Cara Lesser
Founder & Executive Director
Meet the committed people behind the movement to remake education and empower the next generation with the skills to invent the future.
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Explore career opportunities.
Leadership Team

Under Cara’s leadership, KID Museum has grown from an idea to become an anchoring regional institution, offering high-impact maker learning through deep, embedded partnerships with schools, weekend and after school programs, camps, and community events. With a focus on K-8 students, their families, and classroom educators, KID Museum builds pathways for sustained student growth and development. Deeply committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and access, the museum consistently prioritizes populations traditionally under-represented in STEM fields.
Prior to founding KID Museum, Cara held a number of leadership positions in the field of health policy and health services research. She received her Masters of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Bachelors of Arts from Barnard College, Columbia University.
What's your favorite thing to make?
Pronouns: She, her, hers.

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Spreadsheets! And new systems and processes that help us work smarter.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Holly Christensen
Chief Operating Officer

What’s your favorite thing to make?
I love baking Challah bread every week and experimenting with different fillings (yes, I stuff the bread with sweet or savory concoctions as a special surprise).
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Jackie Eyl
Chief Program Officer

What’s your favorite thing to make?
My favorite thing to create are opportunities and pathways for people to succeed and grow.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Monica J. Goodwyn Caul, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Chief People and Culture Officer

What’s your favorite thing to make?
I love making all kinds of things, from jewelry to paper craft, to textiles. Right now, I've been enjoying expanding my embroidery skills and knitting scarves and hats for the winter.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Dorothy Jones-Davis
Chief Impact Officer

What it your favorite thing to make?
A big mess in my kitchen where I love trying new recipes.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Phyllis Leung Kim
Chief Advancement Officer

What is your favorite thing to make?
Baked goods with my kids!
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Amy Kurz
Managing Director, Strategy & Planning
Education

What’s your favorite thing to make?
I love 3D printing! It’s incredibly satisfying to print something out that can help solve problems.
Pronouns: He, him, his.
Will Ashley
Education Program Manager

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Anything fiber related! One of my favorite things to make is hanging wall tapestries.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Lucia Belivakici-Clever
Senior Education Program Manager

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Anything with textiles! Love working on the sewing machine!
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Kathleen Chung
Maker Educator

Carolyn Eby
Maker Educator

Seth Fangboner
Senior Maker Educator

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Cookies, gardens, and anything with cardboard.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Savannah Fetterolf
Senior Manager of Teaching

What’s your favorite thing to make?
In the spirit of sustainability, I enjoy making things with repurposed materials.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Laurel Harrington
Director, School Engagement

What’s your favorite thing to make?
I love woodworking, so pretty much anything in the shop I will enjoy making.
Pronouns: He, him, his.
Reid Henkel
Manager of Youth Development

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Someone smile 🙂 Or maybe… designing and modeling things to be 3D printed!
Pronouns: He, him, his.
Noah Hughes
Program Facilitator

What’s your favorite thing to make?
I love to learn new tools and mediums, and I am constantly creating. Currently, my passions are paper sculpting, textiles, and digital fabrication.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Sydney Lee
Senior Maker Educator

What’s your favorite thing to make?
I love making of all kinds with little kids, whether it’s cooking/baking, experimenting with arts & crafts materials, or exploring in nature!
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Kate Loux
Senior Maker Educator

What’s your favorite thing to make?
The fanciest of fancy gowns.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Jessica McElravy
Maker Educator

Brian Merski
Program Facilitator

What’s your favorite thing to make?
In my free time, I enjoy quilting, embroidering, and knitting.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Karah Peña
Education Program Manager

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Functional ceramics.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Drew Perry
Program Facilitator

What’s your favorite thing to make?
There are so many things I like to make, but most recently I have been into linoleum block carving and printmaking.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Annalise Phillips
Managing Director of Programs and Learning Innovation

What’s your favorite thing to make?
I like to make interior designs and spatial plans for exhibits.
Pronouns: He, him, his.
Jake Sanford
Exhibit Development Manager

What’s your favorite thing to make?
My favorite WAY to make is with other people so I like to co-create spaces to create and learn. I also make customized shoes and installations featuring an excess of paint.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Lezlie Silverstein
Maker Educator

What’s your favorite thing to make?
I love to rescue and revive vintage furniture.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Dia Stone
Senior Manager of Programs

What’s your favorite thing to make?
I like toy hacking with both plushies and plastic toys!
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Connie Yu
Maker Educator

Senior Education Program Manager
Becky works with the Invent the Future Challenge program, where she coordinates logistics, creates the curriculum, and collaborates with teachers to implement the program in schools. She also assists with KID’s teacher professional development programs. Prior to joining KID Museum, Becky was a science teacher for 10 years. She then became the manager of high school sciences for a network of charter schools, after which she created professional development workshops for teachers across the greater D.C. area. Becky received her bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and holds a master’s degree in Education from Lehman College.
What’s your favorite thing to make?
LEGO creations and messy-little-kid art.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Becky Zeisel
Senior Education Program Manager
Development

April Dodge
Director of Development

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Changes almost daily. Today it’s quilts, because I just finished one!
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Liza Manfred
Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships

Gina Robinson
Development Manager
Impact

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Spreadsheets 😉 I also love to spend time in the Textiles Studio whenever I get the chance.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Jaylee Johnson
Senior Associate, Community and School Engagement

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Food, and art.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Odalys Lugo-Morales
Senior Manager, Community and Partner Engagement

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Theater! Outside of work I'm involved as a performer, musician, and music director in the local theater scene.
Pronouns: He, him, his.
Chad Rabago
Manager, Volunteer Engagement

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Delicious barbecue, elaborate scavenger hunts, and beautiful spreadsheets.
Pronouns: She, her, hers, they, them, theirs.
Cat Scharon
Senior Manager, Research and Evaluation
Operations

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Fishing lures.
Pronouns: he, him, his.
Jurrel Cottman
Facilities Manager

What’s your favorite thing to make?
ART <3 I love to build with my hands and paint–what would life be without creativity?
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Lydia Evans
Visitor Services Associate

Kristen Fletcher
Senior Director of Communications

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Friends. I also like to sew and use tools to repair objects.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Susan Hullinger
Managing Director, Finance

Brittany Moore
Senior Brand and Design Manager

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Greeting cards using mixed media.
Pronouns: She, her, hers.
Megan Shpak
Senior Manager, Operations

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Star Wars puzzles.
Pronouns: He, him, his.
Joshua Smalls
Senior Associate, Visitor Services

What’s your favorite thing to make?
Overly complex collages, weirdly specific playlists, and ominous poetry.
Pronouns: They, them, theirs; he, him, his.
Maeve White
Marketing Associate
Board of Directors

Prior to joining Cambridge, Sam was the founder of 4AFRI Media; a venture backed mobile software start up focused on the African Continent. 4AFRI was funded as the Africa version of 4INFO (www.4info.com) the leading SMS services provider in the US. 4AFRI had offices in both Ethiopia and Cameroon developing mobile-based solutions in entertainment, lottery, health, jobs and many other sectors. 4AFRI had reached over 5million customers in less than a year and produced over 100 applications. Sam also lead the creation of 4AFRI’s subsidiary, Lotophone S.A. in West and Central Africa based on exclusive license to run lottery services on the mobile phone
Samuel started his professional career in Silicon Valley as a serial entrepreneur as founder of three successful tech ventures before his 23rd birthday. Sam began creating companies while enrolled as an undergraduate at Stanford University. He was an Associate at Venrock Associates (Rockefeller Family Venture Firm) investing in consumer media and mobile applications. 4AFRI was initially incubated at Venrock but was funded independently by a consortium of investors including SpringHill Equity and leading angel investor Josh Mailman. Sam has worked in various countries in Africa including Cameroon, Gabon, Senegal, Mali, Algeria, DRC, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan and South Africa.
Sam Alemayehu
C1 Ventures

Georges Andre
Co-Founder and Former President at PharmaSource, Inc.

Board of Directors, Vice Chair
Executive Committee
Permanent Home Committee, Chair
Finance Committee
Governance Committee
Robby Brewer
Lerch, Early & Brewer

Co-Founder, KID Museum
Board of Directors, Secretary
Development Committee, Co-Chair
Governance Committee
Strategic Communications Committee
Jill Chessen
Long and Foster

Board of Directors, Chair
Finance Committee
Governance Committee
Strategy Committee
Strategic Communications Committee
David Goldberg
Goldner LLC

Susan Hendrickson
Human Rights First

Dr. Shanika Hope
Google

Corporate Leadership Council
Governance Committee
Strategy Committee
Development Committee
Strategic Communications Committee
Dr. Corinna Lathan
De Oro Devices

Under Cara’s leadership, KID Museum has grown from an idea to become an anchoring regional institution, offering high-impact maker learning through deep, embedded partnerships with schools, weekend and after school programs, camps, and community events. With a focus on K-8 students, their families, and classroom educators, KID Museum builds pathways for sustained student growth and development. Deeply committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and access, the museum consistently prioritizes populations traditionally under-represented in STEM fields.
Prior to founding KID Museum, Cara held a number of leadership positions in the field of health policy and health services research. She received her Masters of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Bachelors of Arts from Barnard College, Columbia University.
Founder and Executive Director, KID Museum
Cara Lesser
KID Museum

Development Committee
Corporate Leadership Council
Alexandre H. Rene
Ropes & Gray LLP

Strategy Committee
Finance Committee
Governance Committee
Permanent Home Committee
Strategic Communications Committee
Brian Taff
Streetsense

Strategic Communications Committee, Chair
Development Committee
J. Antonio Tijerino
Hispanic Heritage Foundation
Special thanks to our advisors and corporate supporters:
Corporate Leadership Council
Sam Alemayehu, Cambridge Industries Energy
Jonathan P. Edwards, Accenture
William Ellis, Pepco
Angela Franco, Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce
Susan Hendrickson, Arnold & Porter
Shanika Hope, Google
Corinna Lathan, AnthroTronix
Alexandre H. Rene, Ropes & Gray
Scott Tjaden, Constellation

