IDEA Team

IDEA arose out of the belief that people’s experience with technology should be personalized, interactive, and intuitive, and that technological approaches should help people exchange meaningful information that leads to a greater understanding of the world in which we live. Our team reflects that belief and embodies the organization’s commitment to design and implement strategies to enrich learning, while at the same time providing others with the tools to do the same. The following is our senior team:

Michael Douma (Executive Director)

As the Executive Director of IDEA, Michael Douma combines two of his passions: fulfilling the educational promise of the Internet and increasing scientific and cultural literacy. Michael utilizes his expertise in existing technologies to lead IDEA in researching, developing, and refining new technological tools and approaches to promote both formal and informal web-based learning. Michael exemplifies IDEA’s core value of collaboration through his ability to tap into the knowledge of academicians and experts and then create project teams of user interface experts, professional writers and editors, teachers, artists, and web designers from around the nation and around the globe that have the specific skills needed for a particular program or project. This paves the way for initiating, creating, and maintaining accessible, lifelong learning opportunities for the public, while exhibiting wise stewardship of IDEA’s resources.

Sally E. Smith (Outreach Director)

Sally E. Smith brings a diverse skill set to her role as Outreach Director for IDEA. With a career arc that reflects her strong commitment to accessibility and advocacy, Sally works with IDEA’s project teams to develop and refine the organization’s research papers and WebExhibits, as well as write, edit, and amplify IDEA’s web-based publications. In addition, she utilizes her marketing and public relations skills to develop and implement strategies to launch IDEA’s technology infrastructure and software applications.

Horace Dediu (Financial Director)

With an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MS in Electrical Engineering from Tufts, Horace Dediu is uniquely positioned to steward IDEA’s financial resources, and also provides analysis of business issues that are transforming how the public receives and consumes information. In addition, he is general manager of Asymco, which publishes a popular blog, fosters a vibrant online community of commenters, and provides advice on industries such as mobile, energy, and media.

Ovidiu Ancuta (Lead Designer)

Ovidiu Ancuta embraces IDEA’s challenging mix of creative exploration and technical problem solving. Ovidiu’s background in seamlessly blending design and technology to create solutions that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing helps him lead IDEA’s design team in escaping conventions and looking for new and innovative ways to surmount to technical and design challenges. Ovidiu’s talent lends consistency and direction to IDEA’s complex technological projects, while his ability to see the big picture enables him to shepherd them to fruition.

Greg Ligierko (Lead Developer)

Greg Ligierko has a Masters in Computer Graphics, and extensive experience in compiled and interpreted languages that deliver interactive experiences to end-users. He is responsible for the planning and implementation of IDEA’s software projects, as well as actively researching new ways to present information to the public.

And many more...

IDEA works closely with other full-time and part-time team members, as well as dozens of collaborators who have worked on smaller or older projects. These valuable contributions are clearly credited within our various programs and projects.