Our Staff

Mr. Brian Broderick

The later projects brought him to Oregon in 1996 with increased responsibilities. As Art Director for software development he managed and assisted in all aspects of 2D and 3D art production for six software development cycles.

Broderick became Tech-Aid’s primary 3D animator in Spring 2010.

Dr. Khaya Clark

Prior to joining the TechAid team, Dr. Clark was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow (2008-2010) at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. During her postdoctoral work, Dr. Clark completed a study on the measurement of young children's racial and gender attitudes using Audio Computer Assisted Self Interview (A-CASI) technology, and she received extensive training in psychometrics. In her applied research work, Dr. Clark has received numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health in the areas of children's racial bias prevention, and diversity training for elementary teachers. At Tech-Aid, Dr. Clark will pursue several injury prevention projects designed for children and adults with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.

Mr. Christopher Lindberg

Creative Director Christopher Lindberg has worked as a Graphic Artist and Computer Animator for more than 20 years. He began at Perrine Films as an Animator, then as Lead Artist for Adfiliation Advertising until 1994. Then he moved to Lane Community College as a Multimedia Lab Technician and later as an Instructor for Computer Animation and Interactive Media.

In 1996 he began working at the Oregon Center for Applied Science where he specialized in the development of computer-based education and behavioral change software. Later, he also worked in the development of video-based projects. It was here that he began working with Dr. Wells.

Lindberg has been working with Dr. Wells for the past 15 years. Together, they have designed an award-winning interface that is accessible to people with disabilities.

Ms. Karen Sarno

Program Director Karen Sarno has more than two decades of experience in research environments. With a B.S. in Biology, she has held a variety of positions in not-for-profit as well as for-profit organizations spanning life sciences, biomedical, and educational/museum fields.

Ms. Sarno has a proven track record of progressive advancements in sales, product and marketing development, quality assurance, and project management providing a breadth of experience and knowledge that supports her understanding of the many aspects of a business.

With more than a decade of experience in project and program management, Ms. Sarno has collaborated with Executive Staff at Tech-Aid to develop and communicate the vision, mission, and goals of the organization through its projects. She has had fiscal, and direct and indirect personnel management responsibilities. Ms Sarno has also managed a diverse group of people including scientists, writers, engineers, graphic designers and artists. She has provided leadership and direction, while helping team members develop new skills and achieve goals.

Most recently serving as a Senior Project Manager of the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco, CA., Ms Sarno was responsible for co-leading multiple, multi-million dollar National Science Foundation grants that culminated in the creation of new exhibit collections on the museum floor, traveling exhibitions, and a website.

Ms. Sarno understands that surpassing expectations, exceptional organizational, and clear communication skills, along with building solid relationships based on trust and respect are keys to success.

Ms. Mary Tharp

Research Assistant Mary Tharp has ten years of business management experience with four years specialized in the research field. Previously she has worked for the National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) as well as the Center For Applied Research in Education (CARE) as an Executive Research Assistant. Her most recent position was working on a large research grant from the U.S. Department of Education where she was the task director and project coordinator.

Mary has a B.S. in Political Science and Business. She has coordinated large projects with Schools throughout the United States, has been a mentor to staff, and a team leader. She has experience in Computer Programming, Marketing, and Data Management. She believes a cohesive team atmosphere is what makes a successful business. Mary joined the Tech-Aid team in December of 2011.

Mr. Kevin Williams

Programmer Kevin Williams has been working with computers his entire life and has been programming for over ten years. Apart from a year spent at Lane Community College, Eugene, OR, he has been completely self-taught. He has worked on multiple low-profile indie titles as well as developing applications for the Android Mobile Operating System and is currently working on applications for the Apple iPhone and iPad.

He has experience programming in a number of different languages including: C, C++, Objective-C, Java, Javascript, Actionscript, TorqueScript, HTML, and PHP.

As a primarily indie game programmer he has also gained experience in high-tier game engines and development environments such as Torque, Flash, Irrlicht, Game Maker, Unity, Unreal, and more recently, Director.