Our Team
Project Invent is a community of people who are passionate about students changing the world through design thinking, engineering, and entrepreneurship.
Jax Chaudhry, Executive Director
Originally from the Southside of Chicago, Jax loves working with students, families and partners to ensure every student can attain success as they define it. For more than 10 years, she has worked with elementary schools, high schools, education nonprofits and led regional teams and operations to ensure student success. Jax holds a Bachelor's degree in Health Policy & Law from The University of Pennsylvania.
Michael Catterlin,
Deputy Director
Michael is an operations manager with experience in design, prototyping, production, and service. With an emphasis on operational excellence, he oversaw the design, build out, and management of 12 makerspaces in the US and overseas. He is passionate about empowering students, elevating local artists, and transforming communities. He graduated from Santa Clara University with an MBA.
Jillian Harmon,
Assistant director, programs
Jillian is passionate about helping young people find meaning and purpose through experiential education. Previous to Project Invent, she was a Senior Program Manager for WE Schools and a former teacher, where she taught STEM, design thinking, chemistry, physics, and more. She graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Development Sociology and a minor in Education.
Autumn Hamra,
senior development Manager
Autumn is a development professional dedicated to supporting education access opportunities for students from underserved communities. Previously, she worked at Children's Museum of the Arts and the American Theatre Wing where she led institutional giving in support of arts education across NYC and the nation. She graduated from New York University with a B.F.A in Studio Art and a minor in Media, Culture, and Communications.
Jerome Link,
Senior Program Manager
Jerome is an advocate of student-centered, discovery-based learning, and has woven that into his work over the last eight years. As a middle school STEM teacher, he prioritized creating lessons that emphasized real-world applications and creative challenges. As a professional doing development work in Nicaragua, he built culturally responsive curriculum. He graduated with a B.A. in Biology and Spanish.
Alexis lopez,
program manager
Alexis is a STEM education and nonprofit professional who cares deeply about interest-based, equitable education for all who love to learn. She was previously a Maker-Centered Learning educator at The DoSeum, College & Career Readiness Coordinator at the Gold Crown Best Buy Teen Tech Center and is a Project Invent fellowship alumni. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Statistics.
nisha martin,
Digital marketing Manager
Nisha is a strategic marketer, innovative connector, and purpose-driven entrepreneur who is passionate about the ripple effect of impact. She has spent the last decade supporting sustainable organizations and business owners to increase market share actively to scalable growth. Nisha holds a BA in Business/Nonprofit Management and specializations in strategic communication and leadership.
Kerry hynes, Events & Volunteer manager
Kerry truly believes in the power of learning through a never-ending sense of curiosity and desire for social good. Previously in her role as a STEAM educator and Sustainability Coordinator, she facilitated a Makerspace inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals to spark innovation, community outreach, and action. Kerry holds a B.S. in Education and Master’s degrees in Special Education and Conservation Biology.
Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors holds us accountable to empowering all students as innovators in the most equitable and strategic way possible.
Dr. Babak mostaghimi,
Board president & chair
Dr. Babak Mostaghimi is an educator and education systems entrepreneur. Babak serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instructional Support, and Innovation for Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS). In this role, he supports improvement and innovation in teaching and learning across GCPS’ classrooms, which serve nearly 180,000 students.
Cynthia Johanson,
Secretary,
Nominating committee chair
Cynthia is a product manager who has worked at Pinterest, Google, YouTube, Twitter, and Flickr. She's passionate about building products that matter through an ethical lens. Now, she's excited to inspire youth across the country to do the same through her service on the Project Invent board.
Matt Gallatin,
treasurer,
finance committee chair
Matt brings over 20 years of finance leadership experience and currently is the CFO at Stack Overflow. Most recently he served as the CFO of Reltio, and was previously the CFO at Drawbridge, OneLogin, and ShareThis. Matt is married and has two children and in his spare time enjoys running, reading, and playing golf.
Bill Heil,
development committee chair
Bill was former President of WebEx and SVP Operations at VMware before now advising startups and serving as a board member of The Tech Interactive in San Jose. He is passionate about working with educators on design learning programs for girls and underserved youth.
Albert Lee,
programs committee chair
Albert is an entrepreneur, investor and advisor. Formerly, he was SVP of Digital Product for Connected Fitness at Under Armour. He arrived at Under Armour after the acquisition of MyFitnessPal which he co-founded and helped grow into the world’s leading resource for achieving and maintaining health goals.
Orly Friedman,
Board Member
Orly is the founder of Red Bridge School in San Francisco, a school that emphasizes lifelong learning. She was previously an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with Transcend Education and a founding team member of the Khan Lab School in Mountain View. She has spoken around the globe on the topic of student agency.
Steve ketchpel,
Board member
Steve is a computer scientist specializing in data analysis and artificial intelligence. He consults to the Global 2000, startups, and non-profits. He co-founded Mindscale.ai (2018) and Vividence (1998), and has written a book called Giving Back and worked on the Mifos microfinance project.
ARAGON BURLINGHAM,
Board member
Aragon is Executive Director at Curiodyssey and formerly founded We Teach Science, a national nonprofit that empowers STEM professionals nationwide to assist and inspire students with STEM. He has a background in aerospace engineering.
Ali Mojibi,
Board Member
Ali is a trial lawyer who has tried cases for global businesses in telecommunications, medical devices, and biotech. Most recently, Ali served as trial counsel for Flatiron Health in a bench trial in SDNY and, prior to that, for Johnson & Johnson in a three-month trial in California Superior Court.
Linda Antonopoulos, Board Member
Linda is a seasoned professional who is passionate about empowering underserved youth and improving the lives of others through education. Her past experience includes sales and fundraising positions with The Tech Museum of Innovation, Abbott Laboratories, and more. Linda holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science degree from San Jose State University.
mike cahill, board member
Mike is a hands-on technology leader with nearly 30 years of experience in fintech. As Chief Technology Officer at Early Warning, he leads the technology team which is the backbone of EWS’s many product offerings, including Zelle®. Before EWS, Mike held senior leadership positions in technology and operations at PayPal, Boku, Inc., and American Express. Mike enjoys woodworking, photography, and playing saxophone in a few local bands.
milton rodriguez, board member
Milton has dedicated his career to cultivating impact and opportunity at the intersection of education, community development, and leadership. His work has been marked by character and consistency, focusing on strategic expansion, stakeholder management, and sustainable fundraising strategies. A catalyst for excellence in philanthropy, he elevates his work by embracing change management and the critical role of organizational culture.
gina carroll, board member
Gina Carroll is an author, advocate, the Director of the Lazarus Energy Empowerment Program of Lazarus Energy Holdings LLC. She is a passionate advocate for families and children. Gina has served on the national campaign for Moms Clean Air Force; as a Social Good Fellow for the UN Foundation; She is a longtime board member of Communities In Schools of Houston and the board chair emeritus of the Houston Museum of African-American Culture.