X IN A BOX:
where education meets the real world
We bring education closer to the needs of our most future-forward industries through engaging, hands-on learning experiences — creating more equitable opportunities for students and ensuring a diverse talent pipeline to meet the demands of tomorrow.
Who’s behind X IN A BOX
Through experiential programs developed alongside the world’s most innovative companies, we expand learning opportunities for students of all backgrounds while cultivating diverse talent pipelines for our partner companies and their industries.
Launched out of a collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Khan Academy, we’ve found that experiential learning has the power to engage students more deeply than traditional methods.
With hands-on projects, students learn by doing, enabling them to showcase their new skills — because in every field, from engineering to design, a portfolio is the new resume.
And in making our content available to all students, we’re closing the opportunity gap — ensuring that where a child is from does not dictate what they can become.
Our Values
Authentic
At X IN A BOX we create learning experiences that are authentic portrayals of the real world.
Engaging
We exist to make education engaging — because engaging experiences are how we make a lasting impact on the students we serve.
Equitable
We believe that equal access to education is the most fundamental of rights — and that your ZIP code should have nothing to do with the quality of education you receive.
Excellent Quality
We strive for excellence, always. We don't do things halfway. Because the quality of our work defines who we are.
Experimental
To disrupt the status quo, we must be experimental by nature. It’s what we expect from our students… so how could we expect anything less of ourselves?
Respectful and Inclusive
We believe that a non-judgmental, open, inclusive culture is key to our success.
Student-Centered
Everything we do is in service of students — so we must consider every program we develop through a “student lens.”
Our Founders
Elyse Klaidman
CEO
Elyse Klaidman is an artist, educator, and leader passionate about inspiring and developing generations of diverse problem solvers, artists, innovators and storytellers through experiential learning. After 22 years at Pixar as a leader, creative director, and founder of exhibitions and educational programs, she co-founded X IN A BOX.
Tony DeRose
Chief Technical Officer
Tony DeRose is a computer scientist and mathematician with over 40 years experience in computer graphics research and development, 23 years of it at Pixar. Prior to Pixar he was a professor of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington. He has always enjoyed teaching, so the opportunity to start an educationally oriented company is a dream come true.
Brit Cruise
Chief Learning Officer
Brit Cruise writes and creates all forms of educational content & products. He began his career with his YouTube channel Art of the Problem. This led him to Khan Academy where he produced educational videos, summer camps and lead partnerships with NASA, Google, and Disney/Pixar. Brit studied Engineering at the University of Western Ontario and Computer Science at McGill University.
While working at Pixar Animation Studios, Elyse Klaidman and Tony DeRose teamed up with Brit Cruise of Khan Academy to create Pixar in a Box and Imagineering in a Box, with support from the Walt Disney Company. Based on the success of these two programs, Elyse, Tony, and Brit founded X IN A BOX to scale their unique experiential learning approach, advancing access and equity for all students.
Our Team
Dennis Henderson
VP, Education and Strategy
Dennis is a dynamic educator and practitioner of social justice through education. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Manchester Youth Development Center in Pittsburgh, PA. For over 20 years, Dennis has collaborated with a variety of industry leaders, public servants and community members to design a wide variety of authentic project-based lessons to promote social mobility and economic opportunities.
Pam Darrow
Sr. Xperiential Project Manager
Pam has a passion for production, which combines her love of team camaraderie, wrangling details, and creative filmmaking. During her 21 years at Pixar Animation Studios, Pam worked on 10 theatrically released films before moving into operations as Department Head of technical artists and film editors. She is thrilled to partner with the X in a Box team to help execute the Story Xperiential program, making storytelling and project-based learning more accessible for youth.
Diana Lowe
Administrative Professional
With over 20 years of experience as an administrative professional, Diana believes the success of any company is directly impacted by how it manages the routine, day-to-day functions. Over the years, Diana established herself as a master of the details, managing and executing projects while setting a standard of timeliness and excellence.
Farzad Sangari
Director
Farzad’s first feature documentary was selected for several film festivals before premiering on Netflix. He has also written/produced television and digital content for a variety of networks and clients, including Vice, VICELAND, The Discovery Channel and NBA2K. Additionally, Farzad has taught filmmaking at a wide array of educational institutions from the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego to UCLA Extension.
Kathleen Dargis
Video Editor/Producer
Kathleen has over 20 years of experience working on a diverse selection of creative projects ranging from broadcast television to multimedia performances.
Kathleen’s personal interest is working on documentaries, non-profit profiles and educational content with mission-driven themes and character-driven portraits which are short in form, though certainly never short on character.
Joshua & Lexi Hoyt
Front End Developer/Designer & Customer Success Representative
This brother and sister team from Canada have been working together on various media projects for ages. Joshua has been designing and developing the front end of websites for 13 years, and has become a ‘Legend Level’ Wix Partner. He also advocates for mental health awareness and has helped create short films to tell the stories of those who have struggled and learned to thrive with the support of those willing to listen and help without judgement. Lexi graduated from the human services program at NBCC and enjoys spending her days helping others. She thrives working with children and youth with experience as an educational assistant.
Our Advisors
Students, educators, and business leaders are integrated into our work from the start, so that the materials we create are optimized for all of the people they’re intended to serve. Our advisors provide us with critical feedback to support the creation of hands-on experiences that meet the needs of diverse students and to help set future strategic directions.
Minli Virdone
Strategy and Operations
Minli is a Mechanical Engineer by training and is currently the Vice President of Business Operations at Twilio. Among her varied experiences, she was the Chief of Staff at Khan Academy, a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, a social policy officer in the government, and a high school math teacher. She brings her expertise in strategy, operations and fundraising to the X in a Box team. Minli loves making things, building strong teams, and laughing at word puns.
Ted Dintersmith
Change Agent
Ted Dintersmith is consumed with issues at the intersection of education, career and citizenship skills, and democracy. His films, books, keynotes, and philanthropy focus on the urgency of reimagining school to keep pace with the tsunami of innovation that is reshaping society. He is the founder and Chairman of WhatSchoolCouldBe.org, an organization that is catalyzing progress at the school, district, and state level across America, and in countries around the globe.
Maureen Suhendra
Ed Tech Strategy
Maureen is a teacher at heart and is currently a User Experience Researcher at Google. She's worn many hats over the years, including leading K-12 Partnerships and developing a UX Research function at Khan Academy, building teacher mentoring tools at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, creating an edtech startup focused on classroom review games, and being a 6th grade teacher on the border of Texas and Mexico. She brings expertise in user-centered product development and hard-earned wisdom about go-to market strategies in the K-12 world.
George Overholser
Social Entrepreneurship
George is a business entrepreneur turned social entrepreneur. For twenty years he has chased the dream of accelerating America’s transition to a performance-driven social sector. He was on the founding team of Capital One and went on to build Third Sector Capital Partners, a nonprofit that connects social outcomes to sources of funding.
Nova Sonomura
Student
Nova, an avid storyteller and passionate artist, is allegedly an alumnus of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama. In all likelihood, however, he’s probably just a kindergartener wearing stilts—at least, that’s what his overactive imagination and cherubic baby face would leave you to believe, but no one’s ousted him just yet, so then again, maybe not. Though he aspires to be an animator, this guy loves everything and everyone.
Amara Chimezie
Student
A self-proclaimed storyteller and creative technologist, Amara works to push the boundaries of education, media, and technology by continuously searching for the intersectionality between each industry. She believes that if education is the great equalizer, the modern-day media world can only amplify this effect. She is currently a sophomore at the University of Southern California's Iovine and Young Academy.
Anthony Ramirez-Garcia
Student
A community leader and local entrepreneur, Anthony enables change through organizations that focus on educating and cultivating young talent in South Central for students of color. His ultimate goal is to disrupt the foundations of learning through technology and entrepreneurship. He is currently a sophomore at the University of Southern California's Iovine and Young Academy.
Denia Henderson
Student
Denia is a junior at Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy and aspires to attend Carnegie Mellon University or the University of Pittsburgh to pursue her goal of becoming a structural engineer. She is a member of the varsity basketball team and the National Society of High School Scholars. Denia is a creative artist who enjoys ceramics, painting, and drawing. She also enjoys hiking, mountain biking, and enjoys anime.
Noa Teiblum
Student
An aspiring cognitive biologist, Noa is passionate about utilizing psychology to justify changes to the current American education system in an effort to provide an equitable learning experience for all students. She is currently a rising senior at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California.
Matteo Aldon
Student
An artist and aspiring animator, Matteo champions the fusion of creativity and education in an effort to shift society towards a more inclusive future. His belief that authenticity creates change continues to drive his storytelling and pushes him to diversify the stories seen on the big screen. As an all-around creative, Matteo has experience in traditional & digital art, 3D computer graphics, and graphic design, however, his desire to learn is never-ending.
Mónica Juárez Reyes
Student
A Mexican student and aspiring storyboard artist, Mónica is passionate about books, movies and painting. She believes that art creates a medium that communicates in all languages. That's why she intends to provide an opportunity for students from all backgrounds to keep expanding their knowledge and artistic skills—so that they can tell their stories through art.
Ayush Sawant
Student
With his first stint as Director in a film-making project at his college, Ayush realized his potential of taking his dreams from pencil sketch to visual treat
The blend of creativity and storytelling pushed him to garner new aspects around creating visual media and take the plunge into the vast territories of film-making.
Now with hands-on experience in rigging, rendering, computer graphics, and digital art, he aspires to continue to bring form to his dreams in this field of imagination and ethical messaging to society!
Sydney Barnett
Educator
Sydney is a multimedia artist, filmmaker and high school educator in Oakland, CA. She is passionate about community empowerment and strongly believes in uplifting youth voices. She comes from a background of DIY culture and continues to advocate for accessibility within the arts and social justice movement. She holds a BA in Film Studies from UC Berkeley.
Bill Gowsell
Educator
Bill is an elementary school teacher in Ontario, Canada. Teaching from grades 3-8 has taught him the importance of engaging a variety of learners. As education continues to evolve, it is important to find new avenues to meet students at their level and show them how their learning is connected to real-world applications.
Meghan Salter
Educator
Meghan Salter is a public education teacher located in Huntington, West Virginia. She graduated from Marshall University with a BA in Elementary Education in 2007 and obtained a MA in Special Education from Marshall University in 2009. Meghan has been teaching gifted/special education in Cabell County Schools since 2009. Meghan is a Part 107 Remote Pilot and has been incorporating drone technology into her curriculum since 2015. She is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher for Students with Exceptionalities and is the 2019 Education Honoree for Women to Watch in UAS by Women and Drones. In 2020 Meghan was named Cabell County Schools Teacher of the Year and qualified as a finalist for West Virginia State Teacher of the Year.
Yvette Logan
Educator
Yvette has been teaching Chemistry at Steel Valley High School for more than 20 years. She teaches all levels of Chemistry including a course taught in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh. In 2009, she earned her National Board Certification in Adolescence and Early Adulthood Science with a specialty in Chemistry. She is an advocate for change in her district and a leader for both teachers and students.
Brigitta Wright
Educator
In her years as an educator, Brigitta has come to realize one truth: she loves students. Her specialties fall in English and Storytelling & Animation, but the overlying verity is that relationships with students transcend any subject. She sees education as an opportunity to spark enthusiasm and unveil passions, and sometimes the way to do that is a step outside of the traditional curriculum.
Mary Dempsey
Educator
During her 25+ years working with children, Mary has become passionate about creating an inclusive, diverse learning environment that addresses needs and enriches the experience of every student and recently began facilitating local professional development sessions to aid fellow educators in generating their own creative hands-on activities and assessments.
Alex Campbell
Educator
Alex is a co-founder of the XQ Super School Project winning Bartleby Program at Elizabethton High School and published his first book, Ten Lessons That Will Get You Fired in 2016. A 20-year veteran of the classroom and a multi-time teacher of the year recipient, he is well regarded as a creative and innovative teacher who emphasizes connections between people over standards and curriculum.
Erin Whalen
Educator
Erin Whalen serves as the Principal of Da Vinci RISE High School. RISE is a school devoted to providing equity to students experiencing housing instability, foster care and the juvenile justice system. Born into a proud Black, Chicano and Indigenous family, Erin has always found himself enticed by education’s power to be a force of empowerment.
Katelyn Johnson
Educator
Katelyn is a high school science teacher who is passionate about helping students learn more about science, applying their knowledge to real-world situations and becoming more globally-minded. She enjoys creating a dynamic learning environment, focusing on student engagement and community building. Over the past few years, she has collaborated with colleagues to create cross-curricular innovative learning experiences.
Sally Nhomi
Educator
Sally “Sal” Nhomi is the high school internship coordinator at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama (KSK) campus in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, where students are nurtured to rise as local and global servant leaders anchored in Native Hawaiian values, wisdom, and commitments to excellence. The KSK internship program encourages students to find individual gifts to contribute as they “learn through doing” with the support of “real world” mentors.
Jorge Flores
Educator
Jorge Flores is an artist, activist and educator who lives with his wife and son in Lancaster, California. He has over a decade of experience working in major studios such as the Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros Television. He is passionate about bringing new technologies and opportunities into the classroom. His commitment to equity and social justice is an integral part of his lessons.