Educational Leader. Public Speaker. STEAM Advocate.
Dr. Linda Johnson-McClinton is a teacher-preneur and founder of LJM Educational Services, LLC, a consulting and EdTech influencing company. An educator for the last 27 years, she’s been a passionate advocate for STEMM and founded Enriching Explorations in Engineering to promote STEMM education programs.
Dr. Johnson-McClinton first fell in love with science in elementary school and, as a student, became a fixture of local and city-level science fairs. Now a grandmother, she uses her platform to become a change agent for a better world. Dr. Johnson-McClinton devotes time to volunteering at her local school district and is an active Zeta Phi Beta Sorority member.
Top National Strategist. Coalition Builder. Global STEM Leader.
Rita Ferrandino is a leading expert on STEM education, US education policy and politics, and Future of Work strategies. Educational policy has been at the center of her political activism, and for 30 years, she worked to steer opportunities for educators, students, and communities through innovation and social change. Ferrandino co-founded ARC Capital Development. She also consults with the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.
A naturally curious child, Ferrandino’s passion for science began early in school. But in high school, a chemistry teacher told her girls shouldn’t be scientists because they’d be taking jobs away from men. Ferrandino made it her mission to prove that teacher wrong and became a lifelong supporter of STEM education. Ferrandino is also a health enthusiast – she loves meeting clients for walks and often takes Zoom meetings from her fit bike.
Nikki Navta is a pioneer in using multimedia and video games as educational tools. Through her EdTech company Zulama, she collaborated with Carnegie Mellon University faculty members to develop programs that teach computer science to middle and high school students through video game design.
Science was a natural part of Navta’s upbringing, as her father taught high school science. Her love for horses made her study veterinary medicine in college. Later, she realized that her true passion lies in mathematics and coding, so she switched to a multi-field major in mathematics and fine arts.
Annie Galvin Teich is the co-founder and CEO of The Teich Group, a company that creates marketing content in the EdTech industry. For over 25 years, she has worked with numerous EdTech publishers to discover the best words to promote and support their learning products.
Teich’s interest in science sparked when her father, a Navy pilot, taught her the major constellations under a starry sky. Since then, she’s been interested in people who developed “sky science,” like Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton. She’s also a self-proclaimed fangirl of Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Michio Kaku.
Jessica Dunnivan contributes to Catapult X’s graphic design for social media, and Dunnivan contributes to writing and editing for clients. Her work with Catapult X has given her a deeper appreciation for STEM. It inspires her to explore research and development for marketing in today’s fast-paced and authenticity-driven environment.
Dunnivan is an equestrian with a deep interest in horses’ biology and social interactions. She dreams of having a self-sufficient farm where she can grow her food and raise horses and other livestock. Dunnivan is also an avid painter and fantasy writer.
Ian Broderick is a member of Catapult X’s content creation team. As a freelance writer, he has a decade of experience in writing, editing, and copywriting.
One of Broderick’s earliest memories is of waking up one morning to find his backyard blanketed in 17-year cicadas. The discovery that the cicadas had been living under the ground he walked for longer than he’d been alive at the time fostered in him a deep fascination with biology. This fascination expanded to include a significant interest in botany and mycology.
Daylene Long founded Catapult X to empower EdTech business leaders to create brands and products fueled by educators’ needs so they can develop tomorrow’s generation of scientists and engineers. Catapult X is the only ecosystem of brand experts, creatives, and business analysts who collaborate to build products and infuse STEM brands with the latest market research.
When she’s not curating market insights, Long nurtures her life-long curiosity in life sciences by reading, volunteering, and uncovering the hidden histories of female scientists. She relaxes through swimming and playing with her two Golden Retrievers. Most recently, a well-meaning friend introduced Long to hot yoga, and she’s been hooked ever since. Long moms a young computer scientist and finds joy in laughing with family and friends.
