Meet the IAT’s Leadership Team
Gever Tulley
Founder and Chief Tinkerer
Gever founded Tinkering School in 2005 to learn how children become competent and to explore the notion that kids can build anything, and through building, learn anything. A self-taught computer scientist with no formal education, Gever’s expertise is really in… thinking. Gever has taught workshops and made presentations to both kids and adults around the world. He has spoken at TED, twice, written articles for MAKE:, and authored the book Fifty Dangerous Things (you should let your children do).
Dr. Sean Hamer
Brightworks Head of School
Dr. Sean Hamer believes education is a process that empowers individuals with the resources to experience a life of understanding, promise, and options. Dr. Sean comes to Brightworks after serving as the Head of School at Alta Vista School in San Francisco. Dr. Sean values a school culture where the community of learners, including the teachers, feel safe to take risks. As a former math and science teacher, Dr. Sean has always valued integrating global and multicultural viewpoints across STEAM, the arts, and humanities disciplines. While leading faculty at his former schools, he effectively assisted educators in enhancing their curriculum through content integration and equity pedagogy. His work supporting anti-racist, inclusive practices includes developing affinity group programs and presenting this work at regional and national conferences. He also believes in sharing the fun in students’ lives and extracurricular pursuits by coaching basketball, field hockey, and softball, and being a club leader for chess, robotics, and martial arts. Dr. Sean enjoys time with his family and has interests in personal development, entrepreneurship, hot yoga, karate, film, cooking, and writing. Martial arts is his passion and schools are his second home, so welcome to Dr. Sean’s Dojo.
Get to Know Our Board
The Institute for Applied Tinkering operates several programs, which today include Brightworks’ K-12 school, Tinkering School, the Curious Educators Division (CED), and the Innovation Lab. These programs all work together under the Board’s stewardship to advance the IAT’s mission to develop, practice, and share educational methods that challenge and support all children to engage deeply in their learning via real interests and real tools.
Drew Harry, Treasurer
Drew is a data and research leader, with a focus on how people collaborate and build community with technology. He spent nine years at Twitch, helping creative people make a living building online communities around gaming. Before that, he did a PhD at the MIT Media Lab. He was a member of the first graduating class at the Olin College of Engineering, helping to build a new institution based on principles of collaborative, project-based education. His son is a Brightworks student in the lower school.
Debolina Dutta
With a passion for fostering inclusive and dynamic learning environments, Debolina has dedicated her career to advancing educational equity and innovation. Debolina’s experience spans K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and non-profit organizations, where she led initiatives in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (JEDI), secured substantial grant funding, and developed groundbreaking educational pathways. Known for her collaborative approach, she has successfully implemented programs that support underrepresented students, coached educators to enhance instructional practices, and driven organizational change to ensure policies are child-centered and inclusive. Her commitment to whole-self development and lifelong learning fuels her drive to create impactful educational experiences that empower students and educators alike.Debolina is a mom to four kiddos; one of whom is a Brightworks student.
Elijah Shannon Selby, Secretary
Elijah Selby is a Feminist Business Coach at The Feminine Rising and podcaster at the Business as Activism podcast. She is passionate about creating change in the world and taking action to dismantle systems of oppression that cause harm. She believes that Brightworks' approach to education is an integral part of creating that change. Her twelve year old son loves Tinkering School and is in his fourth year at Brightworks.
Elizabeth Rubenstein
Elizabeth is a founding parent of Brightworks whose two children attended the school from ages 6 and 7 until they went off to college.
Elizabeth's own education in industrial design and architectural photography helped her stumble upon a career in visual arts education. She honed her collaborative teaching style through understanding three powerful paradigms: Teaching for Artistic Behavior, Arts Integrated Learning, and Design Thinking.
She has enjoyed teaching and learning with K-8 children, art education graduate students, and practicing K-12 educators throughout the SF Bay Area.
In her current education advocacy work, Elizabeth strives to support Brightworks collaborators and families in trusting the power and joy of student-led learning.
Laura, Board Chair
Laura is an entrepreneur, designer, self-taught software engineer, people leader, and investor.
Monique Brinson
Founding Head of Cultivation/CEO of EnCompass Four Corners, Monique Brinson brings 19 years of experience as an administrator in Pleasant Hill, Oakland, Santa Monica, and Boston in private, charter, and district schools along with 10 years experience as a founding teacher in Boston’s small autonomous schools movement.
An athlete and artist as well as an organic academic and community leader, Monique has embraced an intersectional lens and sees the importance of the inner work- that starts with Self, is guided by Family, connected to Community, and is rooted in Ancestors. She is equally passionate about cultivating the heart, head, hand learning and leadership for the soul.”
Russ Simmons
Russ is a software engineer and entrepreneur. He has a keen interest in unconventional education and has been a fan and supporter of Brightworks since its inception in 2011. He currently works as an independent developer building tools for learning and creation, and is active in philanthropy and investing. He was previously the co-founder/CTO of Yelp and on the founding team of PayPal. His daughter is in her fourth year at BWX.