I help EdTech startups and mission-driven education companies scale smartly - from messy beginnings to meaningful impact.

With over a decade of experience spanning classroom instruction, curriculum design, product strategy, and organizational operations, I now work with pre-seed, Series A, and growing educational organizations to build better learning experiences, stronger systems, and more strategic teams.

I specialize in:

- Curriculum and product development (especially experiential, SEL, STEM, and AI-integrated learning)
- Operational infrastructure and go-to-market strategy
- Policy-informed AI professional development for educators
- Branding, messaging, and community-building
- Cross-functional team leadership with a human-first approach

Whether I’m serving as a fractional COO, leading market research, developing a data dashboard, or building a gamified student learning journey - I’m a connector, a problem-solver, and a builder.

If you’re a founder or education leader looking to move faster without sacrificing quality, let’s connect.

Claire Smizer

Happy #SocialSaturday!

If you are an #Educator, #Principal, #DistrictAdministrator, someone in the #Curriculum, #School or #Classroom IT space, or anyone that works with or has ever worked with #Schools, #Districts, or organization that serves kids - we should be connected! 💯

In a nutshell: I'm a former #Teacher, turned #EdTech generalist that specializes in early stage #StartUps and #UserExperience (think #ProductDesign, #UI, #InstructionalDesign, #L&D) - I've been fortunate to have a wonky career path that has given me the opportunity to work across neurotech (that bordered on sci-fi!), #STEM, gamified #SEL, and even with a handful of founders working on much-needed products in the #Education space. 

What do I do now? I run BrightMinds AI with my best friend and co-founder, Jessica Maddry. 🥰🥰🥰

We're two former #Teachers who got tired of watching districts adopt #AI and innovative tech backwards - tools first, strategy maybe. BrightMinds flips that. We build policies, train educators, and audit tech stacks so districts make informed decisions, putting people first, always. 

Think that sounds like someone you'd like to have in your network? Smash that connect button! 

Can't wait to see you in my DMs!

💜 me!

Co-Founder @ BrightMinds AI | Board Member | EdTech Start-up Builder and Strategist 🌀| Teacher Advocate | Oxford Comma Enthusiast

Let's talk math for a moment. #Politician math. 😒

The proposed FY2026 federal budget cuts over $6 billion from #K-12 #PublicEducation. 

Not one program. 
Not one state. 
Across the board.

$6B is a large number - a really large number. So large that it's almost incomprehensible so... what does that look like in reality?

💸 Migrant Education: $1.3 billion. Poof.
💸 English Language Acquisition: Eliminated entirely.
💸 Title I funding to high-poverty schools: $4.7 billion. Gone.
💸 18 grant programs consolidated from $6.5 billion down to $2 billion - over a 60% reduction.
💸 Community Schools grants: $168 million. Cut.

But we won't be feeling that loss evenly. #Districts primarily serving #Students of color would lose nearly double the funding that their counterparts serving primarily white students will face.

Want an example? 

In #Pennsylvania, the districts most underfunded are also those where students of color make up the majority of enrollment - 64%, compared to 22–30% in adequately funded districts. That gap equals $1,732 less per student, nearly 9% less, in state and local revenue. Federal dollars can help (or rather would have helped) to bridge that disparity.

This isn’t a budget conversation. It’s a values conversation. It's an #Equity conversation.

When #Legislators use language like “local control”, they aren't talking about community empowerment. They're obfiscating the truth. They're asking (telling, really) local communities to make do. 

With less. 

For the kids who already had the least.

I’m not sharing this to spark outrage (though we should all feel outraged). 

I share this to bring attention to the tension local decision makers - #Superintendents, #CFOs, #SchoolBoard members - are grappling with. 

Too many conversations about “innovation” in #Education gloss right over the part where the floor is being pulled out. Purposefully. Systematically.

You can’t build on a foundation that's actively being dismantled.

💜 someone who thinks *actual* math should inform policy

#Teachers! Help!!! 

I'm trying to get a general temperature check on where we are with Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) in classrooms. 

Are you able to set your own?
Is that something that feels necessary in this moment?
Is that something you'd expect for your district or even school leaders to set and roll out? 

You know Jessica & me - we're always looking to close gaps and create useful tools! 

❤️  someone very excited to be building tools that #Educators actually want

#Education #K12 #TeachersofLinkedin #AIinEducation #InnovativeTech #AcceptableUse #ItTakesAVillage

Do you have an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for AI-enabled/enhanced tech in your classroom?

As a conversational but articulate communicator, I excel in collaborating cross-functionally with internal stakeholders to define and execute the vision, scope, timelines, and deliverables for training projects. 

My expertise in instructional design includes: creating training videos and narrating courses using Camtasia, identifying learning objectives, assessing learners, strategizing performance outcomes, and solving training problems while working in partnership with SMEs and internal stakeholders.

I support the development, retention, and promotion of high-performing teams, while also effectively managing time and fostering open communication, collaboration, and project management using online communication tools, such as Microsoft Teams.

As a passionate training advocate, I am committed to fostering a culture of learning that is both engaging and enjoyable. Constantly seeking to expand my skills, I invest time growing my abilities in video and sound editing, with the aim of continuing to incorporate those skills into my instructional design and eLearning projects.

Over the last several years, I have become very invested in creating training for those with disabilities, such as those who have mobility, vision, and hearing impairments.

I would describe myself as a hard-working, dedicated, and loyal worker who brings an eagerness to every endeavor I undertake. Outside of work, I'm a proud Cat Dad to Luna Lovegood 🐈 and you can often find me enjoying walks around the park 🏞, playing video games 🖥, enjoying the latest movies 🎞🍿, or sporting my beloved Outback Hats 🤠.

Let's connect and explore how we can collaborate to create impactful learning experiences for your company!

Kevin Wheeler

Over the last year, AI has sucked the life out of every conversation it's been a part of.

I honestly feel like people are tired of talking about it too - and rightly so.

It was foretold that AI would change everything we do from the ground up and that we'd all lose our jobs as the workforce realigned to meet new goalposts. And even though we are indeed going through an "AI Revolution" of sorts, it hasn't done that. 

Instead, we got weird talking heads, cheesy cat videos, imperfect voiceovers, and graphics that look fake and inauthentic.

But despite all that, companies created a layoff culture by embracing AI too early and it's contributed to a job market that is honestly oversaturated with people unable to find work.

I hope in 2026 we finally realign what we want to get out of AI with what we will realistically get out of AI, because right now, AI could literally stand for "Almost Intelligent."

#AI #elearning #instructionaldesign #learninganddevelopment #jobmarket

Instructional Designer | Podcaster | Mental Health Advocate

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