Our team
We're a diverse team with strong personal connections to TalkingPoints’ mission. We're committed to driving student success by building strong partnerships across families, schools, and communities.

Adam Carruthers
Account Executive

Adam Carruthers
Account Executive
Adam has witnessed firsthand primary and secondary education in Europe and higher education in the United States. This enlightening journey has led to an appreciation regarding the importance of reliable, accurate, and unlimited communication between students, families, and teachers. He is an avid devotee to sharing the positive message of change that comes with accessible technology for students of all populations.
He brings to TalkingPoints over 7 years of progressive consultative sales experience as a top-performer working in the K-12 educational content market serving school districts nationwide. Adam holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Science & Global Studies from Benedictine University and is elated to be presented with the opportunity to connect students, teachers, and parents through the TalkingPoints platform.

Adam Lindstrom
Account Executive

Adam Lindstrom
Account Executive
Adam joins TalkingPoints with over twelve years of experience in education as both a science teacher and a district administrator for educational technology and instruction. In 2019, Adam decided to move into the EdTech space, using his skills and background to have a greater impact on education, helping educators and students. Adam brings with him a deep understanding of systems processes and decision-making around supporting and implementing educational technology within a school district.
He is passionate about supporting TalkingPoints mission and is excited to help bring such an important communication and family engagement tool to educators and families. Adam holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Science from Richard Stockton University, NJ, a Teaching certification, and a Masters of Science in Educational Leadership from Monmouth University, NJ.

Adrienne Luczkow
Strategic Data Fellow

Adrienne Luczkow
Strategic Data Fellow
Adrienne strives to use data and analytics to ensure accountability to beneficiaries and drive decision-making. Adrienne received a MASc in Data, Economics, and Development Policy from MIT. She has worked as a research assistant in impact evaluation at the World Bank and has led monitoring and evaluation for education nonprofits in the US, Tanzania, and Costa Rica. Previously, she worked as an EFL teacher.

Agustín Cabral
Software Engineer

Agustín Cabral
Software Engineer
Agustín is excited to contribute to TalkingPoints’ mission of providing equal opportunities for students. With his extensive background as a backend developer, he hopes to make a difference in the lives of young learners. With 10 years of experience, a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, and a deep understanding of technical solutions, he takes pride in being part of a team that is dedicated to creating a positive impact on education and promoting a brighter future for all students.

Ángel Alvarado
Data Engineer

Ángel Alvarado
Data Engineer
Ángel has extensive experience in back-end development and data stream and batch processing using Ruby, Python, and SQL. He started his career in full-stack web development and has knowledge in DevOps and DataOps focused on Infrastructure as Code. Ángel holds a Computer Engineering degree from The National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Anke Weiss
Senior Product Designer

Anke Weiss
Senior Product Designer
As a parent in the public school system, Anke has experienced first hand the challenges teachers and parents of all backgrounds have to overcome to ensure an equitable education for all kids.
Anke brings almost 20 years of experience as a product designer to her role at TalkingPoints. One of her greatest joys and motivators has been creating products and services that make an actual difference in people’s lives. Anke has always been surrounded by educators and is most excited when helping companies and nonprofits in the education sector. Anke originally studied photography in Berlin before moving to California. In San Francisco she honed her design skills at SFSU Multimedia Studies Program long before UX design was even a profession.

Antares Nieves
QA Specialist

Antares Nieves
QA Specialist
Antares comes to TalkingPoints with over two years of experience as QA Specialist. Antares is passionate about TalkingPoints’ mission and understands how education deeply impacts lives and can open doors to opportunity. She is excited to use her skill set towards helping others.

Antonio Bracco
Senior Software Engineer

Antonio Bracco
Senior Software Engineer
Antonio is passionate about evidence-based work that can be used to help others. As TalkingPoints’ Software Engineer, Antonio develops new solutions and software for TalkingPoints’ partners.
Antonio has a degree in Electrical Engineering with a focus on telecommunications from the Republic University in Uruguay.

April Beasley
Senior Partner Success Manager

April Beasley
Senior Partner Success Manager
April has over 20 years of experience in education. She started her career in secondary math and then moved to technology education. Partnering with Pitsco Education, she helped develop curriculum for students in elementary school to engage young learners in math, science, and technology through hands-on lab activities. After moving into leadership, she served as an Assistant Principal, Technology Director, and a Data Analyst prior to leaving K-12 education for the ed tech industry. Prior to joining TalkingPoints, she used her love of numbers and Big Data to provide support and guidance to districts across the country to identify and address achievement gaps and improve student success.
As a member of the Partner Success Team, April is responsible for guiding partners to effectively use the TalkingPoints solution to further improve educator to family communication and help build a sense of community. April earned her Master’s degree in Technology Education and her Educational Specialist degree in Leadership and Administration from Georgia Southern University. April is driven to help others and loves being able to make an impact on her community through her work at TalkingPoints.

Aram Gugusian
Head of Engineering

Aram Gugusian
Head of Engineering
Aram is a full stack developer with over 10 years of experience developing software. He has extensive experience on Web infrastructure and Networking and has architected the TalkingPoints web and mobile app. Aram has a master’s degree in Computer Engineering from Catholic University in Uruguay.

Ariadna Candir
Translation Program Coordinator

Ariadna Candir
Translation Program Coordinator
As a former teacher, Ariadna witnessed the struggles families in the US faced when their home world language was not English. After she moved on to become a District Translator in one of the nation’s most diverse school districts, she advocated for parents and students, created resources and provided professional development to teachers and administrators on translation technologies to bridge the communication gap.
Ariadna has 18 years of experience as a professional translator, editor and proofreader with over 15 translated books that have been published. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Universidad del Valle de México, and speaks 4 languages.

Ariel Seamon
Sales Development Manager

Ariel Seamon
Sales Development Manager
Ariel is passionate about education and providing equitable pathways to promote positive outcomes for all students. Combining her experience as a former middle school special education teacher with her love of sales, she has helped educators across the country incorporate more instructional tools and strategies to support their diverse learners.
Ariel began her career as a Teach for America Corps Member, teaching at a public middle school in San Francisco. While teaching, she earned her Master’s Degree in Urban Education and Policy from Loyola Marymount University. Before that, she attended George Washington University and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.

Ash Cruz
Partner Product Support

Ash Cruz
Partner Product Support
Ash deeply connects to many of the communities TalkingPoints serves. Having grown up in a Spanish-speaking immigrant household, Ash recognizes student success is a team effort, and they are committed to helping bridge language barriers between schools and families. They are thrilled to be a part of the Support team to ensure everyone can find success with TalkingPoints, no matter their background.
Ash joins TalkingPoints from the higher education field, where they worked to reduce equity gaps related to college knowledge and basic needs for first-generation students. Ash graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a double major in Education Sciences and Urban Studies.

Ashlynn Taylor
Sales Development Representative

Ashlynn Taylor
Sales Development Representative
Ashlynn joins TalkingPoints with over 2 years of experience in sales. In 2021, she began her sales career as a salesperson for Eliot Management Group. Later, she joined Fuel Sales to enhance her skills and further her career.
Ashlynn is passionate about introducing EdTech which promotes overall wellness to schools, staff, students, and families. She is excited to join the TalkingPoints team and continue this mission.

Asia Reed
Sales Development Representative

Asia Reed
Sales Development Representative
Asia spent three years working directly with young people through AmeriCorps and in Child Care as a Camp Counselor. During this time, she learned the true value of education, mentorship, community building, and advocacy. She pursued an M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy; hoping to improve the social and emotional well-being of others, and ultimately facilitate healing and change. In 2022, she decided to use her educational and professional experience at Fuel Sales Academy as a Sales Development Representative.
Asia obtained her B.A. in Women’s Studies from Washington State University. During college, she served as a member of the YWCA, a student recruiter for Interdisciplinary Studies, and a volunteer dispatcher for Women’s Transit. She is thrilled to continue her journey with TalkingPoints where she will use her passion for collaboration, advancement, and education to reach families nationally.

Belén Grajales
Software Engineer

Belén Grajales
Software Engineer
Belén is an enthusiastic person who enjoys accepting new challenges and providing high-impact solutions. With more than 4 years in the IT industry, she specializes in solving problems related to product quality (QA).
Belén is currently studying for a degree in systems analysis at ORT University. Belén’s involvement in education includes teaching as a high school Chemistry teacher, and a degree in Dental Biochemistry that has allowed her to teach at the Universidad de la Republica (UdelaR).

Bethany Kreider
Product Manager

Bethany Kreider
Product Manager
Bethany is passionate about improving educational equity globally. She believes that the intersection of education and technology has immense potential to create a positive impact, and is thrilled to get to support students by increasing family engagement as part of the Product team at TalkingPoints.
Over the past ten years, Bethany has worked across the education sector, from classroom teaching in the U.S. and Indonesia to conducting educational research, to curriculum development and working in EdTech. Bethany studied Elementary Education at the University of Tampa and later earned a master’s degree in International Education Policy and Management from Vanderbilt University.

Brett Wheeler
Account Executive

Brett Wheeler
Account Executive
Brett has spent his career partnering with school districts across the country beginning with supporting curricular programs and most recently working with districts to help support equity and diversity via their literacy programs.
Brett holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Biological Sciences from Northern Illinois University. Brett is passionate about helping reduce barriers for families to be actively involved in their student’s education and looks forward to positively impacting student outcomes through his work at TalkingPoints.

Bruno Galli
Junior Software Developer

Bruno Galli
Junior Software Developer
Bruno studied Electrical Engineering at Republic University in Uruguay and has over 6 years of experience in the technology sector. He is passionate about using his background to build a better future. Bruno joined TalkingPoints to collaborate on the development and maintenance of web and mobile apps.

Chris Dudak
Senior Product Manager, Translation

Chris Dudak
Senior Product Manager, Translation
Chris is passionate about bringing people together across language barriers. As a parent who changed school districts during the Covid pandemic, he has seen firsthand the importance of establishing communication between schools and families, and the trust that follows when this level of communication is maintained.
Chris has an M.A. in Translation (Spanish > English) from Kent State University. A linguist by training, he began his career in localization operations before moving on to implementing machine translation solutions and ultimately transitioning into product management. In his role on the Product team at TalkingPoints, he brings together this unique skill set to focus on quality and breadth of translation, ensuring successful communication and better outcomes for students and their families.

Chris Sorrell
Account Executive

Chris Sorrell
Account Executive
Chris brings over fifteen years of sales experience to TalkingPoints, making the jump into K-12 EdTech in 2019. He’s worked to support educators with a variety of impactful instructional technology tools; covering classroom engagement, digital assessment, and student mental health support. Chris takes pride in being a consultative partner and provides a continuous system of support so that teachers and administrators feel confident investing their time, energy, and resources into these solutions.
Chris is a father, and he joins TalkingPoints because he knows that teachers and families deserve the ability to communicate clearly and consistently to support the well-being and success of their children. TalkingPoints helps eliminate traditional barriers to communication, making more equitable family engagement possible for schools and districts. Chris graduated from the University of Iowa.

Claudine Ryan
President

Claudine Ryan
President
As a first-generation college go-er, Claudine personally experienced how invaluable education can be. As a parent and community member, Claudine believes that parents, regardless of their own backgrounds, can be tremendous champions in their children’s educational success.
Claudine has worked in technology her entire career, primarily focused on consumer digital media, in business development, product and general management roles. More recently, Claudine has turned to building technology for social good, supporting nonprofit education organizations. Claudine studied information technology at University of Virginia and has an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Business.

Crissie Tucker
Controller

Crissie Tucker
Controller
Over the course of the past 8 years, Crissie has played a vital role as a leader of the finance department in the nonprofit sector, guiding and overseeing various financial operations and strategies. Her expertise and dedication have been instrumental in ensuring the financial stability and success of the organizations she served. Through her strategic decision-making and meticulous attention to detail, she has successfully navigated the ever-changing financial landscape, adapting to new regulations and market trends to drive sustainable growth and the organization’s mission. Crissie enjoys actively engaging with the community, making a meaningful impact through her dedicated efforts and noteworthy achievements, and delivering exceptional results that reflect her unwavering passion for service.
Crissie obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Indian River State College, where she gained a strong foundation in financial management, auditing, and taxation. She is a dedicated professional who is committed to staying up-to-date with the latest industry practices and regulations. As a testament to her expertise, she is a proud member of the prestigious American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), an organization renowned for its commitment to excellence in the field of accounting.

David Golkin
Principal Product Manager, Solution Incubator

David Golkin
Principal Product Manager, Solution Incubator
David is passionate about unlocking ways to make learning more accessible to all students and removing barriers that prevent educators from teaching at their best. He began his career teaching elementary school in Harlem where he experienced firsthand the impact of building strong and trusting relationships with families can have on student achievement and he is excited to further that mission at TalkingPoints.
For the last decade, he has worked in product development at various EdTech companies where he specialized in creating innovative products and experiences through a focus on customer research and iterative experimentation. David studied Psychology at Williams College and later received his masters in General and Special Education from Touro College, and an MBA from the Wharton School.

David King
Head of Data

David King
Head of Data
David is passionate about reducing equity gaps in education through technology-based solutions. He completed a Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology from Georgia Tech and has worked in technical leadership roles at Edmentum, ACT, and Pearson developing cloud-based machine learning solutions for improving educational outcomes.
As Head of Data and Research, David leads our data engineering, data analytics, and data science initiatives. His team provides data governance to ensure data assets are valid, discoverable and interpretable for internal stakeholders, and can be leveraged to improve experiences and outcomes for our teachers and families.

Davis Jett
Data Integration Support

Davis Jett
Data Integration Support
Davis joins TalkingPoints with over 6 years of experience in the Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) field, and 5 years of experience in the EdTech industry. He is eager to assist the TalkingPoints Data Integration Team in making product usage fun, easy, and impactful for our partners. In his free time, Davis enjoys listening to and dancing to music, relaxing in the backyard, and grilling.

Dimetri Duckrey
Partner Success Manager

Dimetri Duckrey
Partner Success Manager
Dimetri is passionate about improving outcomes for all students – regardless of what languages they speak at home or the zip code in which they live. During his time as a secondary teacher and in the ed tech space, he has seen what is possible when families are engaged and advocating for their scholars. He enjoys bringing families and schools closer together through his work with TalkingPoints.
Dimetri graduated from Rutgers University with a double major in Political Science and Spanish Linguistics and later earned his master’s degree from the University of North Carolina Charlotte in Foreign Language Education. He is a Fulbright scholar and had the opportunity to teach English at a Brazilian university before teaching high school Spanish in Charlotte, NC and Camden, NJ.

Divya Das
Production Designer

Divya Das
Production Designer
Divya is a skilled visual designer from Mumbai, India, with a passion for crafting aesthetics. She leverages her design prowess to amplify causes close to her heart. Her creative journey has been recognized through features in publications and exhibitions across the nation, including her noteworthy undergraduate thesis.
Divya has made impactful contributions to several distinguished organizations, including 826 Valencia, Essie Justice Group, The ACLU, The SF LGBTQ Centre, and Fern Design. Thriving in collaborative settings, she embraces opportunities to acquire new skills and master innovative tools.
In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, playing video games, and scrolling through dog videos on Reddit while sipping chai.

Emma Berry
Senior Manager of Partner Success

Emma Berry
Senior Manager of Partner Success
Emma is driven by student success — and knows that starts when schools and families work as a team. As a former English teacher in rural and urban multilingual communities, she grounded her instruction in the power of language and voice. Emma sees her role at TalkingPoints as a natural extension of her classroom experience to ensure all families and teachers have access to the tools to communicate effectively.
In addition to her time in the classroom, Emma is a graduate of the University of Richmond and worked as an instructional coach and learning experience designer for teachers. She is thrilled to be a Partner Success Manager at TalkingPoints to increase family engagement in service of students.

Estefania Vite
Support Specialist

Estefania Vite
Support Specialist
Estefania joins TalkingPoints with over ten years of experience offering patient, empathetic, and kind Technology support to teachers and families from all walks of life. Through the lens of equity, she is a problem solver who loves to repair electronics to reduce electronic waste and its impact on marginalized communities and the environment, empowering others to learn to fix their electronics instead of throwing them away.
Estefania holds a B.S. in Information Technology from Northeastern University and is passionate about advocating for greater accessibility to electronic repair tools, guides, and parts for everyone.

Evelyn Hulsey
Director of Project Management

Evelyn Hulsey
Director of Project Management
Evelyn joins TalkingPoints with over a decade of project management and leadership experience in the software industry. After building a strong foundation in client-facing initiatives, Evelyn pivoted to focus on internal programs supporting operational excellence and scalability within growing software organizations.
Evelyn has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Melbourne. As Director of Project Management, Evelyn drives strategic TalkingPoints initiatives and implements best practices across the organization, allowing us to maximize our impact on the communities we serve.

Felicia Marshall
Data Engineer

Felicia Marshall
Data Engineer
Felicia brings decades of teaching experience, extensive technical expertise, and a data-driven approach to improving processes and products to her role at TalkingPoints. She comes from a family of educators covering the full spectrum of ages and currently teaches a college class remotely to students all over the world. Throughout her career, she has taught a wide range of subjects, including programming, robotics, machine design, manufacturing processes, and Computer-Aided Design (CAD). In addition to teaching, Felicia has also worked in technical writing and training, quality assurance and test automation, software development and delivery metrics, value stream mapping and process improvement, data pipeline architecture and CI/CD, and data observability with associated dashboards and alerts. Felicia holds a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University.
Growing up with first-generation American friends, Felicia developed a love for various cultures and languages. This passion was further strengthened by formal schooling in foreign languages. She is driven by seeing the impact of education improving the quality of life, particularly for those in underserved communities.

Gabriel Castiglioni
Software Architect

Gabriel Castiglioni
Software Architect
Gabriel is our lead iOS developer and designer with extensive experience in both areas. He studied Computer Science at Republic University in Uruguay and is passionate about building products that address social problems.

Gonzalo Silva
Software Engineer

Gonzalo Silva
Software Engineer
Since childhood, Gonzalo has been interested in using technology to make a positive impact in the world. At TalkingPoints, Gonzalo brings over 3 years of experience as a software engineer and is passionate about using his skill set to drive student success. Gonzalo holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of the Republic Uruguay.

Guillermo Rodriguez
Junior Software Developer

Guillermo Rodriguez
Junior Software Developer
Guillermo studied Industrial Engineering at Republic University in Uruguay. His passion for TalkingPoints’ mission and software engineering led him to join our team as a junior software developer. He is excited to collaborate on building products that address social problems.

Guillermo Siriani
Database Administrator

Guillermo Siriani
Database Administrator
Guillermo is passionate about using technology to improve education and helping parents stay engaged in their children’s education. After years working for financial institutions, he felt the need to move to a more fulfilling path and joined TalkingPoints so that he could use his skills to support teachers, families and students.
As our lead AI software engineer, Guillermo works on improving our machine translations and natural language processing capabilities. He is a first generation college graduate and has a degree in Computer Science at Republic University in Uruguay with a focus on Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing.

Heather Dooley
Senior Director, Brand Marketing & Communications

Heather Dooley
Senior Director, Brand Marketing & Communications
Heather is inspired by how education can empower students to reach their potential and help build productive healthy communities. As a public school parent in a diverse district, she’s seen how fostering positive connections between schools and families can make a big difference in student learning and the important role that access and inclusion play in building these relationships.
She has spent most of her career in digital marketing, including nearly a decade working in the nonprofit education sector to advance the adoption of effective school practices and help parents understand and use education data. Heather is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College, where she studied history and French.

Heejae Lim
Founder and CEO

Heejae Lim
Founder and CEO
Heejae Lim is the Founder and CEO of TalkingPoints. Previously, Heejae worked on education reform for public schools in the Middle East. She also served as chief of staff to a special advisor to the Secretary of Education in the UK. As a consultant at McKinsey, she advised the Gates Foundation and Teach First UK. Heejae is a graduate of Oxford, LSE and has an MBA from Stanford Business School where she was an Arjay Miller Scholar, and has been recognized as an Echoing Green Fellow, Stanford Social Innovation Fellow, Ashoka Changemaker and Forbes 30 under 30 to change education.

Jeremías Casteglione
Dev Ops

Jeremías Casteglione
Dev Ops
Jeremías is passionate about using his technical skillset to build operating systems that help students and their families. Jeremías has worked in IT infrastructure since 2003, and is a natural born nomad who likes to try to understand how things work while traveling the world.

Joaquín Piedra Cueva
QA Analyst

Joaquín Piedra Cueva
QA Analyst
Joaquin loves computers and has always wanted to be a part of the IT world. He grew up in a household where education was highly valued. As a QA Analyst at TalkingPoints, he gets to combine his passion for computers and his dedication to education.

Jocelyn Gutierrez
Support Escalation Lead

Jocelyn Gutierrez
Support Escalation Lead
As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Jocelyn is passionate about ensuring everyone has access to an equitable educational experience. From both personal and professional experience, Jocelyn has seen the positive correlation between family engagement and student success. As a Customer Success Associate, Jocelyn brings the compassion and skill set needed to be the liaison between teachers and families at TalkingPoints.
Jocelyn is a graduate from San Francisco State University with a B.S. in Kinesiology with a focus on empowering marginalized communities to pursue active and healthy lifestyles. She also is a proud AmeriCorps Alumni where she supported families and students access mental health resources.

José Soarez
Software Engineer

José Soarez
Software Engineer
José enjoys learning new technologies and using them to improve education for children. José brings over four years of experience as a full-stack engineer to TalkingPoints and worked in QA before becoming a developer. José has a Programmer Analyst degree from ORT University.

Juan Pablo Gonzalez
Data Quality Analyst

Juan Pablo Gonzalez
Data Quality Analyst
Juan Pablo is passionate about using data and technology to help families and students. He brings more than 15 years of experience working with databases like Microsoft SQL Server and Snowflake and is proficient with business intelligence tools such as Power BI and Tableau.
Juan Pablo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Systems Analysis from ORT University Uruguay.

Kara Barten
Product Marketing Manager

Kara Barten
Product Marketing Manager
Kara brings a decade of non-profit, EdTech, and classroom experience to TalkingPoints. She has a deep understanding of the educational landscape and the needs of teachers and administrators. As a Product Marketing Manager, Kara focuses on evolving how TalkingPoints brings products and services to market and works to understand how we might further support those who contribute to student growth.
Kara studied both English and Mass Communications at the University of Iowa and later earned a master’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from the Relay Graduate School of Education. Kara is dedicated to empowering teachers and schools with the tools they need to drive more equitable and inclusive classrooms. As a former educator, she understands how essential family engagement is to this mission and excited is to make an impact with TalkingPoints.

Kara Davis
Senior Philanthropy Manager

Kara Davis
Senior Philanthropy Manager
Kara is passionate about human rights issues and believes language access and human rights go hand-in-hand — access to information in your preferred language is critical to your livelihood, happiness, and success. That’s what inspired her to join TalkingPoints and drives her role as Institutional Philanthropy Manager. She brings nearly a decade of development experience in education, family engagement, and, most recently, the language industry, supporting the growth of a variety of entities reaching immigrant, refugee, and global communities.
Kara graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish & Journalism from New York University and received a Master of Arts in International & Intercultural Communication with a concentration in human rights and migration from the University of Denver.

Kate Pechacek
Head of Impact Strategy

Kate Pechacek
Head of Impact Strategy
Kate has over 25 years experience in education. She taught secondary math for 15 years in Iowa, Oregon, Texas, and Minnesota along with about 10 years of experience working at the district level in curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional development and MTSS. Her most recent role prior to moving to ed tech was as Director of Secondary Ed for Minneapolis Public Schools. She spent almost 6 years supporting districts in leveraging ed tech solutions to support equitable outcomes for students, prior to joining TalkingPoints.
At TalkingPoints Kate leads the Impact team in supporting school and district partners to ensure they are able to leverage the TalkingPoints solution with impact. Kate earned her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction and worked with the developers of an equity-based Learning Supports model developed out of the UCLA School Mental Health Project. She is driven to ensure schools move toward an equity-focused, asset-based approach for all students.

Katie Fodor
Operations Manager

Katie Fodor
Operations Manager
Katie is passionate about educational equity for all students and families, and working towards policy reform to rectify the injustices in the current educational landscape. She has a wide scope of knowledge in non-profit and educational operations, and tactical experience in understanding the needs of educators. As a former administrator, Katie has seen firsthand the tremendous impact that parent engagement has on student outcomes and is happy to be a contributing part of a team focused on increasing that effort.
As the Operations Manager at TalkingPoints, Katie is responsible for ensuring effective high-level systems and processes to ensure our team is logistically sound and able to focus on providing service and innovation for the folks we serve in schools and classrooms. Katie received a Bachelor’s degree in Human & Consumer Science with a minor in Business Administration from Ohio University.

Katie Rivard
Product Designer

Katie Rivard
Product Designer
Katie began her career teaching high school English in Memphis, which sparked a passion for designing equitable and impactful experiences that allow all students to thrive. She spent the next decade working as a teacher and an instructional coach and partnering with families to foster inclusive classroom communities and create memorable learning experiences for students.
In addition to her time in the classroom, Katie brings experience working in several capacities across the ed tech industry, including sales, customer success, and product design. Katie studied English and Political Science at the University of Notre Dame and later returned for a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She has a deep understanding of the motivations and challenges of teachers and administrators, which will help inform her work designing impactful, user-centric experiences for students and families. Katie is excited to join the TalkingPoints team, and create products and services that will make a difference in the lives of students and families.

Kevin Chavez
Manager of Support

Kevin Chavez
Manager of Support
Kevin is passionate about giving a voice to families who speak English as a second language. As a child of two immigrants, Kevin grew up acting as an interpreter for his parents and teachers.
Kevin brings over six years of experience and is dedicated to helping teachers and families connect with one another. Kevin is finishing his bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University where he is majoring in liberal studies and minoring in marketing.

Kiki Greenacre
Data Integration Support

Kiki Greenacre
Data Integration Support
Kiki joins TalkingPoints with over 4 years of experience in the data field and 2 years of experience in the EdTech industry. She is eager to assist the TalkingPoints Data Integration Team in making the product easy to use for all partners. In her free time, Kiki enjoys painting, sketching, reading, and playing with her cat Mittens.

Kristin Daniels
Partner Success Manager

Kristin Daniels
Partner Success Manager
Kristin is inspired and energized when new voices are heard in education! Kristin’s career started in the classroom and her innovative experiences led her to a career in education technology. Prior to joining TalkingPoints, Kristin worked as an innovation consultant with districts across the country to identify top ideas from educators and students and launch them into a structured innovation pipeline for testing and implementation.
Kristin has spent her career advocating for educators and students and is thrilled to be at TalkingPoints on the Partner Success Team where she is able to help elevate the voices of families! Kristin has a B.A. in Psychology from Northwestern University and a M.Ed in Elementary Education from DePaul University.

Krystal Key
Compliance Manager

Krystal Key
Compliance Manager
Krystal has a passion for helping others and positively impacting her community. She values the role accessible technology has in allowing all families to be involved in and fuel their child’s education. Krystal graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.S in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Krystal uses her combined experience to support internal operations so that the team can maximize its impact on empowering students, families, and teachers.

Laila Brenner
Head of Philanthropy

Laila Brenner
Head of Philanthropy
Laila has over 20 years of fundraising experience and has served in various positions at Habitat for Humanity, The Trust for Public Land, Craigslist Foundation, and KCETLink. Prior to joining, Laila was with Code for America where she spent 6+ years scaling philanthropy and helping millions access food and other basic needs. Laila earned her Masters in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco and is co-author of the book Nonprofit Fundraising 101.
As Head of Philanthropy at TalkingPoints, Laila leads the organization’s fundraising team and philanthropic revenue strategy. Laila views fundraising as an act of love and an invitation for others to help change the world. Outside of work, Laila keeps busy with two kids, chickens, and a variety of rotating hobbies.

Laura Trimble
Account Executive

Laura Trimble
Account Executive
Laura Trimble has spent most of her career partnering with school districts and Universities in the Midwest to provide the best educational resources to teachers and students. Ten of those years were spent working in the Higher Ed sector, before moving into the Ed Tech world. Most recently Laura worked for a company focused on providing equitable reading and learning extensions to students of all ability levels.
Laura is an Account Executive for the Midwest. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Westminster College. She is dedicated to creating a level playing field for all students, of all backgrounds and abilities.

Lauren Fogel
Director of Product Management

Lauren Fogel
Director of Product Management
Lauren is dedicated to driving impact and social change by working at the intersection of technology and social service – she is excited to bring that focus to TalkingPoints. For over 20 years, Lauren held product development leadership positions in both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. She led the expansion of a resource information and referral platform that supports under-represented communities and led the development of online products in higher education STEM disciplines that are in use by millions of students around the world.
An experienced mentor and coach, Lauren co-founded a cross-functional mentor group and donates her time to different organizations. Earlier in her career, Lauren lived in Asia and those experiences of living in dramatically different cultures continue to influence her work and perspective. Lauren graduated from Haverford College in Pennsylvania with a degree in English Literature and Women’s Studies.

Leah Walker
Senior Director of Research

Leah Walker
Senior Director of Research
Leah is an accomplished and forward-thinking leader with a passion for improving educational outcomes for students through the innovative use of technology. Leah earned a PhD in Education from UC Berkeley and has gained extensive experience in research and technical leadership roles at prominent companies such as NWEA, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Amira Learning, and Amplify. With her strong values-driven approach, Leah is committed to making a positive impact on educational outcomes for students.
As Senior Director of Research, Leah leads a highly skilled team of researchers who specialize in educational research, survey design, and machine learning. Together, they collaborate on exploring new avenues for research, support ongoing product improvements, and analyze the impact of TalkingPoints on students, families, and educators.

Lucia Alfaya
QA Specialist

Lucia Alfaya
QA Specialist
As an academic researcher, Lucia has learned to be proactive and apply her analytical skills when facing challenges. Her work experience has also taught her to be inquisitive and adapt to different situations. She has seen how education impacts and opens doors and is excited to share this experience with others.
Lucia has a BA in biochemistry and is finishing her PhD in chemistry at the Universidad de la República. She has also studied Web Development and Big Data.

Majo Pais
Office Manager

Majo Pais
Office Manager
Majo is passionate about supporting student success through technology. Prior to joining TalkingPoints, she worked in the travel industry. Majo has a technical degree in accommodation and travel management and enjoys photography in her spare time.

Marcelo Rodriguez
QA Analyst

Marcelo Rodriguez
QA Analyst
Marcelo is excited to continue his career in Quality Assurance (QA) at TalkingPoints. As a child, his family instilled in him an appreciation for studying and education by reading books to him and nurturing his curiosity. He is eager to pursue his passion for QA and help other students discover the same appreciation for education that his family helped him find.

Maria Nazarova
Solutions Engineer

Maria Nazarova
Solutions Engineer
Maria is passionate about empowering youth in their education and believes that family engagement is a huge stepping stone towards doing just that. Moving to the US from Russia with her family as a young child, she was aware of the role she had to play as an interpreter between her family and teachers.
She is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a BA in Cognitive Science, as well as a BA in Portuguese Language and Literature. As a Technical Partner Success Associate, she is able to use her interest in youth empowerment and education to help bring more access to schools and districts looking to break down the language barriers between them and the families they support.

Martín Calcagno
Senior Software Engineer

Martín Calcagno
Senior Software Engineer

Martín Mislej
QA Lead

Martín Mislej
QA Lead
Martín brings more than four years of experience in the testing field to TalkingPoints. He previously worked as a testing consultant, improving workflows and methodological processes for different organizations. In relation to education, Martín worked as a coach and professor teaching testing courses.

Mauricio Pastorino
Senior Software Engineer

Mauricio Pastorino
Senior Software Engineer
Mauricio has over 14 years experience working in the software industry. He has a passion for building and fixing software and working at mission-driven organizations.
Mauricio has a degree in software engineering, which he completed while working as a full stack developer. He understands first hand the importance of education and the many opportunities that it brings into people’s lives.

Mauricio Sabaj
QA Analyst

Mauricio Sabaj
QA Analyst
Mauricio joins TalkingPoints with a BA in Mass Communication and Media, as well as 13 years of experience working as a content manager on various websites. He is excited about the growth and professional challenges that his role as a QA Analyst will bring.
Mauricio acknowledges the significance of TalkingPoints’ social and educational mission and strongly believes that it is essential to work in an environment where he shares the same objectives.

Michael Phan
Data Engineer

Michael Phan
Data Engineer
Growing up in an English-learning family, Michael understands the crucial link between family involvement and students’ achievements. He strongly believes that when families are engaged, students thrive. And that’s why he sees breaking down the language barrier as the crucial first step in closing the gap.
Michael has many years of experience working in the EdTech space and is passionate about using data as a driving force to help students in their academic careers. Using the power of analytics, he loves the insights that data can provide to educators and drive the direction of progress. As a Data Engineer, he advocates for the accessibility of data, recognizing its immense power for everyone.

Michele Hughes
Solutions Engineer

Michele Hughes
Solutions Engineer
With 13 years of experience as an educator, Michele shifted to the educational technology field after seeing the positive impact that it can have on student achievement and growth. Throughout her career, she has been an advocate for students, and is excited to be part of the TalkingPoints team to break down barriers between teachers and families and to help strengthen these important relationships for the benefit of students.
Michele holds a BA in History and Literature, a MA in Anthropology, and a Master’s in Library and Information Science. As a lifelong learner, Michele is passionate about helping others reach their educational goals.

Nancy Lee Bromberger
VP, Strategic Partnerships

Nancy Lee Bromberger
VP, Strategic Partnerships

Natalia González
Junior Software Developer

Natalia González
Junior Software Developer
Natalia joins TalkingPoints with a strong belief in the importance of motivation, particularly for children, and the essential role parents play in supporting their child’s education. She is excited to join TalkingPoints as a Junior Software Developer and contribute to its mission of fueling students’ learning, growth, and future success.

Nelson Campos
Senior Software Engineer

Nelson Campos
Senior Software Engineer

Nick Park
Head of Revenue

Nick Park
Head of Revenue
Nick is a mission-driven leader passionate about how technology can improve educational outcomes for all students. Prior to TalkingPoints, Nick worked with several early-stage, high-growth startups building, scaling, and leading sales.
As Head of Revenue at TalkingPoints, Nick leads the Partner Success and Sales Teams. Nick graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Business Administration and Management. Nick is a Big Brother in Big Brothers Big Sisters and a member of Teach For America’s Kansas City Champions Board.

Nikhil Bindal
Data Architect

Nikhil Bindal
Data Architect
Nikhil is passionate about bringing families and schools closer to improve the outcome of under-resourced students. He has over 12 years of experience working in technology, primarily building and architecting data solutions on cloud. Previously, he has worked in technical leadership roles at Verisk, Inforgroup, and Ikasystems(BCBS).
Nikhil has a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, a Master’s degree in computer science, and is currently pursuing MBA from Babson College. As a Data Architect, he will be working on improving data quality, overall data architecture and providing coaching and mentoring to data engineers at TalkingPoints.

Pablo Márquez
Senior Software Engineer

Pablo Márquez
Senior Software Engineer
Pablo is passionate about using his technology background to improve education. Pablo studied Biochemistry at the Science University of Uruguay and computer science in the private sector. His academic work included combining biology and programming as a bioinformatician, and he tried to find key genes that help combat diseases caused by parasites, like Toxoplasmosis.
In addition to his academic work, he has worked as a game developer in several educational and children-oriented projects. Pablo joined TalkingPoints to collaborate on the development of the web and mobile apps, working on adding new features and improving the experience and accessibility for parents and teachers alike.

Paige DeLozier
Engagement Marketing Manager

Paige DeLozier
Engagement Marketing Manager

Peter Montgomery
Director of Revenue Operations

Peter Montgomery
Director of Revenue Operations
Peter brings a strong background of operational experience supporting go to market and back office teams in the edtech space and has a passion in working for organizations that have a tangible impact on the development of our students and communities.
Peter has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a master’s degree from Seattle University in Business Administration. In his role as the Director of Revenue Operations, Peter focuses on scaling the revenue teams around systems, processes, and data to help enable leadership to make data-driven decisions to help push for further impact.

Ramiro Moreira
Software Engineer

Ramiro Moreira
Software Engineer
Ramiro enjoys facing challenges and developing technological solutions that bring social impact. He believes education is the best way to provide equal opportunities and finds pleasure in developing software for educational purposes. Ramiro has a degree in computer analysis from the University of the Republic Uruguay. He is continuing his education in Robotics and Artificial intelligence. He also has experience as a Math teacher and semi-senior web developer.

Renée Murphy
Head of Operations

Renée Murphy
Head of Operations
Renée brings 20 years of technology start-up experience to TalkingPoints. She has deep experience scaling organizations, systems, and customer experience through rapid growth while providing outstanding service and internal and external support to partners and teams. As Head of Operations, Renée helps ensure that TalkingPoints can grow, scale, and directly impact students’ educational success.
Renée graduated from Harvard University Extension School and received her Compassion Teacher Certification from Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE). She believes that compassion and interconnectedness are the paths to happiness, which is why she joined such an impactful organization.

Roy Button
Account Executive

Roy Button
Account Executive
Roy has spent his career in sales and business development roles at start-ups and high growth companies. Most recently, he spent 4.5 years in EdTech and worked with large school districts throughout the US to support student mental health and improve technology in the classroom.
Roy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History from UC Berkeley and a Master’s Degree in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi. Roy comes from a family of educators and is proud to support schools and communities as an Account Executive for the West Coast.

Ryan McLaughlin
Senior Marketing Operations Manager

Ryan McLaughlin
Senior Marketing Operations Manager
Ryan has built his career in the EdTech industry for the last 13 years, focusing primarily in the K-12 sector while also serving as a professor in Higher Ed. Combining his BS in Computer Science from St. Norbert College and MBA from the University of Iowa, Ryan found his true passion in marketing technology and digital marketing. He is a Certified Digital Marketing Professional through the Digital Marketing Institute and a Professional Certified Marketer in Digital Marketing through the American Marketing Association.
As the Senior Manager of Marketing Operations, he analyzes marketing technology systems and digital marketing as a whole. He enjoys working with the marketing team to build repeatable and sustainable lead generation processes and marketing campaigns that spread the TalkingPoints mission.

Sara Hathaway
Senior Product Manager

Sara Hathaway
Senior Product Manager
Sara cares deeply about connecting people with the information, resources and networks they need to thrive. As a former children’s librarian in multilingual, resource-constrained communities, Sara worked closely with families trying to navigate the challenges of equitable access to information and education. Witnessing the immense impact moments of connection can have for an entire community, she moved into product management in 2018 to dive deeper into the possibilities at the intersection of communities, equity and technology.
At TalkingPoints, Sara’s background in public service and building technical products will help her as she works closely with our users defining and developing meaningful, user-centered solutions. Sara holds a bachelor’s degree in French from Miami University and a Master’s of Library and Information Studies from the University of British Columbia.

Sergio Sánchez
Senior Data Engineer

Sergio Sánchez
Senior Data Engineer
Sergio is passionate about using his research and data skills to empower people who have historically been underserved by the traditional power structures. Sergio’s work lives at the intersection of public policy, data, and tech. Born to a family of educators, Sergio understands the impact education has on individuals, families, and communities.

Shawna Hemphill
Senior Philanthropy Operations Manager

Shawna Hemphill
Senior Philanthropy Operations Manager
As Philanthropy Operations Manager, Shawna manages the systems and tools that support the fundraising team. She brings over 15 years of experience in fundraising and finance and a commitment to equitable educational outcomes to the TalkingPoints Team.
Shawna graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and certifications from the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations in Non-Profit Management and Accounting Fundamentals.

Simón Miera
Senior Partner Success Manager

Simón Miera
Senior Partner Success Manager
Simón has a wide range of knowledge related to education and holds a Masters degree in Education from Lesley University. He has utilized his experiences to lead professional development for school districts throughout the nation and help educators build systems supporting their district’s multi-tiered system of supports goals.

Stephanie Kaufman
Head of Product

Stephanie Kaufman
Head of Product
Stephanie is all-in to help move the needle for social change. Closing the equity gap in education can have an immediate and drastic social impact in the US. Stephanie believes that the intersection of education and technology will make this possible. She is excited about the opportunities that TalkingPoints provides for students and families who face equity gaps every day.
Having come from a family of educators, Stephanie has spent the majority of her career in EdTech. Her experience in both sales and product management shaped Stephanie into a user-obsessed advocate for students and educators, and she will use that passion to impact and improve TalkingPoints. Stephanie graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in English Literature and Cinema Studies.

Sujeiry Gonzalez
Partner Success Manager

Sujeiry Gonzalez
Partner Success Manager
A former teacher and Parent Liason, Sujeiry believes in empowering multilingual families by equipping them with information and providing them with access. Born in NYC to Dominican parents, Sujeiry knows first-hand the importance of family advocacy and engagement. She has a passion for bridging the communication gap between multilingual families and school administrators.
Sujeiry is a graduate of Rowan University with an MA in Writing Arts and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a BA in Communications and Psychology. She is also a New York State licensed ELA educator. Sujeiry loves being able to continue to make an impact through her work at TalkingPoints.

Veronica Tappe
Director of People

Veronica Tappe
Director of People

Xiaoyuan Tan
Research Scientist

Xiaoyuan Tan
Research Scientist
Dr. Xiaoyuan Tan has over a decade of experience in educational research and evaluation. Before joining TalkingPoints, she served as a Senior Research Scientist for the Arizona Department of Education, working on evaluating state-wide initiatives that were designed to improve K-12 public education. She also worked as a psychometrician and an educational product developer for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Being a first-generation immigrant herself and with both of her children attending a public school, Dr. Tan fully understands the challenges faced by children from underserved multilingual immigrant communities. She strives to promote the TalkingPoints platform as a valuable tool that allows families and schools to work together to close achievement gaps and accelerate learning for all students.
Board of directors

Heejae Lim
Founder and CEO

Heejae Lim
Founder and CEO
Heejae Lim is the Founder and CEO of TalkingPoints. Previously, Heejae worked on education reform for public schools in the Middle East. She also served as chief of staff to a special advisor to the Secretary of Education in the UK. As a consultant at McKinsey, she advised the Gates Foundation and Teach First UK. Heejae is a graduate of Oxford, LSE and has an MBA from Stanford Business School where she was an Arjay Miller Scholar, and has been recognized as an Echoing Green Fellow, Stanford Social Innovation Fellow, Ashoka Changemaker and Forbes 30 under 30 to change education.

Dan Braga
Board Chair

Dan Braga
Board Chair

Tyler Coats
Treasurer and Board Member

Tyler Coats
Treasurer and Board Member
Tyler Coats is the CEO of Falcon Critical Care Transport, a $20m revenue business employing over 250 personnel in the SF Bay Area. Formerly Tyler was the Managing Partner of Cascadian Capital. Tyler also served in the US Navy aboard the USS Henry M. Jackson, a strategic nuclear submarine, where he led over 70 personnel with overall responsibility for the operation of the nuclear reactor as Head Engineering Officer and Officer of the Deck. Tyler has an MBA from Stanford GSB and has a B.S. in Quantitative Economics and Applied Mathematics from the United States Naval Academy.

Max Polaner
Secretary and Board Member

Max Polaner
Secretary and Board Member
Max is a member of New Profit’s portfolio investment team and serves as a “Deal Partner” providing strategic advising and support to individual portfolio organizations.
Prior to New Profit, Max worked in education non-profits for over 15 years, most recently as Executive Director of iMentor NYC (a former New Profit grantee), which provides mentors to 4,000 NYC public high school students, and before that as CFO of Achievement First (another former New Profit grantee), which serves over 12,000 K-12 students in 32 charter schools in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Max’s passion for education and social justice sprung from his experience as a public middle school math teacher in Hayward, California at the beginning of his career. In the intervening years, Max was also a consultant at McKinsey and Company, a serial entrepreneur and the head of quality control at Polaner Preserves, the company started by his great-grandfather, Max.
Max has a Master in Public Policy degree from the Harvard Kennedy School, an MBA from Harvard Business School, a BA in Philosophy from Yale and his secondary teaching credential from San Francisco State.
Join us to make a difference, to change lives
Our team
Our fast-growing team is focused on the best experiences for our teachers and families.
At TalkingPoints, we are passionate about changing our education system for the better, and we believe deeply in the value of what we do. We bring an empathetic, entrepreneurial spirit to our work—and we have fun while we’re at it!
What we offer
- An incredible opportunity to build a mission-driven, rapidly growing startup tech nonprofit
- Competitive salary, full coverage health insurance, unlimited vacation, 401K, commuter and flexible spending benefits
- Casual work environment in San Francisco Bay Area; supporting flexible/remote

Our organizational values
User & mission orientation
We are devoted to our mission with empathy towards the communities we serve.
All in together
We go above and beyond the job description, working together as a team.
Agile & action-oriented
We get things done, knowing that our progress is urgent to our communities.
Always learning
We are always learning, with a growth mindset, to reach our our full potential.
Boldly courageous
We take risks in order to achieve big things.
Open positions
