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Team Members

Director on Creativity and Entrepreneurship, located in the Office for Undergraduate Education, Sam works to connect education-innovation and creative-entrepreneurship communities. Previously, he was the Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard University for HILT's Operation Impact, an arts administrator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Creative Entrepreneurship lecturer at Boston University, and a school teacher and arts department chair. He independently consults on education innovation and arts education integration best practices via his arts and education startups, he advises multiple arts and education ventures, and serves on several start-up and arts-admin boards. Interests: Alternative Education, focusing on how to learn rather than what to learn Trans-disciplinary Collaboration Creating and Facilitating Creation Innovation Consulting Sustainability and Addressing Environmental Issues Cultivating Openness and Critical Thinking Skills
Sam Magee

Director on Creativity and Entrepreneurship

Maria Guo is the Assistant Director on Creativity and Entrepreneurship. She helps design, develop, and implement seminars and courses for the undergraduate student community. She also manages the Mentor Council and supervises the LPCE fellows. Maria founded the Jackson School Mentor Program at the University of Washington, where she received her Bachelor's degree. She received her Master's degree from Columbia University. Interests: Law and Education Academic and Career Advising Clean Water and Sanitation
Maria Guo

Assistant Director, Creativity and Entrepreneurship

Leslie Coles is the Manager Of Accelerators and Partnerships for the LPCE. She also co-founded and leads the non-profit Moms as Mentors, an organization focused on equipping moms with the tools and opportunities to raise girls to be confident leaders. Previously, Leslie served as the Project Manager for the Playful Journey Lab at MIT where she managed interdisciplinary global research projects and before that served as Director of Programs at VentureLab, a non-profit teaching children the entrepreneurial mindsets and skill sets to be tomorrow’s innovators. Interests: Advancement of girls and women Social Entrepreneurship Increasing diverse representation in STEM and Entrepreneurship Preparing today’s youth for tomorrow’s world
Leslie Coles

Manager Of Accelerators and Partnerships

Lumas Helaire, PhD serves as the Assistant Dean for Population Health Management and Health Equity Education at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and is a visiting lecturer in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. He helps the dean and members of the Harvard Chan School faculty identify, develop, and promote health equity collaborative initiatives. Dr. Helaire also works with Harvard HealthLab, an accelerator for social impact ventures which offers comprehensive support to Harvard University students entering the innovation space and working in interdisciplinary teams. Dr. Helaire also serves on the Board of the Center for Community Health Education and Research Services, Inc. (CCHERS), a community-based organization promoting the development of academic community health centers. Prior to joining Harvard Chan School, Dr. Helaire served as the senior associate director of the University of Michigan’s Office of Academic and Multicultural Initiatives where he oversaw their operations and programs. He also directed various student development programs including GEAR UP, a federal pre-college program that partners with schools in preparing students from low-income backgrounds for post-secondary education. At the University of Michigan, he was also the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) lead for the suite of offices under the Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and chaired the university’s Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium planning committee, coordinating the annual keynote lecture which hosts national and international activists and social justice organizers. From 2013-2021 he served as the inaugural board president for the James and Grace Lee Boggs School in Detroit, Michigan. The school uses project-based curricula to nurture creative critical thinkers who contribute to the well-being of their community. Dr. Helaire received his BA in Psychology with honors from Morehouse College, where he was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate. He then earned his MS in Developmental Psychology and PhD in Education and Psychology from the University of Michigan.
Lumas Helaire

Course Head CE10 & CE 11: StudioLab on Creativity & Entrepreneurship

Maria Peña is the Assistant Director of Administration for the Lemann Program on Creativity and Entrepreneurship (LPCE) and the Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS). At LPCE, some of Maria's responsibilities include providing budget oversight, processing financial transactions, and supporting staff with human resource-related matters. Before her time at Harvard, Maria worked as an elementary school teacher. Her past experiences include working in early childhood education and health care. Maria holds a B.A. in American Studies and Teaching & Learning Studies from Wellesley College and an M.Ed. in Learning & Technology from Western Governors University. Interests: Learning new things every day Reading fiction/fantasy books Cats
Maria Peña

Assistant Director of Administration

Guillermo Delgado (Guille) is in the Class of 2027 pursuing a master’s degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where his work focuses on adult learning and the role of education in expanding opportunity. Originally from Lima, Peru, Guille is passionate about strengthening people’s agency by helping working adults and household providers access better learning, career, and labor-market opportunities. Guillermo is a licensed industrial engineer from Universidad de Lima (Perú) and holds an MBA from Anglia Ruskin University (UK). Before coming to Harvard, he worked in the financial services sector across Citibank, BBVA, and BCP, leading initiatives on learning, talent development and performance for Peru and across Latin America. Guillermo is currently building Global Academic Pathways, an early-stage education venture that supports Latin American professionals with career development and graduate applications. He has also served as a lecturer in the Division of Continuing Education at Universidad de Lima. In his free time, he enjoys cycling and reading about behavioral science.
Guillermo Delgado Lozano

LPCE Graduate Fellow

Paytan is a Master's candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education on the Education, Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship track. She received her Bachelor's degree with Interdisciplinary Honors from the University of Washington, where she was also named a Husky 100. Most recently, she worked as an Account Manager leading client strategies and product marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 companies including Boeing, Microsoft, and Amazon. Paytan is endlessly curious about education equity and entrepreneurship, and outside of work she's usually found hiking with her maltipoo, Solana, chasing down a good chai, or on her yoga mat.
Paytan Murray

LPCE Graduate Fellow

Rida Rizwan is an innovation strategist and educator passionate about entrepreneurship and human development. Her work spans entrepreneurship education and strategic consulting, where she has designed and delivered hands-on learning experiences supporting more than 3,000 students from ideation to market validation, while cultivating entrepreneurial mindsets and creative problem-solving skills. In parallel, she has contributed to high-impact business decisions through strategic consulting that have supported organizational growth and transformation. As a Master’s candidate in Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship at Harvard, Rida also holds a Master of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MBET) and an Honours BA in Global Business and Digital Arts from the University of Waterloo. Her experience across Deloitte, the University of Waterloo, and BlackBerry reflects a consistent commitment to operational excellence, inclusive collaboration, and advancing the development of ideas and innovators.
Rida Rizwan

LPCE Graduate Fellow

Lara is a junior at Harvard College studying Government on the pre-medical track. She conducts research and volunteers at Massachusetts General Hospital. Through her passion for healthcare equity, Lara has developed a strong interest in how innovation can be used to expand healthcare access, strengthen communities, and create meaningful social impact.
Lara Rahman

LPCE Fellow

Bradford Dickson is a musician and student-athlete passionate about the intersection of music, education, and entrepreneurship. He is in the class of 2027 pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Music at Harvard College, while simultaneously enrolled in coursework at Berklee College of Music as part of the Harvard-Berklee Joint Studies Program. Bradford began his LPCE journey as a student in CE10 and CE11 and now serves as a fellow with the Lemann Program on Creativity and Entrepreneurship. Originally from Imperial Beach, California, he is a Division I athlete on the Men’s Water Polo Team and has performed the national anthem on cello at varsity matches. As a musician, he has played cello for over a decade—appearing at venues like Carnegie Hall—and also sings, plays piano, and guitar.
Bradford Dickson

LPCE Fellow

Maverick Yasuda is in the class of 2027, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Government at Harvard College. He is interested in eliminating injustices in food systems at the intersection of policy and entrepreneurship. Maverick was a CE10 student and now works as a fellow with the Lemann Program for Creativity and Entrepreneurship. Born and raised in Waipahu, Hawaii, he enjoys spending time in the tropical weather with his family.
Maverick Yasuda

LPCE Fellow

Past Team Members

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Andres De Arco

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Amy Shi

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Sandra Mwangi

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Rowen VonPlagenhoef

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Katrina Hagedorn

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