Our team embodies a deep commitment to social change and an unprecedented blend of teaching and programming expertise.
From the moment he got his hands on his first computer in the early 90s and listened to it wail as it connected to the internet, Abdul was hooked. His passion for tech and software development naturally led him to work as a full-stack developer for a Florida-based startup where he got the chance to work with various big-name brands and cutting-edge technologies before later transitioning into instruction to satisfy his other passion for teaching. With previous experience in management and hospitality, coupled with his love of people and an innate skill for simplifying complex problems, he uses all of these attributes to help students in their journey to learn to program. When he’s not coding, you can find Abdul enjoying the outdoors, working out at the gym, or leveling up in the latest video game.
Hailing from just outside of Chicago, Erin hates failed integration tests almost as much as she hates snow. Always one to seek out new adventures, she found herself more excited by the work the software developers were doing on the projects she managed, and decided to move her family out to Colorado to attend Turing. After graduating in 2017, she took off to LA where she worked at a startup that was acquired by the largest legal software firm in Canada. After years of mentoring Turing students, she found her way back to Turing as an instructor. She’s fueled by the love of helping others learn new things, and has proven time and time again that she’s comfortable with challenges that others may balk at. Like how she used to race boats even though she doesn’t know how to swim.
Heather graduated from the 1908 Front End cohort. In the time between graduating and weaseling her way back into Turing as an instructor, she had a blast as a Salesforce Developer at Slalom Consulting, alongside several other talented Turing grads. Pre-Turing, Heather briefly taught high school Spanish before spending 10ish years teaching adulting, job, and communication skills as a manager in downtown Denver hotels. She is thrilled to use her time and talents to help Turing live out its mission by helping the students build their futures as capable, confident developers. She is very nice but does feel compelled to confess that she doesn't really like dogs that much, or cats. Please don't hold that against her.
Jeff is an experienced educator who now focuses on helping the Turing staff and students do their best work, see possibilities they might have missed, and become the people they want to be.
Juliet discovered her love for teaching programming at an adult education center in Portland, ME. She taught introductory coding classes to refugees from all over the world, which helped her learn how to say “algorithm” in several different languages. Since then, she has worked in refugee resettlement, elementary & higher education, and software consulting. Before joining Turing, Juliet was a trainer in a global training program for new technologists at a software consultancy, where she taught folks all over the US and Latin America. She loves working with students to help them overcome their imposter syndrome and begin to define their identities as technologists. Outside of Turing, Juliet enjoys biking, tap dancing and learning languages.
Justin has spent most of his career as a DevOps Engineer and has always had a passion for helping people with technology. He has worked at small startups, large enterprises, and published a book on building and running cloud-native applications. Before working in the software industry Justin served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay working with beekeepers and farmers. Before that he worked in TV and Radio Broadcasting. Justin lives in a wetland forest in Washington state with his wife, best friend, and Turing alum Adrienne, along with a cat, several chickens, and a few beehives. They enjoy growing food, learning about plants and trees, and sharing meals with friends and family.
Prior to attending Turing as a student, Kayla was an educator in Denver Public Schools. After completing Turing, she worked as a Product Support Engineer. Her experience teaching people to conquer intimidating topics, like high school math, helps Kayla in her job as an instructor. She believes that everyone is capable of learning, and is passionate about empowering people with skills that they thought were unattainable. She views programming as a creative outlet, and also enjoys expressing her creativity through all kinds of craft projects, including cross-stitching, sewing, and weaving.
Having cultivated a decade of experience in various higher education functions, Launa is thrilled to engage with prospective students at Turing School. Her wide experience in academics and operations will lend Turing a genuine perspective in assisting the needs of its learners. She strives for positive outcomes and measurable results. In her downtime, you can usually find Launa creating art and spending time with loved ones, especially her Boston Terrier named Jimmy!
Before Turing, Megan worked for Elsmere Education, where she recruited students into an online Master of Legal Studies program for the University of Oklahoma. Prior to that, she worked in implementation and account management for a SaaS startup providing a Student Information System to small colleges around the country. She ended up choosing programming because she loves solving puzzles and figuring out the most efficient way to achieve a goal. She believes the power of programming is its constantly changing nature, as there are always new tools and conventions coming out to solve ever more challenging problems. When she's not at Turing, she's a summer cyclist, winter skier, and year-round knitter.
Nick Teets is a software developer and musician from Denver, CO. His love for technology stems from his experience creating a multimedia documentary turned non-profit focusing on the underrepresented communities of the Nebraska Sandhills, and would eventually lead him to enroll in the Front End Engineering program at Turing in 2017. After half a decade building software for large corporations and startups alike, he's excited to blend his technical and communications skills and share his experiences with the next generation of software developers.
Before joining Turing, Nik was a full-stack developer at a Silicon Valley startup, where her team created a product for inventors to publish their inventions. She has also volunteered to mentor career changers and women from under-represented communities in San Francisco and Durham. Before joining the tech industry, she worked in the field of architecture. Her design experience paired with her technical skills make her feel like she has unlimited possibilities for creative expression. Nik is passionate about creating learning systems that are accessible to all. In her free time, she loves learning anything new and mentoring women in tech, as well as camping, hiking, reading, and listening to podcasts.
Before joining the team at Turing, Tamika worked as an Academic Advisor at a public college in southern Florida. There, she helped students decide which career path they would like to pursue, then develop a plan to reach their academic and career goals. At Turing, she helps students plan for their time at Turing so they can graduate successfully and launch careers in tech. Tamika views technology as one of the most important components of daily life and knows that people who can generate and produce new technologies possess some of the most powerful skills a person can have. Tamika is a military veteran and loves to travel, spend time with her family, and binge Netflix shows. She is a self-proclaimed tomboy and is always down for a game of football or a ride on an ATV.
Our Board is made up of recognized leaders in software development, business and education.
A former management consultant and investment banker, Kareem began his software development career after completing a software development program in 2013. Kareem is passionate about building software and sharing his knowledge of programming. In the past, he served as the lead instructor for CodeNow; a non-profit focused on introducing underrepresented youth to coding. His specialties include product development, strategy, data analysis, and team-building. Kareem is currently a lead product manager for a blockchain startup in NYC.
Neal works as the CEO of CodeNow, a nationally recognized non-profit organization working to expose high school students to programming. Neal was a part of launching the accelerated software training industry, co-founding The Starter League in 2011 and running the organization through acquisition in 2016. For Turing, Neal leverages his deep connections to the tech education industry along with the perspective of an entrepreneur to help our continued growth.