about
Team
We’ve built a diverse and dynamic team with backgrounds in industry, education, curriculum design, marketing, policy, journalism, and more. We’ve come together because we believe in the next generation’s potential to shape technology and our future for the better.
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Alex Kotran
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Alex is founder and CEO of aiEDU. He oversees strategy, partnerships, fundraising, and external relations.
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Loni Mahanta
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER
Loni is the Chief Operating Officer for aiEDU, overseeing finance, HR, operations, and communications.
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Emma Doggett Neergaard
CHIEF PROGRAMS OFFICER
Emma is the Chief Programs Officer at aiEDU responsible for leading the development and delivery of content and services to support students in building AI Literacy.
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Christian Pinedo
CHIEF OF STAFF
As the Chief of Staff at aiEDU, Christian strategically guides aiEDU, focusing on strategic initiatives, partnerships, and external affairs to enhance AI literacy in K12 education.
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Khushali Narechania
DIRECTOR, LEARNING
Khushali is the Director, Learning at aiEDU, leading the student curriculum and educator professional learning strategy and development to support students and educators in building AI literacy skills.
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CJ Jackson
DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS
C.J. leads aiEDU's communications, orchestrating media relations, crafting storytelling, and driving the organization's integrated communications and marketing strategy. C.J. is also an adjunct instructor of journalism at the University of Southern California.
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Kiy Benton
SOCIAL IMPACT LEAD
Kiy helps to lead AIEDU’s growth, marketing and communications strategy. She is an educator with four years of experience teaching STEM in Elementary and Middle School, and also served as an operational manager at Teach for America’s national HQ.
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Lindsay Berger
SENIOR PROGRAMS LEAD, WEST COAST
Lindsay Berger is the Senior Programs Lead for the West Coast.
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Hale Durant
IMPLEMENTATION SPECIALIST
A librarian by trade, Hale spent nineteen years in public education. At AIEDU he serves as a research and reference specialist, and provides a wide range of support across the organization.
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Na'taja Flood
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING LEAD
Na’taja is the Professional Learning Lead, leading conversations about AI literacy to inspire and equip learners and educators!
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Wren Hoffman
SENIOR LEAD, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
Wren is an educator with experience in teaching, coaching, professional development, leading, and program management. She brings more than 20 years in education to this position, with 13 of them teaching computer science.
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Ally Kupcewicz
SENIOR TALENT LEAD
With over a decade of experience in recruiting and people operations, Ally leads all things Talent and People at aiEDU. She is passionate about process-driven systems and empowering & engaging workplaces for all.
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LeNard Pitts
SENIOR PROGRAMS LEAD, EAST COAST
LeNard serves as the Senior Programs Lead of the East Coast for aiEDU. He spearheads pivotal initiatives to advance AI literacy across East Coast school districts.
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Drew St Lawrence
SENIOR CURRICULUM LEAD
Drew supports efforts to develop student-facing AI literacy curricular projects.
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Melanie Whitfield
SENIOR EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
As the Strategic Assistant at aiEDU, Melanie plays a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency and focus of the leadership team. She expertly manages executive calendars, coordinates travel arrangements, conferences and meetings to ensure aiEDU leaders can represent the organization with maximum effectiveness. Her work streamlines operations, prioritizes tasks, and enables senior staff to optimize their productivity.
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Haley Ziegler
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION LEAD
Haley manages financial resources, budget development, and implementation of financial strategies. She also optimizes operational processes, streamlines workflows, and works to enhance organizational effectiveness.
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Jeff Livingston
SENIOR ADVISOR
After a long career at McGraw-Hill Education that included roles in sales, marketing, education policy and general management, Jeff formed EdSolutions in 2015 as a vehicle for focusing education innovation, investment and philanthropy on underserved students, scaling proven innovations to reach the students who will benefit most from them. Today, EdSolutions help organizations to find impact through the markets for education goods and services primarily via: Ecosystem Maps, Target Product Profiles, Go-to Market Strategies and other customized consulting services.
Our Board of Directors
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Tiffany Taylor
Board Member
Chief People & Impact Officer at GSV Ventures; former Deputy Chief People Officer of Teach for America
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Karen Silverman
Board Member
Founder & CEO, The Cantellus Group; former Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins’ San Francisco office
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Marcus Brauchli
Board Member
Managing Partner of North Base Media; former Executive Editor of the Washington Post
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Julie Brickell
Board Member
Lecturer at Columbia University; former General Counsel of H5
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Ehrik Aldana
Board Member
aiEDU Co-Founder; Policy Manager at Credo.ai
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Alex Kotran
Board Member
aiEDU Co-Founder & CEO