About

Leonid Tunik

A tech-forward educator who has spent 20+ years turning intimidating subjects into things people can't wait to try, for learners of every age.

I founded and grew Empow Studios into Massachusetts' largest STEM enrichment company: 22 locations, more than 80 instructors, and over 20,000 students, with an award-winning program and a customer-satisfaction score (Net Promoter Score of 75) most companies only dream of. I built it, scaled it, and sold it.

Before and since, I've shaped how people learn with technology at some of the biggest names in education: digital math programs for grades 6-12 at Pearson, learning products spanning 50+ college textbooks at Houghton Mifflin, and career tools used by universities nationwide at Lightcast. Today I'm also a fractional Chief Strategy Officer for a robotics and AI education company whose programs earn a perfect Net Promoter Score of 100.

One belief runs through all of it: people learn by doing, in a room, with other people, the way we always have. I design programs where you build real things, at your own pace, with someone right there when you get stuck. That's how understanding turns into confidence.

"His major strength is his ability to make learning visible."Bernardo A. Feliciano, Ph.D., School of Education, UMass Lowell

AI is the newest subject that makes people nervous, and it's a perfect fit for how I teach. The tools are new; the craft isn't. I take the fear out of it, meet you where you are, and make sure you leave every session having made something you can use. I hold an MBA from Boston University, a BA earned magna cum laude, and a Massachusetts teaching license in Technology and Engineering, and I teach in the Newton and Boston area.