMBA

Nate has over 35 years of experience leading technology business transformation and program management for companies such as Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Helio, Prosum, Toyota Financial Systems, Honeywell, Ameritech, and IBM.

Travis Taylor

Travis Taylor is a coding educator with over 10 years of programming experience as a Data Scientist and 5 years of teaching experience at Northwestern University and Design Students League.

Shadreck Chirikure

Professor Shadreck Chirikure is an archaeological scientist who applies techniques from the hard sciences to study ancient materials and technologies.

Ambassador Jaime Aparicio-Otero

Ambassador Aparicio is a Professor of International Human Rights Systems at Elliot School of Foreign Affairs at George Washington University. He served as Ambassador of Bolivia to the Organization of American States (OAS), Special Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), and from 2002 to 2006, as Ambassador of Bolivia to the United States.

Leslie Jernegan MFA

Leslie Jernegan is the Summer Springboard instructor for the course Writing for College at Yale University. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing with a graduate Future Professoriate certificate.

Hannah Bernhard M.Sc

Hannah Bernhard is a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at Maastricht University, The Netherlands. She obtained her M.Sc. in Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences cum laude at Maastricht University in 2016.

Dr. Maral Tajerian & Dr. Sebastian Alvarado

Dr. Maral Tajerian is a Neurophysiologist with a particular interest in Brain Plasticity. Following undergraduate biology and psychology training, Dr. Tajerian received a Master’s degree from the Department of Biology and a Ph.D. from the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University, Canada.
Dr. Sebastian Alvarado, CEO & Co-Founder of Thwacke Consulting and Assistant Professor at Queens College, worked in the private biotech sector for three years before pursuing graduate research. He completed his Ph.D. in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University and proceeded as an A.P. Giannini Fellow at Stanford University in Neurobiology.

Cynthia Goode Works, JD, LL.M

Cynthia Goode Works, JD, LL.M American University Washington College of Law Professor Goode Works is an accomplished trial attorney who was named a 2020 "Top Lawyer" by Washingtonian Magazine and maintained a private law practice located in D.C. and the Maryland suburbs handling complex and high-profile matters

Dr. Christelle Scharff

Dr. Christelle Scharff is a Professor of Computer Science at Pace University. She has a Ph.D. in Symbolic Artificial Intelligence (Theorem Proving and Automated Deduction) from INRIA, the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology. Her current research focuses on global software engineering, mobile for social change, and machine learning.

Scott Looney, MFA

Scott Looney completed his MFA in music composition at California Institute of Arts and is the founder and CTO of The Game Audio Institute. At Game Audio Institute, Scott wears many hats, he's been a course designer, game demo developer, level designer, programmer in Unity, Unreal and C#.

Kyle Bergman

Kyle is Chief Swoveralls Officer and founder of Swoveralls, a direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand dedicated to creating the world's comfiest apparel products from sustainably sourced materials.

Lauren Reeves

Lauren has just taken on a Directorship role at Revgro Holdings and has experience as a Product Owner at Allan Gray, managing a team of software developers. She was previously part of group strategy and digital strategy teams. Lauren started her career as a management consultant at McKinsey.

Dr. Peter B. Golbus

Dr. Peter B. Golbus is a Lecturer of Computer Science at Boston University. Prior to joining the CS department in the Fall of 2022, Peter was a data scientist focusing on eCommerce personalization for eight years.

Rudi Hechfellner

With over 25 years of experience in product development, systems engineering, and program management in the semiconductor, consumer, lighting, and IoT industries, Rudi Hechfellner brings expertise to this Advanced Engineering IoT course.

Liza Knipscher

Liza holds her Master's degree in Biomedical Visualization from the University of Illinois, Chicago and her Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience from Purchase College, SUNY.

Dr. Karan Uppal

Dr. Uppal received his BS in Biomedical Engineering from University of Iowa in 2007, MS in Bioinformatics from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2009, and Ph.D. in Bioinformatics with a minor in Predictive Analytics from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2015.

Ashley Wimmer, BSN-RN

Ashley Wimmer, BSN-RN is a registered emergency nurse at Piedmont Atlanta. She is a Colorado University at Boulder (B.S. in Neuroscience) and Denver College of Nursing (B.S. in Nursing) alum.

David Romine, Ph.D.

David Tyroler Romine Ph.D. is a historian of the United States focusing on the intersection of race, social movements, and public policy. He received a Master’s degree from New York University in 2009 and a Ph.D. from Duke University in 2018.

Jennifer Wallace, MSN

Jennifer Wallace has a Master's in Nursing Education and a Bachelor's in Nursing and Psychology. Her 18 years in nursing have included bedside care of obstetrical patients and clinical coordination of the maternity service line.

Jae D. Kim, PhD

Jae D. Kim, PhD, is an associate professor and chair of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of San Diego. He teaches courses in operations research, data science, discrete-event simulation and energy sustainability.

Christopher J. Littel

Chris is a Lecturer in Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Poole College of Management at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Prior to joining NC State, Chris was Instructor in Entrepreneurship and Management at the Institute for Entrepreneurship at Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers, Florida.

David Zamarin

Driven to overcome challenges faced by immigrant parents, David Zamarin is the Founder & CEO of DetraPel. DetraPel is an advanced materials company that manufactures protective coatings without any cancer-causing fluorochemicals (PFAS) and was seen on Season 9 of ABC’s hit show Shark Tank.

Mark Orlando, Ed.D.

Mark Orlando, Ed.D., is a professor, consultant, and coach of sport business and professional development with several years of progressive experience in both academic and professional working environments.

Kevin Willson

Kevin T. Willson has written and directed hundreds of narrative commercials, short films, and documentaries, internationally, for brands such as Jeep, P&G, Nescafe, Frito-Lay, Habitat For Humanity, and Ubisoft.

Greg Horowitt

Greg Horowitt is Founding Partner of T2 Venture Creation and a co-author of ‘The Rainforest: The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley’. He presently serves as the Director of Innovation Design at the University of California, San Diego.

Sal Helmbrecht

Sal Helmbrecht holds a Master of Environmental Management in Coastal Conservation from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from University of California, Santa Cruz.

Sikoya M. Ashburn, PhD

Sikoya M. Ashburn, PhD is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel. She is a Duke (B.S. in Neuroscience) and Georgetown (Ph.D. in Neuroscience) alum.

Ruby Bloom MPhil

Ruby received her MPhil in Economics at the University of Oxford, where her research focused on educational policy and its financing. Previous to this, she gained a first-class BSc in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Bristol. Ruby has enjoyed teaching Economics alongside her studies for the last 5 years.

Noe Garibay

Noe Garibay is a Cyber Security Principle with Lockheed Martin leading and securing some of the highest visibility systems that the organization produces.

Sade Owoye

Sade is passionate about entrepreneurship, business, and innovation. She enjoys advising and teaching students the skills needed to build sustainable ventures.

Dr. Yves-Dany Accilien

Born in Hinche, Haiti, Dr. Yves-Dany Accilien (“Dany”) is a graduate of the University of Miami where he majored in Exercise Physiology & Kinesiology. He received his medical degree from FIU HWCOM, where he co-founded the international non-profit organization, KORE Haiti, and continues to serve as its Chief Operating Officer.

Rowan Brothers

Rowan Brothers is a PhD candidate in the joint Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. His work focuses on the clinical applications of non- invasive diffuse optical technologies for detecting cerebral metabolic stress in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease

Matthieu Meneghini

Matthieu, a graduate in environmental and food economics, is specialized in impact management, the discipline that aims to develop synergistic and regenerative interactions between human communities and natural ecosystems.

Dr. Tracy Smith

Dr. Tracy Smith holds a Master’s and Post-Doctoral degree in Physical Therapy from Baylor University. She is fellowship trained in orthopedics/manual therapy and is a certified Athletic Trainer. Dr. Smith served as an active duty Army officer and physical therapist for 20 years, treating Soldiers and their families in many settings.

Dave Kesler, Architect, AIA

Dave is the principal of Dave Kesler Architecture and an award-winning San Francisco-based architect with over 30 years of experience and in private practice for 22 years. He is also an experienced industrial designer, watercolorist, and musician.

Fernanda Urrutia

Fernanda Urrutia is a highly motivated marine ecologist and environmentalist with a strong interest in marine mammal conservation issues. Currently, Fernanda is a Marine Biology PhD candidate at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, where she focuses her research on the molecular ecology of fin whales in the North Pacific.

Dr. Carmen Pinon

Dr. Carmen Pinon is a Lecturer in Neuroscience at Brasenose College, University of Oxford. She is also a Senior Lecturer at the Medical School of the University of Buckingham.

Andrea Paolini, MA

Andrea Paolini holds MA’s in Human Rights (University of London), and English and Creative Writing (University of Windsor). She is a PhD Candidate at the University of Pittsburgh, studying Writing and Human Rights.

Sharmi Albrechtsen

Sharmi Albrechtsen is the CEO and co-founder of SmartGurlz™, a fast-growing startup company featured on Shark Tank that focuses on closing the gender gap in technology.

Dr. Gizem Kayar

Dr. Kayar founded and led MSKU Digital Game-Based Learning and Serious Games Lab. She has been actively teaching Game Programming for eight years, and her primary interest area is serious games for health tech.

Juliane Hoss

Juliane is a psychologist, coach and management consultant based in Johannesburg, South Africa with a MSc in Psychology & another MSc in International Labour Relations. Savanna is a rising senior at Duke University where she is pursuing a major in Psychology, a certificate in Markets & Management Studies, and a minor in Visual Media Studies.

Kelly Mckerr

Kelly has her Masters in Graphic Design from University of Art in London and a Bachelors in Communication from Tulane University and holds a certificate in Graphic Design from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Rochelle Goodwin

Rochelle Goodwin joined the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale team in 2021 as the Communications & Marketing Director. As director, Rochelle oversees all aspects of both internal and external communications for the center, including brand strategy, media relations, advertising and marketing, and creative editorial and design services.

Tim Effler

Tim Effler has been in the creative development business for over 40 years. As Director of Advanced Concepts at Hasbro he contributed to many of their most successful lines including Star Wars, Batman, Ghost Busters and the Jurassic Park toy lines. For 13 years, Tim was also a partner of SOEDA, Inc., a creative consulting company. Clients included Hasbro, Mattel, Fisher-Price, DreamWorks, Universal Studios, Fox Entertainment and Sony Pictures.

Salvador Brito

Salvador (Sal) Brito received his B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, along with his B.A. in Psychology from California Lutheran University, graduating with summa cum laude honors. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at Harvard University.

Dr. Talebinejad, and Dr. Frey

Dr. Talebinejad is a Lecturer and Research & Development Scientist at MIT. Dr. Daniel Frey is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT.

Dr. Andrew Eyre & Dr. Sean Kivlehan

This course is led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Dr. Andrew Eyre and Dr. Sean Kivlehan and course faculty from the internationally recognized hospital.

Luis Valentin Alvarado

Luis Valentin Alvarado, PhD candidate in Microbiology at UC Berkeley. Luis is a PhD candidate and Graduate Student Researcher at the Innovative Genomics Institute. He received his bachelors in Microbiology and Chemistry from University of Puerto Rico.

Dr. Claire Davis-Reddy

Dr. Claire Davis-Reddy is the Data Science Team Lead at the South African Earth Observation Network (SAEON) – a long-term environmental monitoring facility of the National Research Foundation (NRF). Her primary directive as Team Lead is to improve South Africa's open data products, atlas portals and visualization tools in order to facilitate effective data- and evidence-driven decision-making.

Byron Ascott-Evans

Entrepreneur | Former Senior Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company | INSEAD MBA | Dual Bachelors of Commerce and Business Science & Marketing, University of Cape Town

Ángela Ávila Peiró

A seasoned and award-winning UX Designer and Digital Marketer, active in the industry since 2017.

Gerard Slee

Gerard is a digital nomad, creative concluder and spatial prototypist. He has studied at various institutions throughout South Africa and worked on a number of large International architectural projects and competition proposals.

Akhil Boddu

Akhil was born in Hyderabad, India, brought up in Nairobi, Kenya and is now building a career in South Africa running two specialist web development companies. He graduated from the University of Cape Town (UCT) with a first-class degree in Computer Science and Information Systems as well as a postgraduate qualification.

Chandler de Kock

Chandler has several years of experience in the blockchain space, currently serving in a senior role at Astaria. He previously worked at New York-based UMA, where he was a senior growth strategist, after a lengthy period at Luno, a major blockchain technology company innovating in the security and storage of cryptocurrencies.

Dharti Desai

Global Business Leader, Marketing Strategist, Investor, Advisor, D&I Champion, and Multilingual Entrepreneur who was born and raised in India, Dharti has built businesses that generated hundreds of millions in revenue, funded and mentored Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) in sectors ranging from AI to fashion and hospitality, and impacted thousands of female entrepreneurs across six continents.

Rumana Ahmed, MPA

Rumana Ahmed has been a strategic planning, partnerships, and communications consultant. Her recent scope of work has included mobilizing global women leaders on key issues for Vital Voices and developing a framework for internet monitoring and intervention for civil society to use around elections.

Dr. Andrew Eyre

Dr. Eyre serves as the Medical Director for the STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts where he is also a practicing emergency medicine physician.

Max Kalnitz

Max Kalnitz is an award-winning multimedia journalist and social media strategist based in Brooklyn, NY, whose work has appeared in Billboard, The Nation, and Insider, among other outlets.

Dr. Adam John Ritchie

Dr. Adam Ritchie is the curriculum and course advisor for our Immunology program in Oxford. He is a vaccine developer and academic at the University of Oxford.

Romina Owolewa, BSN, RN-BC

Romina Owolewa received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the State University of New York, Brockport, in 2016. Immediately after graduating, Romina began her nursing career in an inpatient medical-surgical unit. Since then, she has worked in many healthcare settings, such as infusion centers, clinics, virtual nursing, and community health.

Patti Piburn

Patti Piburn is an assistant professor of journalism. She received her Masters of Arts in Journalism and Communication from South Dakota University in 2013, and has her Bachelors of Art in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science from Arizona State University

Colleen Twomey

Colleen Larkin Twomey is a Cal Poly Professor and Department Chair of the Graphic Communications Department. She received her Masters in Business Administration from the University of Delaware, and received her B.S. in Printing Management from Rochester Institute of Technology. She has taught for 22 years at Cal Poly SLO and has served as the Graphic Communications Department Chair for over 3 years.

Dr. Casey McDonald-Liu

Dr. McDonald-Liu received her PhD from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Florida; her Master of Art and Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University. Casey McDonald-Liu is a recent PhD graduate from the University of Florida in strategic communications specializing in how organizations communicate to publics using a tonality similar to that of humans on social media.

Rachel Ma, PhD

Rachel Ma earned her Ph.D. in Paper and Printing Science from Western Michigan University. Her teaching and research interests include printing electronics, inks and substrates interactions, smart packaging, and biodegradable materials.

Dr. Christina Kaviani

Instructor at Cal Poly SLO – Dr. Christina Kaviani is a lecturer in the Department of Communications, Women, Gender & Queer Studies at Cal Poly SLO and has over a decade of experience in the field of gender-based violence prevention education and response.

Allen Settle

Allen Settle is the former 4-term former mayor of the City of San Luis Obispo and is currently serving his fifth term as a City Councilmember. He also serves on the SLO Airport Land Use Commission (he is an aircraft owner and pilot), the Local Agency Formation Commission (in charge of county- and city land use entity), and the League of Cities Revenue and Taxation Committee.

Dr. Xiaoying Rong

Instructor for Cal Poly SLO - Dr. Xiaoying Rong earned her Bachelor of Engineering from Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, a Master of Business Administration from Beijing Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Printing from Western Michigan University. She is currently teaching printed electronics and product development, specialty printing technologies, and consumer packaging at Cal Poly SLO.

Jacques de Villiers

Jacques has been working professionally as a software engineer since 2013. After graduating from a BSc with honours from UJ in 2012, he started work as a communication driver developer at Adroit Technologies. In 2015 Jacques was poached by Entelect to work as a full-stack web developer on a project for Deloitte South Africa.

Camryn Okere

Camryn has extensive knowledge and industry experience within the world of marketing strategy, digital design, social innovation and design thinking. Her academic qualifications were completed at the Washington University - Olin Business School with a Bachelor of Science in Business, Leadership and Strategic Management. Having previously worked at companies like Mastercard, the Wall Street Journal, SoundCloud, Bumble, and Valentino, Camryn has a vast range of experience and impact within the industry. She taught iXperience Visual Design courses in previous programs. Currently Camryn runs her founding company, as it is scaling within the US and Canada.

Othalia Doe-Brucem, MBA

Currently, Founder InnovFin Consulting Inc., Committee Member at SCC, Canada and Founder & President of The Innovative FinancierOthalia is the founder of InnovFin Consulting Inc., a consulting and advisory firm helping finance companies leverage innovative technologies.

Duncan Stevens

As a multi-disciplinary designer and researcher, I aim to integrate the wider context of culture, design psychology, visual design, strategy and user experience in my work. Strategic minded, I look at the bigger picture and weigh problems by ascertaining their unintended consequences and potential benefits. I am a digital nomad, working across timezones and cultures.I have experience in conducting Qualitative research, participant recruitment, data synthesis and balancing business objectives & those of the end-user.

Donna Thomas

Friction Ridge Comparison. She has worked in the forensic science discipline since 2007, performing latent print comparisons as well as processing crime scenes. She has been with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for 35-plus years starting her career as a Sheriff’s Communication Operator and 911 Dispatcher.

Sean Chandler, MA

Sean Chandler earned his Master's degree in Psychology in 2021, with a focus on research into our minds, brains, and behavior. He manages the Cognitive Psychophysiology Lab at SFSU and is a full-time professor of research methods, cognitive psychology, and theories of motivation.

Margie Ferris Morris M.S.

Margie Ferris Morris, holds an advanced degree in Nutrition Sciences having over 35 years of international development and relief experience, spending seven years overseas. Her expertise is in performance monitoring and evaluation, global health and nutrition program design and management, training, emergency health operations and conflict mitigation.

Nina Hanning Ph.D.

Nina M. Hanning Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Researcher at New York University (NYU). She received her Ph.D. in Psychology and Systemic Neurosciences, graduating summa cum laude from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, in 2018. Over the past 10 years she has taught numerous courses on cognitive neuroscience, psychology, communication, and scientific practice, and is excited to share her knowledge and passion with the next generation of scientists.

Dr. Farhad Rostamian

Dr. Farhad Rostamian is currently a professor at UCLA teaching courses at both Anderson School of Management and Samueli School of Engineering.

Guido Zuliani

Guido Zuliani is an architect and an educator. He graduated summa cum laude from the Università IUAV di Venezia in the summer of 1980. In 1982 he became a registered architect. In the fall of 1985 Mr. Zuliani moved to New York and began to teach at The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at The Cooper Union where is he currently a Distinguished Professor in Architecture. At Cooper Mr. Zuliani has taught Design Studios, Architectural History, and Seminars in the Theory and History of Architecture.

Dr. Henry C. Lee

Henry C. Lee is one of the world's foremost forensic scientists and founder of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science at the University of New Haven and currently serves as a Professor Emeritus. He holds a MS and PhD from New York University. Dr. Lee previously served as the Director of the Connecticut State Police Forensic Science Laboratory and commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Public Safety and the State Police.

David Sayles & Michael Cheah

Professor Sayles holds a MS in Management from MIT‘s Sloan School of Management and a BS in Chemistry from Yale University. Professor Cheah also has taught global finance and macroeconomics at New York University, where he was senior adviser for the private sector concentration.

Swati Singh, MBA

Swati Singh (she / her) is a professor of Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of San Diego and San Diego Community College District with over ten years of entrepreneurial and operations management experience. As an educator, Swati is passionate about teaching entrepreneurship as a vehicle for social change. She is currently building her own business in creative strategy and direction for food companies interested in social impact and sustainability. Swati has a BA in Economics from UC San Diego and an MBA from the University of San Diego.

Dr. Daniel Frey

Daniel Frey is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. Prof. Frey’s research is in the field called “robust design” -- a set of engineering practices which help to ensure that engineering systems function despite variations due to manufacture, wear, deterioration, and environmental conditions. His honors include the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Teaching Award, the Everett Moore Baker Memorial Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching at MIT, the R&D 100 Award (received twice). He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Statistical Association, and the American Society of Engineering Education. Dr. Frey holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado and a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.