Meet the Team!

“Kids don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care”

Enthusiastic Edutainers

Our instructors are not just picked at random; they're hand-selected and meticulously trained to master the blend of education and entertainment. We recognize the distinct dynamics of After School hours. Following a full day of structured learning, it's a challenge to keep students engaged and eager. That's why our guiding principles for each session are simple yet profound: every student should feel SAFE, have FUN, and LEARN something new.

To bring this vision to life, our instructors embark on an immersive 12-week (spanning approximately 30 classes) 'Level UP' journey, where they hone their expertise in After School Enrichment and Teaching:

  • Weeks 1-3: Building bridges - Forming authentic connections with students.

  • Weeks 3-6: Discovering your teaching persona and fostering a nurturing classroom atmosphere.

  • Weeks 6-9: The Edutainment Magic - Making lessons come alive with excitement.

  • Weeks 9-12: Embracing the spontaneous - Harnessing the power of emergent curriculum.

By the culmination of this rigorous training, our instructors not only lead their classes with confidence but also play a pivotal role in guiding the next wave of educators, ensuring that the Level UP ethos is passionately perpetuated.

Cultivating Tomorrow’s Leaders

At the heart of our mission lies an unyielding commitment to shaping educators who inspire, lead, and transform. When you witness the sparkle in a child's eye, the credit goes to our passionate instructors, who consistently set benchmarks in After School enrichment. The Level UP legacy continues one inspired student at a time.

Level UP Management

 
 

President & Founder

C.J. Caldwell

As a kid, C.J.'s dream of becoming a teacher began after his mom enrolled him in an after-school chess club where he saw how much fun learning and teaching could be. Now, C.J. has worked in After-School Enrichment for over 13 years and taught thousands of students how to play chess, and more importantly to him, that learning can be just as fun as playing. Outside of work, he is a father of a 2.5-year-old daughter, a 9-year-old fur baby, and is married to a chess expert. He plays guitar, and loves nature, socializing, and meeting new people.

Regional Director of San Diego & Austin

Jeffrey Lin

With 10+ years of after-school enrichment experience, Jeff has helped provide after-school enrichment to thousands of kids in San Diego and Texas. Outside of Level UP, Jeff has a love for board games and helped design and launch a successful kickstarter for Eternal Kings.



Austin Program Manager & Account Manager

Kyndle Jones

Kyndle joined Level UP in August 2021 as a Level 1 instructor with the goal to learn how to communicate and teach children. She moved to the Austin branch in June 2022 where she is proud be in a position to provide work for our employees and be able to enrich the lives of the families in her community. In her spare time you can catch her playing the alto sax, video games, and collecting all things Pokémon. She also has 2 cats named Togepi and Jynx (after Pokémon of course).

Sr. North County San Diego Program Manager

Arielle Knittel

Arielle joined the world of after-school enrichment 8 years ago. She immediately fell in love with the variety of skills she got to practice as an instructor, and the fact that she got to ignite that same love of learning in her students. You'll now find her in the office or out in the field, ensuring both instructors and students have a space to explore and discover their passions. After hours, you'll find her dancing, singing, and learning all sorts of new musical instruments. She also plays the alto saxophone and is officially challenging Kyndle to a sax battle.

North County San Diego Program Manager

Brosnan Elrod

Brosnan was drawn to Level UP in 2022 by the chance to make a job out of a hobby: teaching chess! In the office, he places an emphasis on organization; in the classroom, he puts on a performance. Whether in Magic, Art, or Chess club, Brosnan values lively and direct interaction with the children. Outside of work, Brosnan enjoys playing pickleball too competitively, being blown off the board in chess, and being generally mediocre at video games.


Central San Diego Program Manager

navid bajoghli

Navid discovered his passion for teaching and working with kids when he joined Level Up as a Level 1 Chess Instructor in November 2021. Having been a competitive chess player since the age of 9, Navid finds immense joy in sharing his in-depth knowledge of the game with others. His enthusiasm for chess goes hand in hand with his love for teaching, as he enjoys breaking down complex concepts to ignite a spark of curiosity in his students. On top of chess, his other interests include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, sports, lifting, yoga, cooking, hiking, and camping.

South County, Chula Vista Program Manager

Elkaei Rivera

Elkaei grew up competing at Balboa Chess Club during middle school to high school years under the tutelage of locale International Master Cyrus Lakdawala. While attending SDSU for a BA in Psychology, he took on a part-time job as a chess instructor for a company that would later become Level UP Enrichment! In addition to this, he is active in his Church youth leadership duties (Iglesia ni Cristo) while finding time to enjoy anime, video games, and live streaming.

We have over 50 amazing instructors on our team! Here is some info about some of them:

Charlie - Level 2 Enrichment Instructor

  • Favorite Memory at Level UP: Watching instructors handle kindergarteners; sometimes it’s like herding cats!

  • Fun Fact: Charlie likes to go sailing

Ann - Level 2 Chess & Art Instructor

  • Favorite Memory at Level UP: Was able to reengage a student who was wanting to come home mid-class, and he ended up getting a checkmate in the last 2 minutes of class!

  • Fun Fact: Ann likes to sing

Terren - Level 2 Chess Instructor

  • Favorite Memory at Level UP: Teaching a chess game and hearing “That’s really cool!” from the students

  • Fun Fact: Terren loves to learn about history

Amber - Level 3 Chess Instructor

  • Favorite Memory at Level UP: The Friday night team hangouts after tournaments

  • Favorite Animal: Unicorn

Many of our instructors Level UP to full-time positions within the education and child development fields.
We are proud to be a part of their journey!

Coleen - Level 3 Chess Coach

  • 5 years with Level UP while working as a lawyer

  • Continues to work as a lawyer, is running for district office, and works as a substitute teacher with SDUSD

Brent - Interm Regional Director

  • 6 years with Level UP

  • Became a Student Teacher within SDUSD pursuing becoming a Certified Teacher/Education Specialist

Angela - Level 2 Enrichment Instructor

  • 1 year with Level UP

  • Became an Elementary School Counselor

Anuja -Level 2 Enrichment & Chess Instructor

  • 2 years with Level UP

  • Became a substitute teacher within SDUSD