WOW! We turn What if? into Ignite Curiosity.

Bio coming soon.

Prior to joining Accelerate Learning Amanda was the Secondary Coordinator of Science and Health in Humble ISD. In that role she was able to help teachers and students by designing curriculum, instruction, and assessments around best science practices. Her former role also allowed her to influence teachers during professional development opportunities while she was the Project Director for the Lake Houston Science Collaborative (affiliated with the Texas Regional Collaborative). In addition, Amanda spent eight years in the classroom as a middle and high school science teacher and an instructional coach.

In 2014, Amanda chose to leave the public education space to join Accelerate Learing to have a larger impact on STEM education. With the company she has served as a Curriculum Manager, Director of Currciulum Development, and now Vice President of Curriculum Development. In this role, she has led an amazing team of Curriculum Managers who have spearheaded the charge to share STEMscopes Science™ across the nation and even internationally with our STEMscopes Science™, powered by CNN product.

Amanda believes that our mission at Accelerate Learning is to equip teachers with a “one-stop-shop” for hands-on, constructivist, standards-aligned Math and Science lessons to increase student performance and engagment. She is proud and humbled to be able to support the teachers who use our product.

Heather has had the pleasure of working in the People field for over 15 years, developing HR departments from the ground up for rapidly growing businesses across multiple industries. She has a proven track record of leading organizational change and culture transformation, setting the foundation of a company’s HR policies, processes, and practices, and driving important operational improvements around workforce planning and performance.

Heather was most recently VP, Human Resources for Vision Government Solutions and Chief People Officer for Energy Services Group. As SVP of Human Resources for Accelerate Learning, Heather leads a team responsible for reinforcing a strong company culture, developing high-performing teams, and creating engagement and reward programs that employees are proud of.

Heather has an MBA with a concentration in Human Resource Management from Fitchburg State University and a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. She also serves as a member of the Northeast HR Association (NEHRA), where she contributes expertise and thought leadership to NEHRA’s online community, holds speaking engagements and facilitates group discussions. She is professionally certified as a Society of Human Resources Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, traveling, and being outdoors.

With an impressive tenure spanning 20 years, Sari Hurme-Mehtälä has harnessed her vast business expertise globally and locally across sectors such as media, retail, design, ICT, and education. Her career trajectory has included pivotal marketing and sales roles in major corporations, though her true calling was realized following a personal journey into motherhood with the birth of her two children in 2015 and 2016. This transformative experience steered her towards a more meaningful pursuit—education.

Kide Science was founded in December 2017 by Dr. Jenni Vartiainen, educator Aino Kuronen, and Sari, following Dr. Vartiainen’s research on early childhood science education at the University of Helsinki, which began in 2013 and highlighted a strong demand for their innovative teaching approach.

Under her leadership, Kide Science has expanded its impact globally, now reaching educators and families in over 30 countries. The company’s dedication to enhancing early childhood education was further recognized when it was acquired by Accelerate Learning in October 2023, marking a significant milestone in its journey. Kide Science is committed to nurturing young minds through play-based learning and storytelling, emphasizing the development of problem-solving skills and creativity.

Sari continues to drive Kide Science with a passion for making a profound difference in the educational landscape, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to explore and learn through joy and curiosity.

Reid Whitaker is the creator of STEMscopes, which led to his being named by EdTech Digest as one of the nation’s leading “Eduprenuers” or Education Entrepreneurs. Reid is an advocate for providing a high-quality education for our most underserved and underrepresented students.

He began his teaching career with Teach For America as a 5th grade and elementary science lab teacher, for which he was awarded the HEB Texas Excellence in Education Rising Star Award. Reid also provided numerous hours of professional development training and coaching to teachers in Houston ISD by being a content specialist for the district and then as an Associate Director for the Center for Education at Rice University. Subsequently, Reid returned to Port Houston Elementary as principal. In his three years as principal, he raised the accountability rating of the school from Academically Acceptable to Exemplary, earning Port Houston Elementary a spot in the top 2 percent of all HISD schools for student growth. In 2009, Reid received the distinguished Houston’s Emerging Leader Award from the Greater Houston Partnership.

Reid returned to Rice University to create STEMscopes and joined Accelerate Learning to help solve the STEM crisis in our country and globally through our biggest lever to eradicate this problem—education.

He earned his PhD from his alma mater, Rice University, in Educational Administration. When he’s not being an “edupreneur” he likes to read, garden, swim, and play with his pets.