Our team.
Founder /Director of Content - Austina Kang (오스티나 강)
Austina started STEAMED Playground when she realized that what she watched, read, and experienced at an early age shaped the ways she currently learns, plans, works, and makes decisions.
During her 10+ year career at different technology companies (Children’s Creativity Museum, Autodesk, Adobe, FrontRow … etc.) as a designer and marketer, her focus was education, believing the right education is the most important asset we can pass on to our children to ensure a better future. She is also a co-author of the book 교육을 가로막는 벽 (The wall that prevents real education) in South Korea.
As a Founder & Director of content, she hopes to grow a parent community that shares the same parenting mission; “raising a diligent, critical thinker who will become a responsible leader”. Through STEAMED Playground she hopes to share her cross-cultural background and experiences living and learning in Asia, America, and Europe to help parents expand their toolkits to improve their own lives and the lives and educational experiences of their children.
Editor in Chief - Vanessa Flores
Vanessa’s background ranges from short-story writing, screenwriting, to playwriting and performing. She is currently the Founder and Creative Director of Other Hand Media, a mixed-media creative current affairs company creating on the basis of curiosity, vulnerability, and play. She is also the Co-Artistic Director of Creative at FaultLine Theater in San Francisco where she works with emerging artists to produce new and exciting original theatrical content. Because of her theater and performance skills, Vanessa approaches life with spontaneity, imagination, and play which shows both in her writing and performances alike. In 2019, she debuted Uneasy, a web-based series about young women of color in Oakland, CA for which she co-wrote, produced, and starred. Vanessa has always been exquisite with her words, has never stopped being brave, and STEAMED Playground values that. She is also diligent at finding where and how she can play a role in society as a female writer.
As an Editor in Chief of STEAMED Playground, Vanessa is responsible for creating inspiring, enriching, and motivating content for educators looking to create a strong foundation for life-long learning.
Business Development Advisor - Peggy Snyder
Peggy is an inspiring and thoughtful leader. Her 20+ year career in technology has been dedicated to Education solutions, with the ultimate goal of helping students succeed. She has been a leader in education business development at prominent design technology companies such as Adobe and Autodesk, and numerous non-profit organizations such as The Hydrous. She is a visionary and a natural connecter of people, technologies, and opportunities. Peggy is passionate about the impact of technology in learning environments and is a committed advisor to STEAMED Playground. She is helping source STEAM education content and opportunities that support the mission of our community.
Market Strategy Advisor - MJ Kwak
MJ started her career as a content creator, but after her MBA in strategic foresight at California College of the Arts, she combined her talent in the creative industry and her passion in the technology industry and became a business strategist. She led the innovation strategy of media and content companies such as Aju News Corporation and Eliavi. She introduced new technologies and led innovation projects such as introducing AI as automatic content generating tools and renovating branding for companies looking for an opportunity to expand their market preset.
MJ will be the pioneer for STEAMED Playground, enriching our content with new trends, successful pioneers in exciting fields, and content material to make sure the STEAMED Playground community stays current.