Talia joined the inquirED team in 2025, bringing experience as a teacher, content leader, and instructional coach in district and charter schools across New York and Colorado. In her work as a social studies and special education teacher, she worked to create materials that centered the identities and experiences of all learners to ground learning in meaningful classroom conversation. This commitment now informs her approach to shaping curricular tools that support inclusive, inquiry-driven learning. Talia holds a BA in Education and Social Policy, and an MA in Teaching.

A proud Detroiter, Rukiya noticed the lack of equity in classroom materials during her high school years. This sparked a passion in education that she explored through her studies at Princeton and ultimately continued to pursue in her professional life. A builder and process lover, Rukiya spent eight years building the operations function at a literacy organization. She enjoys ensuring processes are accessible and reflective of organization values, particularly DEI. Rukiya joined inquirED in summer 2024.

With a B.A. in Fine Art and an M.A. in Special Education, Jeremiah has long worked at the intersection of art and education. As a creative professional, he has worked in design, photography, and creative media production. As an educator, he has taught special education, technology, and life skills. In February 2022, Jeremiah joined the inquirED team, bringing all of his experiences together to impact students and support teachers. Jeremiah lives in Minneapolis, MN.

Kelsey has always had a passion for teaching and sharing her knowledge. At an early age, she started teaching her younger brother (and anyone else who would listen) with a toy chalkboard. This passion evolved into a career teaching Language Arts to middle school students and later into her work in EdTech, talking and teaching about the tools that make teacher’s lives a little easier. Besides her love of education, she enjoys being outside, kayaking, reading, chai tea lattes, and her dog Hurley. She joined the inquirED team in the Spring of 2024.

Mandi comes to inquirED with over a decade of classroom teaching experience. She earned a Master's in Education from Wright State University and went on to teach in both Cincinnati and Dayton, OH. During her time as a classroom educator, she was immersed in project and inquiry-based learning. These experiences helped shape her belief that cultural responsiveness and active investigation are both necessary in developing engaged and critical thinkers. Mandi joined the inquirED team in January 2022.

Miles Sebesta, EMBA, is an AI Strategist specializing in generative AI implementation, full-stack development, and optimizing internal workflows through intelligent tooling. As VP of Innovation at Bitwise Industries, he led product and engineering teams to national recognition in the NLC Capstone Challenge for an AI-powered civic tech technology solution. At Kapor Center Investments, Miles advised funds and portfolio companies on AI strategy while building internal tools to streamline investment workflows. He is passionate about education, having trained 300+ students in software development through CTE and apprenticeship pathway creation.

Jane has several years of experience teaching secondary ELA in South Carolina. While teaching, Jane experienced firsthand the impact a high-quality curriculum can have on a student's learning experiences. This sparked a passion for curriculum development, and she went on to pursue master’s and doctoral studies in education. Jane currently holds an M.Ed. and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia. She joined the inquirED team in June 2021 and is enthusiastic about supporting student learning through inquiry-based curriculum.

Prior to joining inquirED in the summer of 2023, Amanda worked as a high school science teacher before making the switch to edtech sales. She has long been passionate about increasing access to and nurturing student excitement for learning. She is excited to partner with schools and districts to bring inquiry into their classrooms. Amanda holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Prior to joining inquirED, Tony spent 10 years serving in various education capacities as a secondary social studies teacher, an assessment specialist, an instructional coach, and a social studies curriculum specialist for a large, urban school district. Through these experiences, he has created, curated, and facilitated the adoption and implementation of inquiry-based social studies curricular resources at all grade levels. Tony earned his B.A. in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He joined the inquirED team in the summer of 2021.