Our Team

Emily Reid is a computer scientist, educator, and entrepreneur. As the Chief Executive Officer at AI4ALL, Emily is focused on democratizing educational pathways to AI and creating the highest quality, interdisciplinary, AI education experience for high school educators and their students.

Previously, Emily was the VP of Open Learning at AI4ALL. Under her leadership, the Open Learning program has impacted more than 4,000 students in more than 850 classrooms in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Prior to AI4ALL, Emily was founding Director of Education at Girls Who Code, where she was responsible for ensuring that GWC programs were unrivaled in delivering quality computer science education. During her time at GWC, Emily’s team taught over 30,000 girls to code and trained over 2,000 computer science educators. Before Girls Who Code, Emily was a Senior Cyber Security Engineer at the MITRE Corporation and has published research in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. She speaks and writes on diversity, education, and technology. 

Emily holds an M.S. in Computer Science from Columbia University and a B.S. in Mathematics from Tufts University. She believes strongly that we can change the world for the better through a diverse and inclusive tech industry, using computer science as a tool to solve pressing social problems.

Candice Chung is the Chief Financial Officer at AI4ALL, where she leads the finance and administrative functions.

Prior to joining AI4ALL, Candice served as Senior Director, Grants Management at the KIPP Foundation. There, she managed federal and private grants funding the development of new schools and supporting training programs for school leaders in educationally underserved communities. 

Candice is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a B.S. in Commerce, with a concentration in Accounting, from the University of Virginia.

Roshni Kasad is a trained scientist and educator with over a decade of experience building equitable STEM education initiatives at the K-12 and higher ed levels. As Senior Director of the College Pathways program, Roshni leads AI4ALL’s entry into the higher ed space. With experience building local, national, and international education collaborations, Roshni believes strongly in the value of partnerships to create sustainable and scalable change.  

Previously, Roshni served as founding Director of Academic Initiatives at AnitaB.org where she partnered with universities across the country and led programs for 10,000+ female students and faculty in computing in an effort to bring more women into tech and to ensure they persist. While at Techbridge, Roshni led a number of local and national K-12 STEM education initiatives, including design and implementation of a professional development model to support 300+ educators to deliver informal STEM education to more than 4,500 youth across the Bay Area. 

Roshni earned a B.A. in Biology from the University of Delaware and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley where her thesis was characterizing molecular mechanisms involved in egg and sperm development.

Nicole Halmi is the Director of Communciations at AI4ALL, where she works to make artificial intelligence more diverse and inclusive and to ensure that AI is developed responsibly. Before AI4ALL, she was an early team member at Neon Labs. At Neon, Nicole led communications and marketing and additionally managed the development of AI-powered, patented video publishing products. Before Neon, Nicole worked with underresourced young adults with developmental disabilities, supporting them to find meaningful work. Nicole received an A.B. from Brown University in Modern Culture and Media, where she focused on language and translation in the broader context of modern cultural and social formations. She has spoken about the need for diverse perspectives in AI at venues including Teen Vogue Summit, AWS ImagineEDU, and the IBM Executive Forum for Senior Education Leadership.

Rockelle Morris is the Director of Corporate Partnerships where she works to expand AI4ALL’s corporate partner program. Before joining AI4ALL, she served as the Deputy Sales Director of Corporate Engagement at Year Up’s National Capital Region. At Year Up, Rockelle was responsible for securing over 350 corporate internships per year for young adults, ages 18-24. She was also instrumental in growing annual revenues to $10M. Before Year Up, she held a variety of roles including Client Services Manager at Dimension Data, Regional Sales Manager at Tripwire and Senior Sales Executive at Teneo. Rockelle has received numerous accolades including the President’s Club Award, Top Sales Performer, and Outstanding Sales Achievement. In addition, she loves technology and spent 10+ years in Network Operations and Support at leading technology companies in the Bay Area. For this reason, she has a personal desire to introduce advanced technology to underrepresented groups. In May 2017, Rockelle received her MBA from Trinity Washington University.

Jonathan is the Director, Summer Programs where he oversees strategy, growth, and execution of the Summer Programs at AI4ALL. Prior to assuming this role, Jonathan managed K-12 education and outreach initiatives for the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. In this work, he focused on making the field of computing more equitable so that all students could have access to computer science education and career opportunities regardless of their background. Jonathan served as the Director of Carnegie Mellon’s AI4ALL Summer Program in addition to participating in many university-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Prior to entering the world of CS, he served as a retention and persistence specialist and advisor for underrepresented undergraduate students at Carnegie Mellon. Jonathan’s background is in education and social policy and has a particular commitment to advancing opportunities and equity for traditionally underestimated groups.

Jonathan is a native of Chicago and loves all things Chicago, including deep-dish pizza, the Cubs, and the most glorious skyline in the world! He currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA., but has his sights set on eventually enjoying the warm weather in Oakland, CA as a result of joining the team at AI4ALL.

Jelani Anthony is a mission-driven data analyst and lifelong science and technology enthusiast hailing from the Bronx, New York. With a career spanning the political, financial, tech, and non-profit sectors, he now works in community and data management as a Program Associate for AI4ALL’s Changemakers in AI team. An alumnus of the Fieldston Enrichment Program (F.E.P.), and the A Better Chance (A.B.C.) program himself, he works to analyze data and develop the platforms through which AI4ALL assists its scholars post-graduation.

Pronouns: She/Her/They/Them

Born and raised in East Oakland, CA, daughter to a first-generation Mexican immigrant family, DD has first-hand experience of the challenges and inequities within the education system. Through mentorship and exposure to creating political street art, her passion for education was reignited. DD graduated from Mills College with a degree in Ethnic Studies, focused on Community Organizing & Social Justice.

DD brings a wide range of skills acquired through a diverse background in both nonprofit and for-profit sectors, with ample experience building and streamlining processes in areas such as recruiting, onboarding, employee engagement, and affinity programs. As a self-starter inspired by environmental and social justice, she sees the value of investing in individuals and providing meaningful support to improve the employee experience by lifting up diverse team experiences, creativity, and belonging. DD is dedicated to cultivating a human-centered approach through a race equity lens in all aspects of her Talent work and is enthusiastic about leveraging AI4ALL’s values to strengthen that commitment.

In her free time, you can find DD with her partner Chris and their dog Ruby driving along the California coast looking for surf and dog-friendly beaches or exploring new hiking trails.

Amir Golnabi is an applied mathematician, engineer, and educator with several years of experience in higher education as well as grades 9-12. As Training & Instruction Manager at AI4ALL, he is involved with the design and implementation of the College Pathways program.

Amir studied Mathematics and Computer Engineering at the University of Salamanca in Spain, before transferring to Montclair State University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 2007. He then started his graduate studies at Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. His doctoral thesis was on “Computational Aspect of Tomographic Microwave Imaging for Biomedical Applications.” During his doctoral program, he also completed an Engineering Management Certificate at Dartmouth College. In 2012, he joined the Pulmonary Imaging and Bioengineering Laboratory at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) with an academic appointment at Harvard Medical School. From 2014 to 2020, he was a faculty member in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Montclair States University where he taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate mathematics courses. Currently, he is also an Instructor in Mathematics at Phillips Exeter Academy.

Amir has a track record of peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and awards, including the Excellence in Teaching Award from the National Society of Leadership and Success. His engineering research interests include mathematical modeling, medical image processing, and AI. As a passionate educator, he enjoys interacting with students both inside and outside the classroom. His interest in education research includes educational leadership, curriculum development, educational technology, and deep learning. 

Amir loves spending time with his family, cooking, oil-painting, and listening to music.

Breanne (She/Her) is a passionate advocate for youth development and lifelong education. She brings a diversity of experiences in higher education, program development, Diversity and Inclusion work, adult training and development, and non-profit management. She holds a BA from the University of San Francisco in Psychology and African American Studies and a MA in Sociology from Boston College. In her free time, she loves to cuddle on the couch with her wife and tiny Maltipoo to watch soapy teen shows, Marvel movies, and Korean Dramas.

Sarah Judd is the Curriculum Manager for Open Learning at AI4ALL. Sarah brings a track record of creating inclusive and culturally responsive CS curriculum in her roles as a Computer Science teacher in classrooms ranging from 2nd-10th grade, as a curriculum developer at Google CS First and Girls Who Code, and in after-school programs including Bootstrap and FIRST robotics. Sarah has also worked as a web engineer, and holds a BS in Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Beth McBride is an engineer, researcher, and educator. As AI4ALL’s Data & Evaluation Manager, Beth works to maintain a consistent data pipeline that allows for sharing of data across AI4ALL programs, ensuring alignment across the organization on evaluation and data collection, and providing support for AI4ALL’s research partnerships and papers.

Prior to joining AI4ALL, Beth worked as an education researcher and curriculum developer at SRI International and UC Berkeley, developing integrated STEM curriculum units, conducting evaluations of curricular efficacy, and researching the use of AI in online education. Beth also previously worked with USAID in Liberia to develop curriculum and lead summer programs for high school students interested in engineering. Beth earned a BSE in Earth Systems Science and Engineering and a Masters of Engineering in Applied Climate Science, both from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and a Ph.D. in Science and Mathematics Education from the University of California, Berkeley. While at Berkeley, she also had the opportunity to study Finnish and won a grant to do immersive language training in Finland. Beth is a Michigan native but now lives in Oakland, CA. Outside of her work at AI4ALL, you can find her dreaming of backpacking in the Sierra, decorating cupcakes, or at a public library.

Sean Peters is an engineer, educator, and entrepreneur with 6+ years of experience designing and implementing student-centered curriculum in K-12 schools across New York City, Yonkers, and New Haven. As Senior Manager for College Pathways, Sean creates inclusive learning experiences to attract new college-level students to AI and to support them as they continue their academic path in AI.

Prior to joining AI4ALL, Sean worked as a Professional Development Associate at the Center for Technology and School Change (CTSC) at Teachers College, Columbia University. There he trained and engaged teachers and administrators as designers of authentic, rigorous, standards-aligned transdisciplinary STEM learning experiences with meaningful technology integration.

Sean earned his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University.  Sean’s contribution to the field through his doctoral research focused on mitigating the impact of cyber attacks by defining a metric of privacy using Information Theory and designing an anonymously distributed communication protocol for cloud-based entities.

Sean is also the founder of My Body, My Kitchen, an online community devoted to empowering its members with the tools to take control of their wellness and fitness.

Eliana Riley is the College Program Manager for Changemakers in AI, where she is developing and executing strategies to support community building, leadership development, career readiness, and exploration of the Changemakers Innovators program. Eliana is motivated to help diversify the tech industry through means of education, programming and mentorship.

Eliana brings over ten years of experience working in higher education and leading students to academic and career success. In her recent role at the University of Illinois-Chicago, Eliana served as the Assistant Director of the Engineering Career Center where she provided one on one career advising, coordinated career events, advised the student organization “STEM,” and managed the “Professional Connections Program,” a 4-month mentor program. She has also provided career counseling and advising in roles at Roosevelt University (Chicago, IL) and Lawrence Technology University (Southfield, MI).

Eliana earned her B.A. in Voice Performance from Michigan State University and Master of Education in Higher Education from Grand Valley State University. She resides in Chicago where she enjoys playing tenor saxophone for a Latin and jazz band.  She also enjoys playing tennis and biking along the Lake Michigan lakeshore.

Nina is the High School Program Manager for Changemakers in AI. They work closely with AI4ALL high school summer program alumni, engaging them through leadership and mentorship opportunities, speakers, community building, research projects, career panels, and more. 

Nina brings a passion for STEM-focused educational programs, having worked in the science museum sphere for over a decade. They bring a strong equity lens into their work and prioritize centering youth voices. They hope to create as many opportunities as possible for AI4ALL youth to learn about ethics in AI and to be at the center of making decisions that affect both their own career trajectories, and the AI industry at large. 

As a longtime educator with a Master’s in International Education, Nina has worked in various informal education environments, including nonprofits, museums, wilderness settings, and international placements. They have also worked in LGBTQ+ advocacy, equity and inclusion spheres, and the publishing and film arenas.

Chelsea Segal is the Corporate Partnership Manager for AI4ALL where she works to develop meaningful and impactful relationships in the field of AI. She is excited to leverage her skills to connect people and companies to the incredible work and Changemakers from AI4ALL.

Chelsea has spent her career helping bridge opportunity gaps in a variety of sectors – teaching leadership and English skills in Panama as a Peace Corps volunteer, facilitating conflict resolution skills in both juvenile and adult detention facilities, and was most recently the program lead for Genesys Works Bay Area – an organization focused on workforce development for high school seniors.

Chelsea received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Sociology, minoring in Community Action Social Change and Spanish – go blue! She attended the Middlebury Institute of International Studies for a master’s degree in Public Administration, specializing in Intercultural Competence.

Thalea Torres is the Career Development Manager of Changemakers in AI at AI4ALL, where she is building and supporting the alumni network, Changemakers in AI, with career trajectories and continued engagement in AI. She is passionate about working towards equity and justice for marginalized groups, and believes that AI and tech are areas for incredible social impact.

Thalea received her Master’s of Science in Social Work from Columbia University with a focus and minor in public policy. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. She has a background in youth development, direct practice, program management and development, research, and policy analysis. She has worked with a variety of populations including high school health education and workforce, foster youth and families, adults and children with disabilities, and English language learners abroad. Most recently she served as a Research Fellow for SAFElab, Columbia Population Research Center at Columbia University, where she collaborated with MIT and youth at the Brownsville Community Justice Center to create an immersive simulation training intervention for social media surveillance practices.

Thalea also loves fitness, superhero movies, and identifying every bakery within a 10-mile radius.

Irena Trifunovic is the Community & Partnership Manager for AI4ALL Open Learning. In this role, she works to support partners in implementing Open Learning in their local communities. Originally from the Bay Area (now based in NYC), Irena worked in the technology sector before pursuing an interest in community engagement and education. She has taught in a variety of settings including in early intervention, in a therapeutic classroom for students with neurodevelopmental differences, and in an Alternative Learning Center in Brooklyn. Most recently, Irena was a Research Fellow at Columbia University’s SAFELab. Here she worked on participatory research-based projects focused on how technology can support well being/cause harm to marginalized communities. She received her B.A. in Linguistics and Psychology (UC Santa Barbara) and M.S. in Social Work (Columbia University).

Diane is a Ph.D. candidate at Texas A&M University and a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. In her role as a Lead Instructor, she implements the College Pathways program.

Diane received her B.S. from Oklahoma Christian University in Computer Science and she is currently working towards a Ph.D. degree in computer science. Her research is focused on applications of motion planning algorithms in robotics and computational biology through topology-guided sampling-based planning.

As a student at Texas A&M, Diane worked to increase interest in STEM for K-12 students in Texas through the AggieStem program. She has served as president of Aggie Women in Computer Science, leading efforts to increase participation in Computer Science for women. She has also mentored undergraduate students through research, several of whom are currently in graduate school. 

In her free time, Diane likes to discover good stories in novels, documentaries, and interesting conversations.

Pronouns: She/Her

Jeanette is a DEI consultant at AI4ALL. In her previous role at AI4ALL, she was the Partnerships Manager for Summer Programs, where she worked with university program partners to deliver a transformative and inclusive AI summer experience for students. In addition, she led the national strategy to recruit students from historically excluded communities in AI including Black, African American, Latinx, Hispanic, Indigenous, low-income, and future first-generation college students.

Jeanette is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategist, educator, and program manager who is passionate about helping individuals and organizations transform to create a more equitable and inclusive society for all. She utilizes an intersectional identity framework and approaches her work with a sense of humility. She has over a decade of experience working in different organizations including MIT, UC Davis, Sacramento State, and AnitaB.org.  

Jeanette’s work is informed by her own life as a Latina coming from a low-income immigrant family and being a first-generation college student. She enjoys learning about people’s life experiences and creating authentic connections. She holds a M.A from Boston College and B.As in Economics, Spanish, and International Relations with a focus on Latin America from UC Davis.