{"id":1026,"date":"2018-07-26T12:10:40","date_gmt":"2018-07-26T16:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/spark\/?page_id=1026"},"modified":"2026-08-15T00:54:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T04:54:29","slug":"our-team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/spark\/about\/our-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Our team"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The BU Spark! team is made up of professionals from all walks of life \u2014 from industry to academia to public service. In addition to our team, our experts in residence and mentors help support our students on their learning journeys.<\/p>\n

Meet our Experts in Residence \u2192<\/a>Meet our Instructors \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\"Ziba<\/p>\n
\n
Ziba Cranmer<\/div>\n
Founding Director<\/div>\n

Ziba<\/a> (she\/hers) is the founding director of BU Spark! and a Lecturer in the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences. Ziba is an innovation leader with diverse experience spanning both the public and private sectors. She led a national initiative supporting community innovators across U.S. cities to combat human trafficking through technology, and spent over 11 years in corporate responsibility \u2014 including at Nike, where she was a portfolio director in the Sustainable Business and Innovation Lab. She has shaped societal and sustainability strategies for FedEx, Farm Aid, and Hilton Worldwide, and earlier worked in international development in Vietnam and Palestine with the World Bank, UNDP, and various NGOs. Ziba is passionate about public interest technology and supporting student leaders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"Langdon<\/p>\n
\n
Langdon White<\/div>\n
Technical Director & Clinical Assistant Professor<\/div>\n

Langdon<\/a> (he\/him) is BU Spark!\u2019s technical director and a clinical assistant professor at the Boston University Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences. He is a 20+ year software industry veteran, working as a chief technology officer, chief architect, vice president, and software advocate and engineer for a variety of companies from startups to Fortune 50 companies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"James<\/p>\n
\n
James Grady M.F.A.<\/span><\/div>\n
Creative Director & Assistant Professor<\/div>\n

James<\/a> is BU Spark!\u2019s creative director, and a Boston-based designer and educator with nearly two decades of broad-based experience. Combining theory and execution, James\u2019 empirically-based methodology \u2014 developed as part of his master\u2019s thesis at the Rhode Island School of Design \u2014 encourages deeper levels of creative exploration and an unparalleled understanding of brand and visual communication. This intersection of education and practice informs his studio, Design Axel. James is an assistant professor of graphic design at the Boston University School of Visual Arts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"Lydia<\/p>\n
\n
Lydia Holck M.B.A.<\/span><\/div>\n
Operations Director<\/div>\n

Lydia<\/a> (she\/her) is BU Spark!\u2019s operations director, having previously worked as the operations manager at the Community Charter School of Cambridge. There, Lydia led staff and student scheduling, academic testing, and health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before graduating from Boston College with her Bachelor of Arts in Education and Sociology, she worked in the Match Education tutor corps. She recently graduated from the Boston University Questrom School of Business with her MBA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"Asad<\/p>\n
\n
Asad Malik M.S.<\/span><\/div>\n
Innovation Engineer<\/div>\n

Asad<\/a> is BU Spark!\u2019s innovation engineer, a Boston University alum, and free spirit. Primarily working with the BU Software Applications and Innovation Lab (SAIL), he has been involved with Spark! since 2022. After graduating with his master\u2019s, he was a Spark! mentor and co-led the Technology Innovation Fellowship while working at Philips. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from New York University and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Boston University.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"Seth<\/p>\n
\n
Seth Villegas Ph.D.<\/span><\/div>\n
Associate Program Manager<\/div>\n

Seth<\/a> is a BU Spark! associate program manager and postdoctoral researcher. He has helped teach ethics to undergraduate innovators through lectures and tools that help students assess the risks associated with their projects. He also helped develop the ethics requirements for the Ph.D. in Computing & Data Science at the Boston University Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences. His dissertation explored the philosophies that support research into radical life-extension, cryonics, and mind uploading. He earned his Ph.D. in Theology Studies from BU.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"Omar<\/p>\n
\n
Omar Augustin<\/div>\n
Assistant Solutions Engineer<\/div>\n

Born and raised in Boston, Omar<\/a> is a lifelong fan of the Celtics, Patriots, and Arsenal\u2014his love for effective teamwork and strategy extends beyond sports and into his professional life. After spending several years as a software engineer in the marketing and bio-tech world, he developed his technical foundation through industry experience while maintaining a passion for problem-solving. He believes that collaboration and continuous learning are key to driving innovation, and is excited to see how the team can work together to create meaningful outcomes for BU students, clients, and the community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"Karina<\/p>\n
\n
Karina Palos<\/div>\n
Program Operations Coordinator<\/div>\n

Karina joined BU Spark! in March 2026 as the Program Operations Coordinator, supporting the day-to-day operations of Spark!\u2019s experiential learning programs \u2014 academic courses, external partnerships, event planning, and supervision of student employees. She holds a B.S. in Social Work and Public Relations from Goshen College. Prior to joining BU, she worked in higher education and nonprofit settings supporting students through academic advising, coaching, and program administration. Her background in social work informs her collaborative approach and her passion for helping people navigate new environments. Outside of work, Karina is a competitive ultimate frisbee player.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"Kaylin<\/p>\n
\n
Kaylin Von Bergen<\/div>\n
Post-Baccalaureate Fellow<\/div>\n

Kaylin<\/a> (she\/her) is a Boston University graduate with a BA in computer science. As an undergraduate at BU, she was heavily involved in Spark! as an ambassador, student, and project manager. Kaylin\u2019s main interest is civic tech and using computing and data-related projects to create a positive impact.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"Nicole<\/p>\n
\n
Nicole Liu<\/div>\n
Post-Baccalaureate Fellow<\/div>\n

Nicole<\/a> (she\/her) is a recent Boston University graduate with a B.S. in Data Science and is now a Post-Bacc Fellow at BU Spark!. After being a technical teammate in a Spark! practicum that assessed racial bias in the Boston Police Department, Nicole discovered her drive to integrate her data science skills with her passion for public policy. She worked as a project manager for two capstone courses and, now as a Post-Bacc Fellow, is eager to continue fostering environments that encourage civic engagement in the community. Nicole aims to work with students to develop their innovative abilities and to use these talents and ambitions for social justice causes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"Justin<\/p>\n
\n
Justin Lim<\/div>\n
Post-Baccalaureate Fellow<\/div>\n

After recently graduating from Boston University with a B.A. in Computer Science, Justin (he\/him) joined BU Spark! as a Post-Baccalaureate Fellow. He enjoys developing software that addresses real-world challenges and appreciates the collaborative nature of interdisciplinary projects. He is particularly interested in building technical solutions that are approachable and useful for people regardless of their technical background. Justin is excited to support students and project teams, contribute to innovative solutions, and help turn ideas into meaningful outcomes for community and industry partners.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The BU Spark! team is made up of professionals from all walks of life \u2014 from industry to academia to public service. In addition to our team, our experts in residence and mentors help support our students on their learning journeys. Meet our Experts in Residence \u2192Meet our Instructors \u2192 Ziba Cranmer Founding Director Ziba […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15020,"featured_media":0,"parent":12,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/spark\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1026"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/spark\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/spark\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/spark\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/spark\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1026"}],"version-history":[{"count":54,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/spark\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8738,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/spark\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1026\/revisions\/8738"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/spark\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/spark\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}