Current Class
Joseph Akoni
Hometown: Miami, FL
Product area: Identity
Ask me about: Cuban salsa dancing, baking, the MBA journey
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I travel worldwide to cuban salsa conferences
LinkedIn profile link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephakoni/
Tai Bendit
Hometown: New York, NY
Product area: LinkedIn Sales Insights
Ask me about: Meditation, digital health, data storytelling, baking and grilling
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I’ve played the drums for 15 yrs and have toured across the US
LinkedIn profile link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taibendit/
Grant Empey
Hometown: Coto de Caza, CA
Product area: Premium Growth
Ask me about: Sous vide, philosophy, kickboxing, startups
Not on my LinkedIn profile: Spent a year as a music artist manager
LinkedIn profile link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-empey-3a4b48a6/
Ritvik Kar
Hometown: Dehradun, India
Product area: Firstline Workers
Ask me about: Movies (watching and creating), cooking, mindfulness, Taylor Swift, India
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I’m currently learning how to play the piano!
LinkedIn profile link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritvik-kar/
Daniel Tweed-Kent
Hometown: Pittsfield, MA
Product area: Underconnected Youth and Equity
Ask me about: Soccer, Coffee Milkshakes, Hiking, Being a Twin
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I collect street art when I visit a new city
LinkedIn profile link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-tweed-kent-27700240/
Shaun Simba Mataire
Hometown: Harare, Zimbabwe
Product area: Enterprise Platform
Ask me about: Best pizza in NY, Zimbabwe, house music
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I used to be a college radio DJ
LinkedIn profile link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunmataire/
Pelumi Odimayo
Hometown: Augusta, ME
Product area: Careers Growth
Ask me about: Tennis, Soccer, Comic Books, Credit Cards, and Travel
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I run an e-commerce brand selling pillows and weighted blankets
LinkedIn profile link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oluwapelumi-odimayo/
Kristina Ryan
Hometown: Urunga, Australia
Product area: LinkedIn Talent Insights
Ask me about: Where to eat, house plants, coffee, puppies
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I once competed in a 90km bike race on a cruiser
LinkedIn profile link: linkedin.com/in/ryankristina
Sara Shmueli
Hometown: Boca Raton, FL
Product area: Trust
Ask me about: Making smoothies, volleyball, the best food and views in SF
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I co-founded, ran, and sold a meme Instagram page about the musical Hamilton
LinkedIn profile link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarashmueli/
Carlos Reyes Stoneham
Hometown: Shutesbury, MA
Product area: LinkedIn Learning
Ask me about: Latin pop music, folk guitar, developer productivity
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I used to be a competitive cross country skier.
LinkedIn profile link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlosreyes1/
Catherine Xu
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Product area: Ads Relevance & Optimization
Ask me about: Design thinking, meditation, podcasting, Chinese songs
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I learned how to sing the alphabet backwards in kindergarten and it’s been my go-to special talent ever since.
LinkedIn profile link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-xu-231272a3/
Previous Classes
Ian Brooks
Class: 2017
Hometown: Mexico, NY
Product: Profile
Ask me about: mountain biking, eating lots of food, sax
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I grew up on a farm.
Eric Brownrout
Class: 2016
Hometown: Calabasas, CA
Product: Groups
Ask me about: running, music, gadgets, college football
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I've placed in a sushi eating competition.
Emily Carrolo
Class: 2017
Hometown: Andover, MA
Product: Network Growth
Ask me about: making homemade pasta, women in tech, board games, Patriots football
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I have an irrational fear of down escalators.
Cissy Chen
Class: 2016
Hometown: Boulder, CO
Product: Premium
Ask me about: poetry, mixing science & art, travel spreadsheets, access to education
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I've been to Vegas 4 times...all for math competitions.
Lucy Cheng
Class: 2016
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Product: Feed – Content Creation
Ask me about: ceramics, cooking, early childhood education
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I run a supper club and am an avid carrot pickler.
Hannah Cutler
Class: 2017
Hometown: Bryn Mawr, PA
Product: Campaign Manager
Ask me about: yoga, farmer's markets, civic tech, drawing, Paula Scher
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I wrote and illustrated a children's book. I also love to cook.
Logan Dirkx
Class: 2017
Hometown: Woodbury, MN
Product: Payments
Ask me about: rock climbing, photography, fintech, saunas
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I weigh my backpacking equipment in ounces.
Guillaume Dufour
Class: 2018
Hometown: Paris, France
Product: Sales Navigator, SNAP
Ask me about: Poker, France, your next trip
Not on my LinkedIn profile: How much time I spent in casinos…
Elise Georis
Class: 2017
Hometown: Charlottesville, VA
Product: Ad Insights
Ask me about: skiing, classic rock, running, women in tech
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I've played violin for 20 years.
Lachlan Green
Class: 2017
Hometown: Wellesley, MA
Product: Jobs Relevance
Ask me about: movies, ethics, the Fermi Paradox
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I walked 300+ miles across Spain last summer on the Camino de Santiago, a historic Christian pilgrimage.
Erika Hairston
Class: 2018
Hometown: Summit, NJ
Product: Salary Careers
Ask me about: coding, my family, Beyoncé, diversity in tech, puppies
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I was stranded at sea in a boat accident on my way to Antarctica
Camilla Han-He
Class: 2018
Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas
Product: Identity
Ask me about: music education, architecture, vintage watches, backpacks, sketchnotes
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I love building things and almost became a taskrabbit so I could assemble IKEA furniture for kicks, but stopped myself out of fear that it might kill the fun.
Wei Ling Heng
Class: 2018
Hometown: Penang, Malaysia
Product: Career Pages
Ask me about: thrifting for vintage clothes, what I'm cooking in my Instant Pot
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I used to canoe to school every day
Aklil Ibssa
Class: 2017
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Product: Notifications
Ask me about: tech history, basketball, startups, VC
Not on my LinkedIn profile: My full name is 12 words long (ask me about it!)
Charu Jangid
Class: 2014
Hometown: Canada, UAE, India, Oman
Product: Profile
Ask me about: reading, travel, magic, conferences, existentialism, costumes, Taco Bell
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I played competitive Quidditch.
Thogori Karago
Class: 2014
Mitchell Kim
Class: 2018
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Product: Ads Transparency, LMS
Ask me about: Books, Sports, Music, Surfing, Interesting Things to Do & Interesting People to Meet
Not on my LinkedIn profile: Recovering from a two-time ACL injuries on the same left knee, which ironically fortunately made me exempt from the Korean mandatory military service (avg. 2 years).
Sneha Keshwani
Class: 2015
Hometown: Dubai, UAE
Product: Video
Ask me about: traveling, hiking, food in SF, spin classes
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I didn't have a last name until I was 16.
Bryce Lewis
Class: 2016
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Product: Jobs Home
Ask me about: sci-fi & cog-sci books, biking, the singularity
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I was once in an Ikea commercial.
Sam Lewis
Class: 2017
Hometown: New Canan, CT
Product: Sales Navigator
Ask me about: sports, music, video games
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I've been to 43 states... Aiming for all of them.
Dan Li
Class: 2015
Hometown: Deep River, Ontario
Product: Careers
Ask me about: NBA basketball, swimming, skiing, fake sneakers
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I once was a bartender and had a drink with Skrillex.
Cherie Luo
Class: 2017
Hometown: Long Island, NY
Product: Notifications Ecosystem
Ask me about: hiking, restaurant week, podcasts, arts and crafts
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I've seen 11 Broadway musicals and I want to see Hamilton next!
Vasudha Mithal
Class: 2014
Hometown: Meerut, India
Product: Sponsored Messaging
Ask me about: travels, Indian food
Not on my LinkedIn profile: Join me for some Bollywood dancing!
Kylan Nieh
Class: 2014
Hometown: Fremont, CA
Product: Careers & Resume Assistant
Ask me about: food, cooking, traveling, yoga, gymnastics, volleyball
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I used to be a nationally competitive gymnast.
Harini Nunduri
Class: 2018
Hometown: Hyderabad, India
Product: App UX
Ask me about: Photoshop, Real estate, Cooking, Travel, Fashion, Bollywood.
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I play an Indian musical instrument (Veena).
Dhrumil Patel
Class: 2017
Hometown: Houston, TX
Product: Sales Navigator
Ask me about: Texas, blending smoothies, fitness, finding online deals, hip-hop
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I'm a huge sneakerhead and have over 50 pairs of shoes. My favorite kicks are Harden Vol.2s, Jordan Retro 4s, and Air Max 95s.
Isha Patel
Class: 2017
Hometown: Simi Valley, CA
Product: Video
Ask me about: camping, national parks, live music, edtech
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I have a pet elephant named Sunyei, who I adopted from a wildlife reserve in Kenya.
Nico Perdomo
Class: 2016
Hometown: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Product: Content Creation - Publishing
Ask me about: airplanes and mileage reward programs, credit cards, politics
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I can draw a pretty legit map of the world from memory. Once got extra credit in a history class in college for doing so.
Chloe Rosen
Class: 2018
Hometown: Concord, MA
Product: Premium Careers
Ask me about: travel, cake decorating, Game of Thrones, painting
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I used to be a competitive synchronized swimmer.
Clarisse Siu
Class: 2017
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Product: Feed Revenue
Ask me about: classical music, what investment banking was like, whether to get an MBA
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I was a World Series lucky charm (2005-2013).
Lakshman Somasundaram
Class: 2018
Hometown: Kennett Square, PA
Product: Frontline & Hourly Workers
Ask me about: photography, gummy bears, running, development consulting, my hotel key card collection, venture capital, The Office
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I’m from the mushroom capital of the world…but hate mushrooms.
Kristine Song
Class: 2016
Hometown: Shenzhen, Montreal
Product: China Growth
Ask me about: dance, badminton, piano
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I went to a music middle school and high school with the intention of pursuing a career in music... but failed.
Emily Tang
Class: 2017
Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan
Product: Growth - Onboarding
Ask me about: traveling, volunteering, edtech, learning calligraphy
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I've performed Chinese Opera before (yes, with all the crazy makeup).
Heidi Wang
Class: 2014
Hometown: Cupertino, CA
Product: Content Experience
Ask me about: traveling, hiking, remodeling a house, Girls Teaching Girls to Code
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I officiated my best friend's wedding.
Andrew Wu
Class: 2018
Hometown: Cerritos, California
Product: My Network
Ask me about: what I’m reading, men’s tailoring and casual wear, working abroad in Ireland
Not on my LinkedIn profile: I like making pizza from scratch and have a recipe for homemade Papa John’s pizza.