Our Team

Jon Madian authored a number of children’s books and hundreds of curriculum resources. Scholastic, McGraw-Hill, IBM, Apple and Highlights Magazine have featured his children’s stories and poetry. Jon founded and led the Artist-in-Residence Reading Project in the inner city of Los Angeles. The U.S Department of Education, the California Arts Council and several foundations funded his creative work and research.

Karen Jostad-Madian managed instructional design teams that produced award-winning educational software such as the broadly used Oregon Trail Simulation. She has a keen interest in process-based learning in Science and Language Arts and has produced instructional and training materials for several publishers and state and federal agencies.

Julie Anne Ikenberry is an educator, writer and illustrator. Julie has a tricultural background-raised in Kenya, educated in theater and Montessori education in  England and lived most of her adult life in the United States. She is devoted to Montessori and founded and led several schools.

Joe Garoutte wears many hats. His most recent one, audiovisual director and technician, was a pivot when the pandemic shut down live theatre. His production company, Big Britches Productions, continues with live theatre and audio/video projects of all scales today. He has won multiple Telly awards, directed sold-out live shows and lives a life of gratitude and abundance.

Jyoti Kumta taught and counseled in many schools throughout India. She also worked in the corporate sector as a behavioral assessor but soon realized that her heart lived in schools, especially in Value Education and Social Emotional Learning. She works freelance as a teacher coach looking for every opportunity to integrate Value Education into the school curriculum.