Faculty & Staff
Learn from the best! Our Academy staff consists of top-tier instructors with impressive backgrounds in programming, computer science and application development. Get the chance to work side-by-side with staff members who have held positions at Lockheed Martin Global Training & Logistics, published professionals who have been featured in USA Today, and Developers who have worked for Microsoft® and other major companies. Through their experiences, our staff has demonstrated technical and instructional excellence, and each member looks forward to mentoring a new group of iD Programming Academy students this summer season. Check back regularly as we add content to these pages on an ongoing basis for the locations held at Stanford, MIT and American University.
iD Programming Academy held at Stanford University
Howard S.
Director
Since graduating from Stanford with a B.S. in Chemistry, a minor in Computer Science and an M.A. in Education, Howard has indulged his inner nerd by helping teenagers explore the mysteries and joys of science as a teacher in Redwood City, CA. He has spent the last three years focusing on the structure and behavior of atoms in chemistry, but will be turning his focus to the evolution controversy in biology next year. Howard also actively mentors a group of 15 students through life as a teenager and the college application process. When he’s not teaching, Howard avidly reads science, science fiction, fantasy, and semi-classy romance novels. He also enjoys playing old-school RPGs on the GameCube and DS.
Matthew D.
Director
Matthew is a graduate of Lehigh University P.C. Rossin College of Engineering & Applied Science where he studied Computer Science with a focus on Artificial Intelligence. After working on database driven supply chain management software with Apprise Software in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Matthew continued his education at Lehigh University, obtaining a Master’s Degree in Computer Science. During this time, he created a PC version of the popular board game Descent: Journeys in the Dark, which allowed software developers to create AI for the game. His extensive research with AI on the platform culminated in a Master’s Thesis as well as a research paper which is being published for the International Conference on Case Based Reasoning 2010.
David S.
Director
David is finishing up at UC Santa Cruz with a major in Computer Science: Game Design. His education has focused on the fundamentals of computer science, computer engineering, computer graphics, artificial intelligence, along with coding in C, C++, and Java. David has worked on several extensive projects with his colleagues. He has created a space shooter in Microsoft XNA game studio, a game recommendation chat bot coded in Python, and then later independently developed his own tornado simulation in openGL. He looks forward to devoting his final year at UC Santa Cruz to the senior game design project. In addition, David is a musician with 12 years of classical piano experience. He uses Reason 4.0 to compose electronic music, some of which was used in games made by other university colleagues.
Andrew H.
Director
Andrew has earned separate B.S. degrees in Network Engineering and Software Engineering at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. He began his career in gaming, working as a private consultant for Blizzard Studios, followed by a short stint at a small gaming company in Providence working on their first console game. He is an expert at the entire C based family, as well as Java, Perl, and Google GO. Most recently Andrew has been working as a Cyber-Security Consultant for small to midsized companies on the East Coast. Throughout the past two years, he has been working on iPhone Application Development for startup companies. Andrew was a part of the iPhone Curriculum development team for iD, and is extremely excited about working at the iD Programming Academy.
Alec B.
Director
Alec is looking forward to his final year at UC Santa Barbara studying Computer Science. He actively develops iPhone apps and has an app on the iTunes store named Gamematica. Alec is also the project coordinator for the UC Santa Barbara chapter of the Association of Computing Machinery. He works with club members to develop exciting and useful applications in a team environment.
iD Programming Academy held at MIT
Beth R.
Director
Beth teaches English, Programming, Gaming and Robotics at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, VA. Prior to her appointment this summer, Beth was the Educational Communication and Technology Facilitator at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT. Before her transition to high school technology, Beth was a tenured English Professor. Her desire to “give up the good life” was inspired by the words of Ghandi, charging her to “be the change” she wanted “to see in the world.” In addition to teaching at Oak Hill, Beth advises the OHA Geek Squad and is the Founder and Advisor of the Digi Chix program. Digi Chix is a member of Dot Diva and is devoted to providing STEM opportunities to America’s rural girls. She also coaches the co-ed swim team and the boys’ water polo team. Beth has presented at over 50 conferences on the uses of virtual worlds, virtual and social networking ethics, and web 2.0 tools in the classroom; has published numerous articles about teaching with technology; and is the creator and CEO of Literature Alive! in Second Life, a non-profit open access educational program devoted to bringing literature to life in SL. Her work has been featured by USA Today, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and America Online. Beth has a B.A. in English and Communication, an M.A. in Literature with a focus on Archetypal Theory in American Women’s Literature and is working through the Harvard Extension School to receive a certificate in Computer Science.
Tobey T.
Lead Instructor
Tobey graduated with a B.S. in physics and a B.A. in Japanese studies from DePaul University. A mostly self-taught programmer, Tobey has worked on a computational research project studying complex networks, helped develop an Xbox 360® game prototype for a small start-up and written an iPhone® application called essa that uses artificial intelligence to invent names. During the school year, he works teaching urban youth. Tobey looks forward to another summer at iD Programming Academy this summer, and is excited about the C++/Robotics Engineering curriculum.
Jessica S.
Instructor
After receiving her degree in Math and Computer Science, Jessica Schumaker went on to work for many prestigious firms. Her first role was working for Microsoft in Redmond, WA helping to develop Microsoft Access. After Microsoft, Jessica worked on quantitative software for various banks which required her to travel across the world. Most recently, she has traded in her corporate hat for a position teaching high school math and science. Jessica brings 10+ years of real world programming experience and a passion for educating students in technology to iD Programming Academy this summer.
iD Programming Academy held at American University
Brenden R.
Director
Brendan graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He went on to achieve his MBA in management and operations from the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business. Brendan currently attends the University of Central Florida’s PhD in Business Administration program with a focus on Strategic Management. With professional experience within the communications circuitry and high speed end mill industries, Brendan’s most recent position was overseeing subcontractor efforts for the Joint Strike Fighter training program at Lockheed Martin Global Training & Logistics. At Lockheed Martin, Brendan has managed multi-million dollar subcontracts; analyzing terms, conditions and business risks, negotiating with suppliers and monitoring subcontract performance. He is currently an Instructor of Strategic Management at the University of Central Florida, and is active in the local Orlando community, where he is an MBA Ambassador for Rollins College, the Director of Collegiate Relations for the Central Florida chapter of the American Marketing Association and the Vice-Chair of the Social Committee at the Citrus Club.
Aaron H.
Instructor
After graduating summa cum laude from Tufts University with a B.A. in Computer Science and Mathematics, Aaron worked for two years at Lockheed Martin Global Training & Logistics. There, he contributed to a variety of Department of Defense programs with the goal of preparing our nation’s war fighters for challenges abroad. At Lockheed, Aaron gained invaluable real-world software engineering experience in a variety of languages, including Java. He has been an effective mentor, both professionally at Lockheed and voluntarily in preparing Salvadoran immigrants for the U.S. citizenship test. Aaron enjoys basketball, cooking, video games, and creating awesome Android apps.
Join Our Team!
Interested in working for a premier summer program for teens? For details on how to apply for the iD Programming Academy, please refer to our employment page.
