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 15 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 4-year-old daughter, an 11-year-old fur baby, and is married to a chess expert. He plays guitar, and loves nature, socializing, and meeting new people.

Executive Account Manager 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.



Regional Manager, San Diego

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.

San Diego North County 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.


San Diego South County 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

  • Went on to become a Certified Teacher/Education Specialist and helped create our training for Students wth Exceptionalities

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