When I was 8 years old, my parents made a decision that seemed crazy at the time. They packed us up from our comfortable suburban life in Reading, PA and moved us all the way back to Mumbai, India, where they’d both grown up. Their reasoning? Getting us out of our comfort zone would make us better, more rounded, more successful human beings.
Decades later, I am now making my own unconventional decision (and the best one yet!) to push myself and our team outside of our own comfort zones and help that same goal – be better, more successful, and more impactful as an organization.
I’m stepping down as CEO of MAD-learn. And I couldn’t be more excited about what’s next. It is my sincere pleasure to welcome Chrissy Rebert- Long
as MAD-learn’s new CEO!
I have known Chrissy for many years and always admired her leadership. She brings deep experience at the intersection of education and technology, with a career spanning instructional design, SaaS, and national business development. But more than her résumé, Chrissy gets it. She understands that EdTech has to be human first, and that we’re preparing kids for a world that doesn’t exist yet. And that’s why I am thrilled to welcome her as our new CEO.
As for me, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be joining the Board of Directors and will remain MAD-learn’s loudest, most passionate cheerleader. Same mission, different seat at the table. You can still reach me anytime. I’m always just a phone call or email away. Don’t ever be a stranger.
Pictured below: The MAD-learn Team welcoming Chrissy Rebert- Long
on her first day on the job. Please join us in giving Chrissy a great big welcome to the MAD-learn family!
We’re thrilled to congratulate Hediyeh S., a 6th grader from Saundra Watt’s Computer Science class at Barber Middle School in Cobb County School District, as our MAD-app Contest Winner! Her app, AI Bias and What’s Behind It, rose to the top of what was truly a record-breaking year of submissions.
Reviewing every entry was a genuine joy. Students tackled an impressive range of topics from AI literacy and food nutrition to art, culture, and AI’s growing presence in the creative world. We saw apps helping students stay organized (Fun Fact: We learned many CEOs swear by bullet journals to stay organized and track their tasks), a virtual closet using AI to curate outfits, and even a deeply thoughtful submission examining AI’s environmental impact alongside concerns about privacy erosion, data manipulation, and job displacement. The depth and originality across the board made this one of our hardest decisions yet.
Ultimately, Hediyeh’s app earned the win not just for its strong use of AI, but for going a step further. AI Bias and What’s Behind It teaches users what causes AI bias, how to detect it, and how to train an AI more responsibly. In a time when feelings about AI range from excitement to skepticism, Hediyeh’s app offers a practical, student-friendly approach to navigating a technology that’s already reshaping the workforce. We walked away from it more informed, and that’s exactly what great apps do.
At MAD-learn, we take a people-first approach to business, so rather than walk you through Chrissy’s resume (though it is impressive: VP of Global Instructional Solutions, elementary and special education teacher, pharmaceutical sales rep, and small business owner), we wanted to highlight who she is as at her core and how her values align with our mission at MAD-learn.
If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting our founder Alefiya Master, you know she brings a passion and magnetic energy for empowering students and teachers. When our team met Chrissy, we knew we hit a rare jackpot. She also shares the same deep commitment to helping all learners grow and thrive in the ever-changing educational landscape and workforce.
Chrissy holds multiple degrees and has called Philadelphia home for nearly her whole life, where she raised a beautifully blended family of seven children. To say family is her foundation would be an understatement. That same nurturing, community-minded spirit shows up in everything she does professionally. She understands what students need to succeed and how to help district leaders actually deliver it.
Outside of work, you’ll find Chrissy at the lake or out on the open road with her husband, cruising on their motorcycle. Chrissy is savvy, driven, highly collaborative and genuinely big-hearted, which we believe is one of the most important pillars of strong leadership. We’re thrilled for her to blaze the trail as we move forward in MAD-learn’s next chapter.
… checking out our brand new website showcasing our new direction and exciting updates, coming soon. www.mad-learn.com
Chrissy joins our team to lead MAD-learn into its next chapter. Her arrival is part of a broader transition we’ve been building toward. As we reflected on all the things that are rapidly evolving and changing in the world, we realized we need to as well. You may know us for our platform and our passion for student app design. What you’ll see from us going forward is something bigger. We’re making a full commitment to Design Thinking as a framework for how young people learn to solve real problems. MAD-learn is embracing this mindset in every way possible, from our leadership to our branding.
MAD now stands for
Make.
Adapt.
Design.
We’re embodying our philosophy and our deepening commitment to design thinking in K–12 education. We’re adapting, and we’re excited for you to be part of what comes next.
