Advisory Council
Steve Arnold | Chair of the Advisory Council
Steve Arnold is the co-founder and partner emeritus of Polaris Partners, a venture capital firm investing in technology and healthcare companies. Prior to starting Polaris, he served as a special advisor to Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co., all following more than 10 years in executive positions in the software and digital media industry. Steve is actively working to improve K-12 education for the benefit of all students. He serves on the boards of a variety of nonprofit organizations focused on innovation in education.
Samantha Boardman | Adviser
Dr. Samantha Boardman is a clinical instructor in psychiatry and assistant attending psychiatrist at Weill–Cornell Medical College. She received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, her MD from Cornell University Medical College, and a master’s in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Through her organization Positive Prescription, she shares science-backed and actionable insights for a healthy and fulfilling life.
Tim Brown | Adviser
Tim Brown is executive chair of IDEO, a global design company that creates positive impact through design. Brown guides the work of IDEO in applying design thinking to topics such as service design, system design and strategy, and across sectors such as education, health, government, technology, the social sector, and business. He is the vice chair of kyu Collective.
Pete Carroll | Adviser
Pete Carroll is the head coach and executive vice president of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. Carroll also founded A Better LA and A Better Seattle, initiatives that support community-based solutions to reduce youth and gang violence. He is the co-founder and co-host of the Amplify Voices podcast.
Ulrik Christensen | Adviser
Dr. Ulrik Christensen is recognized worldwide as an expert in learning technology. In 2006, Dr. Christensen co-founded Area9 Group, which is at the forefront of adaptive and personalized learning. He serves as the organization’s CEO and executive chairman. He pioneered adaptive learning, data-driven content development, simulation, and debriefing technologies. Dr. Christensen sits on the boards of the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and LEAP Innovations. He is also on the advisory board for Mastery Transcript Consortium, Transcend Education, Center for Curriculum Redesign, and Moonshots.org.
John. B. King Jr. | Adviser
John B. King Jr. is running for Governor of Maryland in 2022. He is on leave from his role as president and CEO of The Education Trust, a national nonprofit that seeks to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps. King served as the U.S. Secretary of Education from 2016 to 2017 in the Obama administration. Previously, he served as a high school teacher and middle school principal, and he was the first Black and Puerto Rican New York State Education Commissioner.
Julie Mikuta | Adviser
Julie is Co-President of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and leads their K12 Education portfolio. In this capacity, she oversees strategy and investments in increasing the number of low-income students, especially students of color, who graduate from high school ready for college and the workplace.
Martin E. P. Seligman | Adviser
Martin E. P. Seligman is the director of the Penn Positive Psychology Center and Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology in the Penn Department of Psychology. He is also director of the Penn Master of Applied Positive Psychology program (MAPP). He was president of the American Psychological Association in 1998, during which one of his presidential initiatives was the promotion of positive psychology as a field of scientific study. He has written more than 300 scholarly publications and 25 books.
Ryan Smith | Adviser
Ryan Smith is the founder and executive chairman of Qualtrics, an experience management company that offers a cloud-based subscription software platform. Its XM Platform™ is a single system of record for all experience data, also called X-data™, allowing organizations to manage the four core experiences of business—customer, product, employee, and brand experiences—on one platform. Smith is a co-founder and board member of 5 for the Fight Foundation. He is a co-owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz. In 2016, he was included in Fortune’s 40 Under 40.
Marc Vetri | Adviser
Marc Vetri is the chef and founder of the critically acclaimed Vetri family of restaurants. Marc was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 1999 and received the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2005. He is the author of several award-winning cookbooks: Il Viaggio di Vetri (2008), Rustic Italian Food (2011), Mastering Pasta (2015), and Mastering Pizza (2018). Additionally, Marc co-founded the Vetri Community Partnership, a nonprofit that provides nutrition education through hands-on experiences.