Miles leads the team responsible for all of Sesame Workshop’s interactive products and services worldwide, as well as spearheading Sesame’s initiatives in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Previously, Miles was the Managing Director of R&D, and he led a Digital Media team that won two Emmys (2009/10), a Peabody (2010), and a BAFTA (2013). Prior to that he co-founded Kirt Gunn & Associates, a digital advertising agency that was acquired by Epoch Films in 2008, and also served as Creative Director of Elias Arts’ Sound Intelligence Group. Miles is listed as an inventor on several patents, serves as a mentor at the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship at Brown University, and serves on the Technical Advisory Board of The New School. He was educated at Brown University and New York University.

Liza Gak is a researcher and designer focused on engaging youth around the issues they care about through community-based, participatory methods. Her work aims to understand how children can meaningfully participate in designing the world they hope to lead, and how adults can creatively support young people’s relationships in their communities. Previously, she facilitated youth-led action and research around mental health and social media with the HOPE Youth Coalition, a California-wide collective of teens 14-22. Her research has been generously funded by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Berkeley Center for Technology, Society, and Policy, and the Algorithmic Fairness and Opacity Group. She will be graduating with her PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from the University of California, Berkeley School of Information in May 2025, and holds a BA in Computer Science, Math, and American Culture Studies from Washington University in St. Louis.

Amanda is a long-time mixed methods researcher who has spent the bulk of her career studying how children and families use and think about networked technologies. Previously, Amanda served as the Head of Research at Common Sense Media, where she led research on youth mental health and social media, and the role of smartphones and generative AI in the daily lives of adolescents. In her role as the Program Director for Health & Data at the Data & Society Research Institute, Amanda worked on topics including how social media company workers think about and enact digital well-being for kids in the product design process. She started her career at the Pew Research Center, helping to found the Internet team where she pioneered and led their research on teens and families for 16 years.

Amanda specializes in translating rigorous research for a broad national audience. Dedicated to public communication, she has testified before congressional subcommittees and the Federal Trade Commission. Amanda’s work has been featured in numerous national publications and broadcasts, including the New York Times, PBS Newshour and NPR’s All Things Considered. Amanda serves on the Technical Advisory Panel to the American Academy of Pediatrics Center on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, and as an advisor to the Adolescent Health Advisory Panel for the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Angelica DaSilva is a dedicated literacy educator and researcher with teaching experience at both the university and K-12 levels. Her work focuses on improving literacy outcomes for multilingual learners, integrating innovative technologies, and advancing equity in education. Among her notable contributions, she served on the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) committee, where she helped develop individualized education plans (IEPs) for emerging bi/multilingual learners. She also implemented and coordinated the Seal of Biliteracy, provided teacher training and professional development, and taught pre-service education courses at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).

Her research portfolio includes studies on multilingual student identity and translanguaging, as well as co-authorship of a meta-analysis of writing interventions for K-12 English learners. Additionally, as co-PI on a project conducted at MTSU addressing censorship in classroom libraries, she advocates for equitable access to diverse and inclusive reading materials. With her interdisciplinary expertise, commitment to research-driven practices, and experience developing tools to support multilingual learners, Angelica is uniquely positioned to contribute to the Joan Ganz Cooney Center’s mission of fostering literacy and learning through evidence-based, technology-driven approaches.

Sarah Jacobstein is the project manager for the Joan Ganz Cooney Center’s well-being by design initiatives, including Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children, a multistakeholder initiative that aims to create evidence-based, child-centered, practical tools for businesses and governments to put the well-being of children at the forefront of digital design.

Sarah is a child rights advocate dedicated to exploring how business policy and practice can be better for children, with a focus on children’s rights in the digital environment. She has spent most of her career nurturing partnerships in support of UNICEF’s work around the globe. This included building a child rights & business initiative for the U.S. market and advocating to improve the private sector’s impact on children in the marketplace, workplace, and environment.

Most recently Sarah served on the LEGO Group’s Government & Public Affairs Americas team, where she drove political engagement, public affairs advocacy, and thought leadership on issues including children’s online safety and wellbeing. She holds an MBA with a concentration in Sustainability & Innovation from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BA in Latin American Studies from Washington University in St. Louis.

Allisyn is passionate about creating meaningful, playful, inclusive learning experiences that inspire kids to be curious, creative, critical thinkers, and collaborators. She offers the unique perspective of a parent, teacher, product strategist, learning designer, community creator, and partner with over 10 years of teaching experience and 14 years developing, implementing, and overseeing innovative educational programs for formal and informal learning. Prior to joining the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, she worked as a Product Strategist for the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT Media Lab, and played an integral role in the creation, launch, and continued development of multiple features at the educational website, BrainPOP.

Medha Tare is an experienced researcher in the learning sciences and technology area. Her work centers on addressing the needs of the whole child, including considering individual differences among learners, their environments, and the media through which they learn. Prior to the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, she was the Director of Research for the Learner Variability Project at Digital Promise, where she developed public resources on the cognitive, socio-emotional, and background factors that impact children and adults’ learning. This work involved research translation, science communication, and studies of educational efficacy with school districts and edtech product developers. She has also served as a Learning Sciences Exchange Fellow through New America, working across sectors to promote early learning and help young children and their families thrive. Medha earned her PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Michigan and her BA in Cognitive Science and English at Rutgers University. She has served as an advisor on national and international educational initiatives and has numerous peer-reviewed publications including in the Journal of Research on Technology in Education, Language Learning and Technology, and Journal of Cognition and Development. 

Leslie Berkowitz is the Senior Coordinator for the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, where she facilitates operations, project and initiative management, and communications. Prior to her work at the JGCC, Leslie spent two years at Discovery, Inc. working for the Social Good team on corporate philanthropy, cause marketing, and employee engagement. She also has worked in branded content, integrated marketing, and scripted television production. Leslie holds a B.S. in Television, Radio, and Film from the Newhouse School for Public Communications at Syracuse University. Her interests include pop-culture history, travel, cooking, and politics.

Michael Preston is the Executive Director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, an independent research and innovation lab within Sesame Workshop dedicated to shaping a positive digital future for children. Named after Sesame Street’s visionary co-founder, the Center conducts research on emerging technologies, collaborates with industry leaders, academics, and educators to translate insights into action, and engages policymakers and investors in meaningful conversations about children’s learning and well-being. By actively involving young people in co-designing the technologies they use, the Center ensures innovations that empower children to learn, grow, and thrive.

With 25 years of experience driving educational innovation across K-12, higher education, and informal learning settings, Michael specializes in child-centered design, transformative learning models, and systemic change. He co-founded CSforALL, the national hub for the Computer Science for All movement, and has led digital learning initiatives at the NYC Department of Education, Columbia University, and New Visions for Public Schools.

Michael holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a B.A. from Harvard College.

Catherine is Senior Director of Strategic Communications at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, where she leads its communication and publication efforts. She is a writer, editor, and interactive producer with more than 10 years of experience creating and distributing educational and documentary content for organizations including POV Interactive, the award-winning website for the independent documentary series on PBS, the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning, Science Bulletins at the American Museum of Natural History, and Picture Projects. Catherine’s interest in children’s media research began as an undergraduate at Duke University. She received an MAH from the University at Buffalo in Comparative Literature and Media Studies and an MS from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has taught courses on documentary video production and filmmaking at the University at Buffalo and interactive design at the Cooper Union School of Art.