Team

We value freedom, ownership, hard work and learning.

We ask a great deal of the students, parents and professionals who participate in our programs, and we ask the same of ourselves as individuals and as an organization. These are our values:

Curiosity

We constantly ask questions to deepen our understanding of the world around us, and we stay inquisitive about the problems we are trying to solve.

Courage

We regularly step out of our comfort zones in order to grow. We aren’t afraid to try new things, to take risks or to fail.

Persistence

We stay focused on our goals; we embrace change, adapt quickly and stay positive in the face of challenges. We never give up on ourselves, each other or the families we serve.

Innovation

We enthusiastically explore new ideas, creating original and inventive content. We believe in finding creative solutions to big problems.

Growth

We believe in lifelong learning centered in a growth mindset. We constantly strive to deepen our skills. We stay abreast of leading educational research, and we use technology wisely to maximize the reach of our organization.

Empowerment

We learn as a family; we believe that everyone can learn and participate in STEM. By engaging parents and sharing knowledge and tools, we support each family’s learning. As a team, we cooperate, share responsibility and empower each other to be decisive and take action.

Integrity

We are ethical, open and reliable. We use data to evaluate our programs and impact, and we represent the results honestly. We believe that sharing our successes and shortcomings freely and openly allows others to learn from us.

Inclusion

We seek out and promote diversity of backgrounds, demographics and perspectives. We create programs and spaces that are dedicated to underrepresented and underserved audiences. We actively promote diversity and equity in STEM education and STEM fields.

Iridescent team

Founder and CEO

Tara Chklovski

Founder, CEO, Iridescent

Tara Chklovski is the CEO and founder of the global non-profit Iridescent. Her mission in life has been to transform the opportunities available to young people, especially girls, to reach their full-potential and impact their communities. Tara founded Iridescent in 2006 to create and deliver powerful science, engineering, and technology education to empower underrepresented young people. Iridescent has since grown to a community of over 7,000 mentors and more than 90,000 participants throughout the world through its flagship programs Curiosity Machine and Technovation. Forbes highlighted Tara in 2016 as “the pioneer empowering the incredible tech girls of the future” and she was prominently featured in the award-winning documentary Codegirl. Also in 2016, Tara was honored by Discovery’s Science Channel as the first inaugural CEO Science Super Star Hero for igniting passion for science and encouraging the next generation of innovators, problem solvers and game changers. A frequent speaker for her thought leadership in STEM education, she recently presented Iridescent’s work at the White House STEM Inclusion Summit and at the UN. Tara earned her BS in Physics from St. Stephen’s College and a MS in aerospace engineering from Boston University. Tara left her PhD program in aerospace engineering at USC to pursue her social entrepreneurship to found Iridescent and directly empower girls and children everywhere.

Senior Director, Partnerships
Devin Dillon

Senior Director, Marketing

Kristen Stippich

Director of Community Partnerships
Judith Ahumada

Volunteer Engagement Manager
Mackenzie Dancho

Program Coordinator, Los Angeles
Roxana Gonzalez

AP Accountant & Payroll Liason
Natsuyo Ham

Program Coordinator, Technovation
Ophélie Horsley

Partnerships Manager, Technovation
Katie Morton

Manager of Engineering Content Development
Rusty Nye

Social Media Specialist
Katy Santa Maria

Design and Quality Control Manager
Audra Torres

Chief Operating Officer

Amy Kim

At Iridescent, I mostly make sure all of our gears are running smoothly. I work on various projects that help build a stronger team and help solve any problems that might arise. As a scientist turned educator, I am really passionate about the work we do in bringing engineering and technology programs to those who might never have had the opportunities to learn through engaging technical mentors.

Fun fact: I started at Iridescent as a volunteer many years before joining the team. I feel that strongly about our mission 🙂

Senior Director, Partnerships

Devin Dillon

I lead the Partnerships Team to work with schools, libraries and museums to adapt Curiosity Machine to their sites for their students and families.
Fun Fact: I’ve traveled to 30+ countries.

Senior Director, Marketing

Kristen Stippich

Kristen is responsible for developing, implementing, and analyzing brand, marketing, and communications strategies for the organization in collaboration with the marketing team. She has 15 years of experience building, leading and executing results-driven integrated marketing communications programs on behalf of major brands and start-up organizations, primarily in the technology industry.

Director of Community Partnerships

Judith Ahumada

Program Manager

Rebecca Anderson

As a member of the Partnerships Team, I support educators and leads at schools, libraries, and other organizations with training and resources to adapt Curiosity Machine for their students and families. More detailed info on my background here!

Development Manager

Randi Cairns

Randi Cairns has dedicated over two decades to advocating for vulnerable populations in the nonprofit space. She excels at giving voice to people’s stories, forging personal connections, and tying content/copy to strong emotional calls to action. She’s a proud Mama of four children who she hopes will always have a passion for learning and a heart for changing the world for the better.

Volunteer Engagement Manager

Mackenzie Dancho

With a history working in criminal justice reform and tech for public sector improvement, Mackenzie joined Iridescent in 2019 hoping to make learning and technology an inclusive space. We are better together!

Program Coordinator, Los Angeles

Roxana Gonzalez

Special Events Manager

Daniela Hager

Daniela is the lead of Iridescent events creating event environments that help cultivate change and awareness to the amazing programs of Curiosity Machine and Technovation. She has been in the non profit world for five years and is eager to support young women realize their potential in the work place.

AP Accountant & Payroll Liason

Natsuyo Ham

Program Coordinator, Technovation

Ophélie Horsley

Communications Manager

Maggie Jaris

Data Analyst

Richard Jung

Senior Developer

Mike Larsson

Alumni Program Manager

Kai Lokken

I moved from Chicago to San Francisco in September, and I joined Technovation in November. In Chicago, I worked at Communities In Schools of Chicago as a College and Career Specialist. Before Chicago, I taught high school and middle school in Richmond, CA, Boston, and New York City. I’ve lived in many cities and have appreciated each place.

Program Assistant

Nicholas Luu

Nick is the Program Assistant at Technovation. Before he arrived at Iridescent, he ran an English tea shop. He found his way to Iridescent because no matter the work, he wanted to make people smile and can do so here.

Partnerships Manager, Technovation

Katie Morton

Manager of Engineering Content Development

Rusty Nye

Ruby Ríos

Social Media Specialist

Katy Santa Maria

Design and Quality Control Manager

Audra Torres

Senior Accountant

Elizabeth Vodak

Join the team!

Board of Directors

Board Member, Steering Committee
Ulrich Aldag

Board Observer

Deena Shakir

Board Chair

Ann Weeby

Director of Workforce Innovation, Salesforce
Board Chair, Iridescent Board

Ann leads Vetforce, Salesforce’s Military Veteran and Adult Workforce Development program to place underrepresented talent in the Salesforce ecosystem. As a leader in the veteran community and a veteran herself, Ann is working towards a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workforce that improves the lives of individuals and the companies that employ them. By working with nonprofits and government she has advocated for policies and practices that support post 9/11 military veterans and their families across the country. Mayor Ed Lee appointed her to the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Commission in 2012. After her deployment in Iraq, Ann earned a dual Bachelor’s degree in Marketing & Sociology from Western Michigan University. She used the leadership and construction skills that she learned in the military to build playgrounds and increase volunteerism around the country at the non-profit KaBOOM.

Board Member, Steering Committee

Ulrich Aldag

Co-Founder and CEO Evotec BioSystems GmbH (now Evotec Technologies GmbH)
Steering Committee, Iridescent

Ulrich Aldag received a PhD from the University of Bonn, Germany, and his areas of expertise include science and engineering, leadership, and corporations. In the first half of his professional career, Dr. Aldag worked for Shell Chemicals and Unilever, and later, in the medical diagnostics business of a German pharmaceutical company, Boehringer Ingelheim where he started and established a specialized blood testing service laboratory that became the largest medical reference lab in Germany. Later on he served as Chairman Diagnostics Division for BI. In the second half of his professional life, Ulrich co-founded two German biotech start-ups: Qiagen (1985) and Evotec (1992), serving as CFO/COO/CEO in their early years–both companies were taken to the stock market and have continued to thrive. In 1999, Dr. Aldag retired from Evotec and came to the US, and is currently mastering the art of too many hobbies.

Board Secretary

Elyssa Elbaz

Head of the Elbaz Family Foundation
Secretary, Iridescent Board

Elyssa Elbaz attended Claremont University and UCLA, and her areas of expertise include law, venture capital, and nonprofit foundations. Ms. Elbaz manages the Elbaz Family Foundation, which supports environmental and educational causes. She is a former Assistant United States Attorney, where she was a member of the Violent and Organized Crime division. Prior to working as a prosecutor, she worked for the law firm of O’Melveny and Myers and clerked for a federal judge. She has also worked as a journalist for a number of newspapers and wire services in Los Angeles. Elyssa has a bachelor’s degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Claremont McKenna College and a Juris Doctor from the UCLA School of Law. She serves on the following non-profit boards: the UCLA Law Alumni Board, the Claremont McKenna College Center for Human Rights Leadership, Whole Child Foundation, and X Prize (as the ethics chairperson). She is also a partner of Los Angeles Social Venture Partners.

Board Treasurer

Bradlee J. Stroia

Director of Technology Development for Advanced Fuel Systems Research, Cummins
Treasurer, Iridescent Board

Dr. Bradlee Stroia earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and his Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Dr. Stroia has over twenty six years of engineering experience, and currently serves as the Director of Advanced Fuel Systems Research for Cummins. His areas of expertise include engineering and technology, corporations, leadership and community outreach. As a Cummins engineer, he has authored over 150 Cummins Technical Reports, along with numerous SAE papers, and currently holds seventeen patents for engine systems and components. In 2014 Dr. Stroia received the 2014 Dr. Julius P. Perr Innovation Award for NOx Adsorber Technologies.

Board Member

Rossana Wang

Chief Marketing Officer, Co-Founder, Wang & Partners – Brand Strategy, Digital & Integrated Marketing
Board Member, Iridescent

Rossanna is an award-winning Global Marketing Executive with extensive experience in digital, branding, media, PR and business development. She is passionate about the intersection of brand, content and technology — creating meaningful stories, products and experiences that engage and deliver impact at scale. Rossanna has worked at senior levels within Fortune 100 companies including Disney, Warner Bros. and Estee Lauder, as well as venture-backed early stage startups.

Board Member

Kate Parker

Head of Safety & Insurance Brand, Uber
Iridescent Board Member

Kate Parker is Uber’s Head of Safety & Insurance Brand, leading global marketing and social impact initiatives for the consumer protection of Uber’s riders, drivers and the communities where Uber operates. She is a strategic brand executive with a decade of experience building corporate reputations through meaningful social responsibility.

Prior to Uber, Kate built Made with Code where she worked with partners in entertainment, technology, retail and the public sector to drive the agenda of technology diversity. Her partnerships included $50M in investments. Previously, Kate led Global Communications and Public Affairs for Google’s $1B philanthropy organization. She’s launched community health initiatives with the nation’s largest healthcare companies and financial literacy efforts with the biggest firms on Wall Street.

Kate’s work has earned her an AAAA Diversity Partnership Award, a White Pencil Creativity for Good Award, and a Webby’s Award for Corporate Social Responsibility. Her work on Made with Code also earned a short-list for Cannes inaugural Glass Lion — honoring ‘ideas intended to change the world.’ Kate earned a Masters in Public Administration and a Bachelors degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Board Member

Dr. Sepehr Moghadam

Head of Special Projects, University Relations at Google
Iridescent Board Member

Dr. Sepehr Moghadam, incubates programs that improve the experience and outcomes for underrepresented students in computer science at the graduate level. His projects have focused on establishing a deeper understanding of underrepresented groups who choose computer science and the barriers preventing those that do not. He has a PhD in Political Science and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Masters in Policy Analysis and Evaluation from Stanford University.

Board Member

Rachelle Davis

Senior Software Engineer, Blizzard Entertainment
Iridescent Board Member

Rachelle Davis is a Senior Software Engineer working on a new project with one of Blizzard Entertainment’s incubation teams. Prior to her current position, she served as a lead engineer on the Hearthstone team, where she architected and managed all technical development of new game features for the blockbuster hit digital strategy card game. Rachelle’s journey as an engineer began at the University of California, San Diego where she earned dual Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics-Computer Science and Interdisciplinary Computing & the Arts. She then received her Master’s of Science in Computer Science with a focus in Games from the University of Southern California. Rachelle is a strong advocate for women in software engineering and women in games. She could not be more excited to join the Iridescent Board and be a part of empowering young people — especially women — on a global scale to believe in themselves and their futures in technology.

Board Observer

Deena Shakir

Partner, Google Ventures
Iridescent Board Member

Deena is a Partner at GV, where she supports a portfolio of 300+ companies with their business development and growth opportunities. Prior to joining GV, Deena led business development for early-stage products at Google in health care, research and machine intelligence, and search. She also spearheaded social impact investments for Google.org.

Deena previously led public-private partnerships with Global 2000 companies as a presidential management fellow in the office of Secretary Clinton at the U.S. State Department. At the U.S. Agency for International Development, Deena was a partnerships advisor where she helped launch President Obama’s first Global Entrepreneurship Summit in 2010.

Passionate about startup entrepreneurship, Deena co-founded her first company at age 19 and is an angel investor and advisor to several young companies. Outside of her work at Google, she is a Director on the Board of TechWadi, the leading nonprofit and accelerator building bridges between Silicon Valley and the MENA region.

Deena was an Aga Khan Fellow at The Aspen Institute’s Program on Nonprofit and Social Innovation, where she supported the Global Philanthropy Program. She also covered the White House for BBC News and was the Lead Anchor for a bilingual news show on Al Arabiya. Deena holds a joint BA in Social Studies and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard College and an MA from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She delivered the 2008 Harvard Class Day speech, “From Baghdad to Boston: Dropping the Global H-Bomb.”

Deena serves on the Boards of Directors of several nonprofits, including AMIDEAST, TechWadi, and Tarjimly. She is also on the Brain Trust of Girls Who Code and a Kauffman Fellow (Class 23).

Honorary Board of Directors

Board Member; Audit Committee
Donald Lacey

Honorary Board Member

Chaitanya Ullal

Honorary Board Member

Paul Yarin

Honorary Board Member

Eva Ho

Board Member; Audit Committee

Donald Lacey

COO, Ping An Venture Fund
Audit Committee, Iridescent
Donald Lacey is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and studied mathematics and economics at MIT, where he received his SB, and his areas of expertise include finance, operations, and corporations. Mr. Lacey is the Managing Director and COO of Ping An Global Voyager Fund. Mr. Lacey’s attraction to Iridescent stems from his belief that societies are best served by making educational opportunities as broadly accessible as possible. He is an enthusiastic supporter of Iridescent’s efforts to stimulate interest in science, engineering and mathematics in underserved communities. He commenced his career as an investment banker at Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Board Member

Dr. Michael Kassner

Professor, University of Southern California Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Board Member, Iridescent
Dr. Michael Kassner attended Northwestern, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Stanford, with areas of expertise in science and engineering, research, academia, and government. Dr. Kassner recently completed three years as the Director of Research for the Office of Naval Research for the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Early in his assignment the Secretary of the Navy, in his assignment, the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, working with the White House, directed that ONR lead a new STEM effort for the US Navy, double in investment to $100 million/year and lead the Dept. of Defense in STEM innovation. Professor Kassner spearheaded the funding of more than 144 innovative STEM outreach programs focusing on women and minorities. His pioneering work led to his being awarded the Navy’s Meritorious Public Service Medal. Prior to the ONR assignment, he was the chair of the AME Department at USC. He has more than 37 years of experience in research and higher education and has over 200 published works.

AI Education Steering Committee

The AI Education Steering Committee is a group of AI experts, researchers and professionals who act as advisors for Iridescent’s AI curriculum. Through yearly round table meetings and virtual follow ups, the committee helps ensure the AI curriculum content is accurate, relevant, and innovative.

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Michael Fountaine

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Marie des Jardins

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Iolanda Dos Santos Carvalho Leite

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Gabriel Torres

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Bistra Dilkina

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Yexiang Xue

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Stefania Druga

AI Education Steering Committee Member
May Casterline

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Justin Aglio

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Fredrik Heintz

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Fei Fang

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Edson Prestes

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Dale Lane

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Christoph Windheuser

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Ángel Poyato

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Alexis Joly

AI Education Steering Committee Member
Qiang Yang