MEET THE TEAM BEHIND HiNAIA
Our team brings together expertise in education, engineering, instructional design, and technology innovation, along with lived experience, to develop the leading AI-powered platform for special education.
Nadia Isata Leurdijk
Founder & CEO
Nadia Isata Leurdijk founded
HiNAIA to address a gap she experienced firsthand: the absence of real time, adaptive support for neurodiverse learners in general education classrooms. That experience shaped her commitment to building technology that helps educators personalize instruction while ensuring students with diverse learning needs can fully participate in inclusive classroom environments.
Nadia brings more than 22 years of experience in enterprise technology and education technology, working closely with institutional leaders to modernize systems and scale innovation across complex organizations. Throughout her career, she has worked alongside pioneering leaders in education technology who helped define the student success and faculty success categories, partnering with academic and institutional leaders to implement technologies that improve learning outcomes and support educators.
She has led strategic growth initiatives generating millions in revenue while building partnerships with K12 school districts, Ivy League institutions, R1 and R2 universities, community colleges, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies. Prior to founding HiNAIA, she held senior leadership roles across the education technology sector, including Vice President of Higher Education for the United States and Canada at Class, where she advised academic leaders on digital learning strategy and institutional innovation.
At HiNAIA, Nadia leads the company’s vision, product strategy, and partnerships, guiding the development of an AI platform grounded in Universal Design for Learning principles and designed to support students, educators, and families across the K12 ecosystem.
Fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, she brings a global perspective and a deep commitment to accessibility, equity, and inclusive learning.
Anthony Casson
Chief Technology Officer
Anthony Casson is the Chief Technology Officer at HiNAIA, where he leads the development and technical architecture of the company’s AI platform.
Diagnosed with ADHD in college, Anthony brings both personal insight and engineering rigor to building technology designed to support students with learning differences. His work is grounded in a deep commitment to creating systems that are not only technically sophisticated, but also meaningful and accessible for the learners and educators they serve.
Anthony brings more than a decade of experience leading full stack engineering teams and building secure, distributed applications on public cloud infrastructure. Throughout his career he has designed and scaled cloud native systems, developed AI driven applications, and led cross functional engineering teams focused on reliability, scalability, and performance.
Prior to joining HiNAIA, Anthony held engineering leadership roles across the education technology sector, including Engineering Manager and Full Stack Development Lead at Class, where he led development teams building large scale learning platforms used by institutions around the world. He also held an engineering role at Microsoft, where he developed highly scalable cloud based applications using modern web frameworks and cloud infrastructure.
At HiNAIA, Anthony oversees the design and development of the platform’s technical architecture, ensuring the system is secure, scalable, and built for long term growth. He leads the engineering organization responsible for building HiNAIA’s AI driven learning systems while maintaining strong standards for data security, privacy protection, and compliance readiness for education environments.
His leadership ensures that HiNAIA’s technology remains reliable, adaptable, and capable of continuously learning from real classroom use to better support students, educators, and families.
Kimberly Barnes
Director of Learning
Kimberly Barnes is the Director of Learning at HiNAIA, where she ensures the platform’s instructional design reflects the realities of today’s classrooms and the needs of students with learning differences.
Kimberly is a National Board Certified Teacher with more than 14 years of experience teaching special education, mathematics, and English as a Second Language. Throughout her career she has managed extensive caseloads of students with learning disabilities and ADHD, giving her a deep understanding of the challenges educators face when supporting diverse learners while maintaining compliance with Individualized Education Programs and Section 504 plans.
Prior to joining HiNAIA, Kimberly served as a special education and mathematics teacher with Arlington Public Schools, where she led IEP meetings, developed individualized goals and accommodations, conducted educational testing, and monitored student progress. She also taught a wide range of mathematics courses including Algebra, Geometry, Precalculus, and Math Analysis while supporting English learners and students receiving special education services in inclusive classroom settings.
At HiNAIA, Kimberly plays a critical role in ensuring the platform is grounded in evidence based instructional practice. She leads the integration of Universal Design for Learning principles, accessibility standards, and special education best practices into the platform’s design so that AI powered tools support both students and the educators who serve them.
Her work bridges the gap between classroom reality and technology innovation, helping ensure HiNAIA delivers meaningful and practical support for students, educators, and families.
Brian Roach
Head of Solutions Engineering
Brian Roach is the Head of Solutions Engineering at HiNAIA, where he leads the technical engagement and implementation strategy for the company’s AI platform.
As the parent of a student with autism, Brian brings a personal understanding of the complexities families face navigating special education systems. That perspective informs his work at HiNAIA, where he focuses on ensuring the platform delivers meaningful outcomes for students, educators, and families.
Brian is a seasoned product and engineering leader with more than a decade of experience managing cross functional teams across full stack development, quality assurance, and automation. Throughout his career he has led engineering teams of up to 20 developers and QA professionals, building scalable software systems and delivering complex technology solutions across multiple industries.
Prior to joining HiNAIA, Brian served as Head of North American Development at Class, where he led development teams building large scale virtual classroom technology. Earlier in his career he held engineering leadership roles at technology organizations, overseeing cross functional teams responsible for delivering enterprise software solutions and high performance applications.
At HiNAIA, Brian bridges customer needs, product strategy, and technical execution. He works closely with schools, districts, and internal engineering teams to ensure seamless platform implementation, strong adoption, and continuous product improvement informed by real world classroom use.
His leadership helps ensure HiNAIA’s technology delivers measurable impact for educators and students while supporting the long-term scalability of the platform.